In-Ear and On-Body Measurements of Impulse-Noise Exposure

Details

• Personal Author:
  Calamia PT ; Davis SK ; Murphy, William J. ; Smalt CJ
• Description:
  Accurate quantification of noise exposure in military environments is challenging due to movement of listeners and noise sources, spectral and temporal noise characteristics, and varied use of hearing protection. This study evaluates a wearable recording device designed to measure on-body and in-ear noise exposure, specifically in an environment with significant impulse noise resulting from firearms. A commercial audio recorder was augmented to obtain simultaneous measurements inside the ear canal behind an integrated hearing protector, and near the outer ear. Validation measurements, conducted with an acoustic test fixture and shock tube, indicated high impulse peak insertion loss with a proper fit of the integrated hearing protector. The recording devices were worn by five subjects during a live-fire data collection at Marine Corps Base Quantico where Marines fired semi-automatic rifles. The field test demonstrated the successful measurement of high-level impulse waveforms with the on-body and in-ear recording system. Dual channels allowed for instantaneous fit estimates for the hearing protection component, and the device worked as intended in terms of hearing protection and noise dosimetry. Accurate measurements of noise exposure and hearing protector fit should improve the ability to model and assess the risks of noise-induced hearing loss. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Radiation Dosimeters Safety
• Keywords:
  Auditory Injury Author Keywords: Noise Exposure Dosimetry Firearms Hearing Loss Prevention Hearing Protection Impulse Noise Military Personnel Noise-induced Hearing Loss Noise Dosimetry Noise Exposure Noise Induced Hearing Loss

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• ISSN:
  1499-2027
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  58
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054278
• Citation:
  Int J Audiol 2019 Jan; 58(Suppl 1):S49-S57
• Contact Point Address:
  Shakti K. Davis, Bioengineering Systems and Technologies Group, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 244 Wood St, Lexington, MA 02421
• Email:
  shakti@ll.mit.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Audiology
• Supplement:
  1
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bdfb38c14778ad7a547bd4dfa29652b5ddb886874f490751ea519ae52a4e8ef392bae86f50598bbd0cabd0ce5eaa3258e6dffba7d30f70cf0b256af2963bea18
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216873/cdc_216873_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.34 MB ]