Measuring recreational firearm noise.

Abstract

Recreational use of firearms in the United States is commonplace. There are 28 × 106 Americans who consider themselves hunters and 13 × 106 went hunting in 2000. Participation in the shooting sports, without the use of properly worn hearing protection, exposes the involved persons to high levels of impulsive noise which may cause hearing loss and/or tinnitus (ear ringing). The present study was initiated to gain a better understanding of the noise exposure created by contemporary firearms using state of the art instrumentation and to ultimately increase our knowledge and awareness of this unique noise hazard. The sound pressure signal created by recreational firearms as used in hunting or target practice is characterized by a high-frequency, short duration impulsive noise. This signal is perceived by the human ear as one single, loud impulse or “shot.” However, when the firearm sound level is measured with microphones capable of sampling wide frequency ranges and combined with high-speed data acquisition computer systems, the impulses can be resolved into a number of different acoustic signals related to different source mechanisms.