Potential for Interaction of Low-Level Impulse and Continuous Noise

Abstract

The purpose of the experiments described in this report was to establish whether a synergistic interaction occurs between relatively low levels of continuous and impulse noise to produce an increased hearing loss and cochlear pathology. Twenty-three monaural chinchillas were used as experimental subjects. The animals were divided into six groups. Each group was exposed 8 hours per day for 8 weeks to various combinations of impulse and continouous noise presented at various levels. Using behavioral conditioning techniques, hearing thresholds were measured before, during, and after noise exposure. After a minimum of 30 days post-exposure the animals were killed and their cochleas were analyzed using the surface preparation technique. Histological results were qualified in the form of a cochleagram. In contrast to earlier findings the results of this study found no evidence of a synergistic interaction when the animals were exposed to a combination of continuous (between 75-85 dB SPL) and impulse (103 dB SPL peak exposure) noise. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1981
Accession Number
ADA109430

Entities

People

  • Donald Henderson
  • Richard Salvi
  • Roger P. Hamernik

Organizations

  • Syracuse University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acoustic Measurement
  • Air Force
  • Amplifiers
  • Animals
  • Biomedical Research
  • Cells
  • Contractors
  • Contracts
  • Ear
  • Frequency
  • Governments
  • Hearing Loss
  • Impulse Noise
  • Laboratory Animals
  • Measurement
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Personnel

Readers

  • Auditory Neuroscience/Auditory Physiology.
  • Mathematics or Statistics