Impulse noise means a very short sound event (i.e. shot, explosion) which may lead to permanent hearing damage if a person is exposed to it at a very short distance and at high intensity (140 dB, which is the noise produced by a jet engine). Such damage is not immediately noticeable, so the impact is not a brief deafening such as after a rock concert, for example. Pursuant to the Noise and Vibration Regulation (Verordnung Lärm und Vibrationen, VOLV), Sections 3 and 4, the exposure limit (Lc .peak) for impulse noise amounts to 137 dB, the trigger value being at 135 dB.
