Beginning in the early 1900s, the concept of “noise” came into public awareness. Factories, automobiles, and even talking movies generated new – and much of it unwanted – background sound that made everyday living more unpleasant and unhealthy. Various sources show evidence of these concerns from that era, including numerous and varied studies and journal reports. The first electrical sound meter was documented in 1907-8 and the first tentative standards for sound meters were published in 1936.

Beginning in the late 1940s with a focus on air-operated equipment, Atomuffler^® and then Bantam^® mufflers have been setting industry standards in sound control applications all over the world. Both are specified in a wide range of industrial applications where efficiency, dependability and performance are critical. In addition to having superior sound silencing properties, they are also valuable air diffusers that are unsurpassed in the muffler field. Air diffusion positively prevents troublesome air flow and dangerous after-blasts.

Noise Information – How much noise is too much?

• Noise levels in the upper 70 decibel (dB) range are annoying to some people.
• Exposure to levels above 80 dB for 8 hours may cause hearing damage, while exposure to levels above 90 dB for the same amount of time is likely to cause hearing damage.
• When noise levels are above 100 dB for 8 hours, serious hearing damage is possible.
• 120 dB is considered the human threshold for pain, and eardrum rupture can occur at 150 dB.

Damage caused by noise goes beyond just hearing loss. Recent studies have shown that sustained exposure to high levels of noise can cause stress, hypertension, and even cardiovascular problems.

For example, tests performed on air exhausts not equipped and equipped with Atomuffler products showed that noise levels can drop from 97-121 dB without a muffler down to 81-84 dB with Atomuffler products. That’s a decrease of up to 37 dB. On average, noise levels were reduced 17-25 dB. However, every application is different and there is no way to predict exact results.

From a different perspective - dB and power:

• 3 dB reduction cuts sound energy in half
• 10 dB reduction decreases sound energy by a factor of 10
• 20 dB reduction decreases sound energy by a factor of 100

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