Danger of auditory impairment from impulse noise: A comparative study of the CHABA damage-risk criteria and those of the Federal Republic of Germany

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Abstract
On the basis of the impulse diagrams of various weapons and many audiometric tests, the CHABA [Committee on Hearing, Bioacoustics and Biomechanics] impulse-noise damage-risk criteria (DRC) are compared with those of West Germany. Both DRC indicate maximum permissible exposures in terms of peak-pressure level and of effective duration. Both DRC aim to protect 95% of the exposed population from permanent auditory damage. The computation of the effective duration differs between the CHABA DRC and the German DRC; it generally gives a longer effective duration for CHABA. More than 10,000 soldiers were audiometrically tested in a mobile monitoring station before firing practice and beginning 2 min after exposure until complete recovery. A special study compared the results for 478 German soldiers and evaluated the relative value of the CHABA DRC and the German DRC. CHABA DRC were found too restrictive, permitting unnecessary less maximum permissible load than the German DRC. Due to the large variability in TTS2 [temporary threshold shift 2 min after exposure], measurement of the whole recovery time beginning 2 min after exposure has a greater predictive value. Recovery time apparently should be used in the evaluation of the DRC.

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