As Independence Day approaches - complete with its cacophony of celebratory music, boaters’ engines, and fireworks shows - experts warn of the subtle, but permanent, effects the holiday can have on hearing. “A single exposure might not result in damage, but the cumulative effect across the day - the soundscape or the noise-scape of the day - can be enough to put you over the edge,” Dr. Lori Pakulski, a pediatric audiologist and professor of speech-language pathology at University of Toledo, said of the Fourth of July’s signature sounds. Fireworks produce sound output ranging anywhere from 150 to 175 decibels. For context, prolonged exposure to any sound above 85 decibels is considered dangerous and could cause hearing damage or loss. A typical conversation’s volume ranges from 60 to 70 decibels, and a running boat engine sits at about 80 to 90 decibels. The World Health Organization estimates that 1 billion young people aged 12 to 35 are at risk of noise-induced hearing loss due to recreational exposure to high-volume sounds.