PERCEPTION AND REDUCTION IN WAKEFULNESS DURING EXPOSURE TO INFRASOUND

PERCEPTION OCH SAENKT VAKENHET UNDER EXPONERING FOER INFRALJUD

The present paper is a description of some laboratory experiments carried out in order to investigate the perception and changes in wakefulness occurring during exposure to infrasound. Perception of infrasound is based on both hearing and vibrations in different parts of the body. Threshold of audibility was found to be approximately 110 db(lin) at 4 hz and 90 db(lin) at 20 hz. Sensations through vibrations were found to occur at about 20 db above the hearing threshold levels. As far as vibrotactile sensation is concerned no difference was found to exist between deaf and hearing subjects. Hearing sensations could not be registered in neurosensory deafness. 10 deaf and 10 hearing subjects were exposed 20 minutes at 6 hz, 115 db(lin). Reduced wakefulness was noticed among hearing subjects but not among the deaf subjects. According to these results changes in wakefulness during exposure to infrasound are based on hearing. The threshold of reduction in wakefulness thus follows the levels of hearing threshold. (Author/TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9174641646
• Corporate Authors:

  National Board of Occupational Safety and Health

  S-171 84 Solna,   Sweden 
• Publication Date: 1983

Language

• Swedish

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 31 p.
• Serial:
  • Publication of: National Board of Occupational Safety and Health
  • Publisher: National Board of Occupational Safety and Health
  • ISSN: 0346-7821

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Hearings; Infrasound; Perception; Physiological fatigue; Simulation; Sound level; Vibration; Vigilance
• ITRD Terms: 2238: Attention; 2222: Fatigue (human); 2081: Hearing; 6749: Infrasonic noise; 2229: Perception; 9103: Simulation; 6747: Sound level; 5558: Vibration
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I92: Vehicle Comfort;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00381122
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)
• ISBN: 91-7464-164-6
• Report/Paper Numbers: 1983:10 Monograph
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 30 1984 12:00AM