Vuvuzela vortex?

From schoolyards to parks and public spaces, there’s almost no area of national territory free from the sounds of these rudimentary instruments.

And it’s all down to «Galp Energia». As a way of promoting the Portuguese Selection for the 2010 World Cup, the fuel company hit on the idea of selling thousands of vuvuzelas at filling stations during the months leading up to the competition. In the meantime, the cost of fuel may have gone up – but nothing seems to dampen the success of the “plastic horn” campaign!

And let’s face it, new ideas are always welcome. This World Cup won’t only see Portuguese flags flying from aluminium covered-verandas of tower blocks (a lot of them with motifs printed upside courtesy of Chinese manufacturers), and more than a few inherited from previous competitions, and therefore in very much the same state as the rest of the country; we’ll also hear, day and night, fans sounding vuvuzelas from the very depths of their lungs – sending patriotic waves of support all the way to Johannesburg (or, perhaps Morocco, as it’s a little nearer).

Of course, the idea of the sound carrying across the African Sahara is a little OTT, but anyone who has neighbours equipped with vuvuzelas will already have a good idea of their capacity, on a very much more realistic scale. There are those who’ve already witnessed children who have mastered the vuvuzela – making more noise than their height and weight comparative to the number of decibels. Just imagine that!

The Swiss foundation «Hear the World» has done its homework too, and estimates that on average a plastic vuvuzela is able to emit an ear-piercing 127 decibels – that’s more than a lawn mower (90 decibels), or a chain saw (100 decibels). Extended exposure at these levels “for just 15 minutes is enough to cause permanent noise-induced hearing loss”.

Support the «Selecção Portuguesa» by all means – but is it really worth blowing a hole in one’s eardrums in the process?