Impulse noise generated by starter pistols

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Int J Audiol
• Personal Author:
  Meinke, Deanna K. ; Finan, Donald S. ; Soendergaard, Jacob ; Flamme, Gregory A. ; Murphy, William J. ; Lankford, James E. ; Stewart, Michael
• Description:
  Objective
  
  This study describes signals generated by .22 and .32 caliber starter pistols in the context of noise-induced hearing loss risk for sports officials and athletes.
  
  Design
  
  Acoustic comparison of impulses generated from typical .22 and .32 caliber starter pistols firing blanks were made to impulses generated from comparable firearms firing both blanks and live rounds. Acoustic characteristics are described in terms of directionality and distance from the shooter in a simulated outdoor running track. Metrics include peak sound pressure levels (SPL), A-weighted equivalent 8-hour level (LeqA8), and maximum permissible number of individual shots, or maximum permissible exposures (MPE) for the unprotected ear.
  
  Results
  
  Starter pistols produce peak SPLs above 140 dB. The numbers of MPEs are as few as five for the .22-caliber starter pistol, and somewhat higher (≤25) for the .32-caliber pistol.
  
  Conclusion
  
  The impulsive sounds produced by starter pistols correspond to MPE numbers that are unacceptably small for unprotected officials and others in the immediate vicinity of the shooter. At the distances included in this study, the risk to athletes appears to be low (when referencing exposure criteria for adults), but the sound associated with the starter pistol will contribute to the athlete’s overall noise exposure.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Acoustics Adult Article Female Firearms Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Humans Impulse Noise Male Models, Theoretical Noise, Occupational Noise-induced Hearing Loss Noise Exposure Noise Level Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Occupational Health And Safety Risk Factors Running Sports Injury Starter Pistol Track And Field Young Adult

  More +
• Source:
  Int J Audiol. 52(0 1):S9-19.
• Pubmed ID:
  23373743
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4617326
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/Intramural CDC HHS/United States
• Volume:
  52
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:639cfa21ad67a65c8ffab9a7f6eb5f906efded482f3c7e92af98a38662b04ad2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/35291/cdc_35291_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.05 MB ]