Tim Zagat, publisher of the Zagat Surveys, says, "In a lot of places, high noise levels are built in. It's part of the shtick."

Sure enough, in their quest for a young, hip crowd, a growing number of restaurateurs are turning up the volume, jamming folks into tighter spaces and designing their places with open kitchens, high ceilings and hardwood floors.

In the most recent Zagat Surveys of diners in Boston; St. Louis; Long Island, N.Y.; and New Jersey; noise beat out bad service as the number one complaint. To warn about excessive noise, many restaurant reviews ‹ such as those in the St. Paul Pioneer Press ‹ now feature noise level ratings.

And the noise is not just affecting diners. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco studied restaurant noise levels and found that the raucous in popular restaurants may be wreaking hearing havoc on the wait staff too.

Dinnertime levels reached peaks equal to those of heavy city traffic and packed night clubs ‹ to the tune of 85 to 105 decibels (dB). (Compare that with normal conversation, which is around 60 dB.) To carry on a conversation at that level, you have to raise your voice ‹ or scream.

So, should you order the ear plugs or take-out? We'll help you answer that in upcoming issues of Sights & Sounds, where we'll rate restaurants on a four-bell scale. Let us know of a noisy or a conversation-friendly place to dine by calling us at 651/645-2546, ext. 12.

SHA would like to thank the following sites for offering free hearing screenings on Noise Awareness Day:

In the Twin Cities, the Sight & Hearing Association found many levels were as loud as or louder than other cities.

For example, traffic on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis ranged from 77-89 decibels (dB); in New York, highway traffic noise levels peaked at 76. Minneapolis also had the loudest night club, topping out at 115 dB.

"Most people don't realize that they are more likely to develop a hearing loss from everyday activities over time than from one single event, such as a concert," explains Julee Sylvester, Sight & Hearing Association spokesperson. "This study just confirms that we are exposed to noise daily."

A hearing loss due to overexposure to noise is called noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). More than 10 million Americans have NIHL even though it's completely preventable.

So, how can you protect your hearing from the daily assault of noise? There are three steps you can take:
- Turn down the volume. Whether it's the TV or your headphones, turn the volume down a couple of notches.
- Avoid or walk away from noisy situations.
- Wear hearing protection. It may seem contradictory, but if you wear ear plugs at a concert, you will still hear everything while blocking out the high-frequency sounds that do the most damage.

1. Sparklers are safe fireworks and can be given to children.
2. Gunpowder is a major ingredient in most types of fireworks.
3. Only people who are careless or unsupervised are injured from fireworks.
4. Only people who set off the fireworks risk injuries.
5. Males are more likely to get hurt from fireworks.
6. Bottle rockets are not dangerous because they're just firecrackers tied to a stick.
7. Using fireworks is an inexpensive way to celebrate the Fourth of July.
8. My state bans fireworks.