This review was conducted to address three questions related to recreational sound exposure: (1) what criteria are used to determine noise exposure limits, (2) are there differences in the risk of hearing loss from occupational noise versus recreational sound, and (3) what is an appropriate exposure limit for recreational sound? For the first question, most standards specify an 8-h occupational noise exposure limit (L(EX)) of 85 dBA. This limit assumes that some workers exposed at the limit will…