Forget the paper hats children should probably wear ear defenders at birthday parties because of the dangers of popping balloons.
Expert's warned that childrens' and adults’ hearing could be damaged if they attend several birthday parties a year. For the study, researchers wearing ear protection, of course measured the noise from balloons burst in three different ways: popping them with a pin, blowing them up until they ruptured and crushing them until they burst.
The University of Alberta scientists found the loudest bang was made by a ruptured balloon at almost 168 decibels, four decibels louder than a 12 gauge shotgun.
Safety experts recommend that we are not exposed to noises louder than 140 decibels.
Study co-author Dylan Scott said of the research, published in the journal Canadian Audiologist: ‘It’s amazing how loud balloons are. Even one exposure could be considered potentially unsafe to hearing for both children and adults. ‘Nobody would let their child shoot something that loud without hearing protection, but balloons don’t cross people’s minds.’