What type of sound exposure can most severely affect hearing?

Impulse noise from explosions and firearms is particularly damaging to hearing due to the extremely high sound levels they produce in a very short time frame. These sounds often exceed 120 decibels, which can cause immediate and permanent damage to the delicate structures of the inner ear. The rapid and intense nature of impulse noise leaves little time for the ear to adapt, which significantly increases the risk of acoustic trauma.

In contrast, other sound types like soft background music, conversations at social gatherings, and even sounds from modern electronic devices typically do not reach the same hazardous decibel levels or maintain the same intensity over time, making them less likely to induce immediate hearing loss. The effects of prolonged exposure to high levels of sound and how they can accumulate over time are important as well but do not have the same immediate, destructive potential as impulse noise.