Noise dosimetry for tactical environments.

Noise dosimetry for tactical environments. Hear Res. 2016 Nov 19;: Authors: Smalt CJ, Lacirignola J, Davis S, Calamia PT, Collins P Abstract Noise exposure and the subsequent hearing loss are well documented aspects of military life. Numerous studies have indicated high rates of noise-induced hearing injury (NIHI) in active-duty service men and women, and recent statistics from the US Department of Veterans Affairs indicate a population of veterans with hearing loss that is growing at an increasing rate. In an effort to minimize hearing loss, the US Department of Defense (DoD) updated its Hearing Conservation Program in 2010, and also has recently revised the DoD Design Criteria Standard Noise Limits (MIL-STD-1474E) which defines allowable noise levels in the design of all military acquisitions including weapons and vehicles. Even with such mandates, it remains a challenge to accurately quantify the noise exposure experienced by a Warfighter over the course of a mission or training exercise, or even in a standard work day. Noise dosimeters are intended for exactly this purpose, but variations in device placement (e.g., free-field, on-body, in/near-ear), hardware (e.g., microphone, analog-to-digital converter), measurement time (e.g., work day, 24-h), and dose metric calculations (e.g., time-weighted energy, peak levels, Auditory Risk Units), as well as noise types (e.g., continuous, intermittent, impulsive) can cause exposure measure...
Source: Hearing Research - Category: Audiology Authors: Tags: Hear Res Source Type: research