The loudest sound in the world would kill you if you heard it

It's pretty unnerving to think there's a sound out there that's so loud, it could actually kill you.

Of course, a sound that's loud enough to cause fatal harm is very rare. However, the loudest noise ever recorded was actually loud enough to kill - if you were close enough to it.

It occurred on 27 August 1883 when the Krakatoa volcano erupted in Indonesia.

The loudest noise ever recorded was loud enough to cause serious harm. (Getty Stock Photo)

It totally destroyed the island and created the loudest noise ever to be recorded at a whopping 180 dB.

Not only was this, of course, incredibly loud, but it released a force equivalent to that of a 200-mega-ton bomb.

At a 100 miles away at a gasworks in Jakarta, the sound was measured at 172 decibels.

Meanwhile, sailors on a ship some 40 miles from the explosion had their eardrums burst from the event.

The sound was so loud that it was even heard 3,000 miles away. In fact, at a farm in Alice Springs in Australia - a huge 2,233 miles away - sheep farmers heard what they thought were shots from a rifle.

Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia. (Getty Stock Photo)

It's also widely reported that the sound managed to travel around the world a number of times.

Although there are no reports of people actually hearing the explosion further than 3,000 miles away, publication 538 explains that there were 'spikes of atmospheric pressure' in the likes of Canada, England and Russia.

It's thought the pressure was waves of sound from the explosion, rippling around the globe.

According to DecibelPro, anything over 150dB can potentially cause life-threatening problems to humans.

The site explains: "Sounds above 150 dB have the potential of causing life-threatening issues.

Anything over 150dB can potentially cause life-threatening problems. (Getty Stock Photo)

"Sounds between 170-200 dB are so intense that they can cause lethal issues like pulmonary embolisms, pulmonary contusions, or even burst lungs. As for exploding heads, you can expect that from sounds above 240 dB."

The experts explain that the pressure from high decibel sounds can act like a wave, passing through our bodies.

"Sound is a wave of pressure that acts just like an actual wave. It can move through both solids and liquids and pass through our bodies as well," they explain.

"If the pressure buildup is high enough, it can cause damage to our eardrums and internal organs.

"A loud sound can build up enough pressure to cause the eardrum or even internal organs to rupture or explode."

Topics: Science, Health