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New Orleans Saints fans are not reticent people. And the noise levels in the Superdome have been known to affect the ability of players on the field to hear calls.

In fact, the deafening din of the Dome has led to a pair of turnovers in wins against the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers this season, Saints players said.

Just how loud can the fans get? Well, we measured.

"A guy could be pressing face masks with you," Saints safety Darren Sharper said. "And you're yelling and he still can't hear you."

Noise-induced hearing damage is related to the duration and volume of exposure. Government research suggests safe exposure limit is 85 decibels for eight hours a day.

On Monday at 6:55 p.m. the Saints took the field to a crowd roar of 95 decibels.

When Saints quarterback Drew Brees gave his motivational speech to the team in the end zone, the Dome faithful's cheers reached 100 decibels.

When the Patriots took the field, Saints fans responded with mostly boos ... at 99 decibels.

And when the Saints came roaring out of the tunnel to start the game, the fans roared right back: at 105 decibels. And they sustained that noise level through the kickoff.

But that apparently was just the beginning. The decibels increased with the Saints' first touchdown, up to 110 decibels. The second touchdown measured 111 decibels. And the third, shortly before the end of the half, measured 108 decibels.

Even Chris Berman and Tom Jackson of the ESPN "Halftime Show" mentioned how loud the hometown Dome crowd can get. "That is a loud place," Jackson said. "Huh?" Berman said, pretending not to be able to hear his colleague.

Back to the game: the fourth Saints touchdown set up by the Brees-Colston show: 111 decibels.

When the Patriots attempted to make that fourth-down conversion in the third quarter, the Dome responded at 119 decibels before the snap. The Patriots failed to convert.

Darren Sharper's interception in the fourth quarter garnered 106decibels.

Here are a few points of comparison:

60 decibels: Normal conversation
70 decibels: Vacuum cleaner
80 decibels: A crying baby, or a freight train
85 decibels: Busy city traffic
90 decibels: A diesel truck, a hair dryer

Sustained exposure to 90 to 95 decibels could result in hearing loss, experts say.

100 decibels: Motorcycle, chain saw
115 decibels: A rock concert
120 decibels: A thunderclap, a jackhammer

At 125 decibels, pain begins, experts say. And at 140 decibels, short-term exposure to the noise can cause permanent damage.


140 decibels: A shotgun blast
150 decibels: A jet taking off

New Orleans Saints fans send Dome noise levels through the roof | New Orleans Saints Central - - NOLA.com

www.sportsshooter.com/johnjcoleman

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SmashMouth

Here's to making a lot more noise on the way to the Superbowl!

DjBlueBeast

ive heard of many folks leaving the dome without their voice. i know i do everytime im there

RaginCajun83

My brother had a headache and his ears were still ringing on the way back to Houston yesterday. I see that as a badge of honor, I normally don't get my voice back till the Thursday after the game when I go

saintsfan1976

That was absolutely the loudest I've ever heard the dome. I had WWL in my ear during the game when Jim and Hokie mentioned that for a few plays they took their own headphones off just to "enjoy" the crowd noise.

It's Wednesday and my ears are still ringing and my voice has just come back.

What a win.