30dB

30dB is a term referring to a specific sound pressure level measurement. Decibels (dB) are a logarithmic unit used to express the ratio of two values of a physical quantity, most commonly power or intensity. In the context of sound, the decibel scale is used to measure sound pressure level, which is related to how loud a sound is perceived. A 30-decibel sound level is considered relatively quiet. For reference, the whispering threshold is often cited as being around 30 dB. This level is comparable to the sound of rustling leaves or a quiet library. It is significantly lower than everyday conversational speech, which typically ranges from 60 to 70 dB, and much lower than loud noises such as traffic or a vacuum cleaner, which can exceed 80 dB. Prolonged exposure to sound levels of 85 dB or higher can pose a risk to hearing. Therefore, 30 dB represents a sound environment that is generally not considered harmful or disruptive. The threshold of human hearing is considered to be 0 dB. Each increase of 10 dB represents a tenfold increase in sound intensity. Thus, 30 dB is 100 times more intense than 10 dB and 1000 times more intense than 0 dB, though loudness perception is not strictly linear with intensity.