Noisy Hand Dryers

Hand dryers in public bathrooms are noisy—particularly for little kids. These devices are usually mounted low on walls, level with children’s heads. Unfortunately, says Nora Keenan, a 14-year-old from Calgary, Canada, “hand dryer companies don’t measure the loudness of their dryers at children’s ear heights.” The manufacturers only measure for adults, whose ears are higher up. That prompted Nora to conduct her own study.

Nora measured the loudness of more than 40 hand dryers using a decibel meter. This instrument measures sound intensity. She learned that most hand dryers produce a sound that is well above what’s safe for children—and adults. One dryer went all the way up to 121 decibels. That’s louder than a chainsaw.