Prospective measurements of hearing threshold during military rifle training with in-ear, protected, noise exposure monitoring.
J Acoust Soc Am
; 152(4): 2257, 2022 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36319232
ABSTRACT
Although a causal relationship exists between military occupational noise exposure and hearing loss, researchers have struggled to identify and/or characterize specific operational noise exposures that produce measurable changes in hearing function shortly following an exposure. Growing evidence suggests that current standards for noise-exposure limits are not good predictors of true hearing damage. In this study, the aim was to capture the dose-response relationship during military rifle training exercises for noise exposure and hearing threshold. To capture exposure, a wearable system capable of measuring impulse noise simultaneously on-body and in-ear, behind hearing protection was used. To characterize hearing threshold changes, portable audiometry was employed within 2 h before and after exposure. The median 8-h time-weighted, protected, free-field equivalent in-ear exposure was 87.5 dBA at one site and 80.7 dBA at a second site. A significant dose-response correlation between in-ear noise exposure and postexposure hearing threshold changes across our population ( R = 0.40 , p = 0.0281) was observed. The results demonstrate an approach for establishing damage risk criteria (DRC) for in-ear, protected measurements based on hearing threshold changes. While an in-ear DRC does not currently exist, it may be critical for predicting the risk of injury for noise environments where protection is mandatory and fit status can vary.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Exposição Ocupacional
/
Perda Auditiva Provocada por Ruído
/
Militares
/
Ruído Ocupacional
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Acoust Soc Am
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos