DEAFENING noise levels are so much a part of daily life some experts claim our hearing is now being permanently damaged.

The number of registered deaf people has increased by nearly 50 per cent since 1981, according to Department of Health figures.

And nearly nine million people in the UK - one in seven - suffer deafness or significant hearing difficulty and more than one million are exposed to damaging volumes at work, according to the Defeating Deafness charity.

Last week came the news that a quarter of iPod users allegedly risk permanent aural damage by playing them too loudly.

Geraldine Oliver of Defeating Deafness says: "Every day we are being subjected to ever-increasing levels of sound, with blaring music in pubs, booming sound effects in films and even when travelling by car or train."

So we tested decibel levels in different locations on a typical day. And Dr Jonathan Gale, senior research fellow at the University College London Ear Institute, explains how much you are getting it in the ear...


(Peak level: 109.6db)

PEDESTRIANS walking past these roadworks in West London, are being exposed to ear-splitting noise.

I asked the driller if anyone from the estate had complained about the din.

"They might have done - but I can't hear them," he chuckles.

DR GALE SAYS: "The drill sound starts so quickly the defensive reflex action from muscles in your middle ear would not be able to protect you, and your inner ear could be damaged. I recommend crossing the road."


(Peak level: 97.1db)

A TRIP on the tube from Bethnal Green to Bank Station on the Central Line is very loud all the way.

But it becomes unbearable as I get off the train and it starts to pull away, wheels screeching as they strain against the track. Lots of passengers wisely put their fingers in their ears.

DR GALE SAYS: "This is bad news for your ears in the long-term. If you're making this journey every day the cumulative effect could be damaging."


(Peak level: 85db)

TESTING sound levels is hungry work, so it's time for a spot of lunch. A cafe in Brentford, Middlesex, off the M4 is handy for office workers - but it's not doing their ears any favours.

A waitress admits: "The noise can really get to you."

DR GALE SAYS: "If you were subjected to those levels of sound every lunchtime it would do some damage as you are there for a long period. If it was this loud in the workplace your employers would have to supply you with ear defenders."


(Peak level: 94db)

THE residents of Elbow Meadow, Colnbrook, Berks, know all about noise pollution. Every three minutes a plane flies over to land at Heathrow. Pensioners Victor and Marjorie Edwards moved here in 1960 when there was far less noise.

Marjorie, 73, claims: "They've given us triple glazing and fixed the roof but it's terrible. You can't go in the garden. Talking to the neighbours is out of the question so we just wave." Victor, 82, claims: "I've gone deaf in one ear so I sleep on the good one at night to cut out the racket. But Marjorie cannot sleep because we still have five flights a night going over."

DR GALE SAYS: "This has the potential to do long-term irreversible damage. The only thing you could do about it is to move out."


(Peak level: 116.7db)

CLAPHAM Junction station is notoriously noisy - and it's not just because of the trains. The general noise level generated by the trains is around 90db.b

But when station supervisor Alan Ritchie blows his whistle he achieves our highest level in the survey.

Alan says: "Passengers have been known to complain if I blow it in their direction. It's not too loud for me, because the sound is travelling away from me."

DR GALE SAYS: "If you're anywhere near the whistle your hearing is almost certainly being severely damaged. Alan has probably blown the whistle so many times that it could have affected his hearing without him realising."


(Peak level: 97.1db)

IF you thought the video games at the Trocadero Centre near London's Leicester Square are harmless enough, think again.

The place is a wall of noise, but the winner in the decibel stakes is Sega's Ghost Squad which peaks a few times at a piercing 97.1db. I try to interview some of the gamers glued to their screens, but - you guessed it - they cannot hear me.

DR GALE SAYS: "I wouldn't want to expose my ears to that level of noise for more than a couple of minutes. My advice would be to wear earplugs."


(Peak level: 92.7db)

I NEED a drink, so I head for a sports bar in central London. Although customers are not overly excited by Stephen Gerrard's hat-trick in Liverpool's opening Champion League qualifier against TNS, noise levels are rocketing thanks to the dozens of speakers dotted around.

DR GALE SAYS: "If you have to shout to make yourself heard, you know you are potentially damaging your hearing. You cannot wear earplugs because you couldn't have a conversation, so I would suggest steering clear of the speakers."


(Peak level: 99db)

EVERYONE loves a trip to the flicks, but few realise that they could be doing permanent damage to their ears.

In this cinema, showing War Of The Worlds, every time there's an action scene, sound levels shoot up to dangerous levels. The spooky lightning strikes reach 94.6db and the first alien attack shoots up to an incredible 99db.

Sound spikes include a jumbo jet crash, 97.9db, and the ferry attack which clocked 94.2db.

DR GALE SAYS: "Going to see lots of noisy films is potentially deafening in the long term. The best thing to do is simply cover your ears when it gets too loud."

Hell's decibels

IN a quiet office you can expect noise levels of around 40db.

On the other end of the scale, a aircraft taking off generates 130db and a gunshot 160db.

Employers have to supply their staff with ear defenders if the sound level in their workplace is consistently hitting 85db or higher.