Attenuation of ultrasonic noise in the 10–16 kHz frequency range by earplugs
Journal Title: Medycyna Pracy - Year 2018, Vol 69, Issue 4
Abstract
Background: The aim of the study was to determine attenuation of earplugs for ultrasonic noise in the frequency range of 10–16 kHz. Material and Methods: The attenuation of earplugs in 1/3-octave-bands with the centre frequencies of 10 kHz, 12.5 kHz, and 16 kHz using the REAT (real-ear attenuation at threshold) method based on the measurements of hearing threshold of subjects. The study was carried out for 29 models of earplugs commonly used in the industry designed by various manufacturers, including 13 models of foam earplugs, 10 models of flanged earplugs, 5 models of headband earplugs and one model of no-roll earplugs. Results: The values of the measured attenuation of earplugs are in the range 12.9–33.2 dB for the 10 kHz frequency band, 22.8–35.2 dB for the 12.5 kHz frequency band and 29.5–37.2 dB for the 16 kHz frequency band. The attenuation of earplugs in the frequency range 10–16 kHz has higher values (statistically significant changes) for foam earplugs than flanged earplugs (p = 0.0003 vs. p = 0.0006) or headband earplugs (p = 0.0002 vs. p = 0.04). Conclusions: The tests indicated that there is no uniform relation between the sound attenuation in the frequencies range of 10–16 kH and the catalogue H parameter (high-frequency attenuation value) of earplugs. Therefore, it is not possible to easily predict the attenuation of ultrasonic noise in the frequency range of 10–16 kHz using the sound attenuation data for the normally considered frequency range (up to 8 kHz). Med Pr 2018;69(4):395–402
Authors and Affiliations
Emil Kozłowski, Rafał Młyński
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP395290
- DOI 10.13075/mp.5893.00721
- Views 149
- Downloads 0
Effect of stress and intesity of mobile phone using on the health and subjective symptoms in GSM workers
Background: There are no available data on the health consequences that may result from the synergistic effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) and stress. Understanding the mechanisms of the simultaneous exposure will m...
Simplicity or complexity of the radiopharmaceutical production process in the light of optimization of radiation protection of staff – 99mTc vs. 18F
Background: A radiopharmaceutical is a combination of a non-radioactive compound with a radioactive isotope. Two isotopes: technetium- 99m (99mTc) and fluorine-18 (18F) are worth mentioning on the rich list of isotopes w...
Assessment of work environment vs. feeling of threat and aggravation of stress in job of a high risk – An attempt of organizational intervention
Background: The main purpose of this article was to examine, whether and to what extend an assessment of work environment and feeling of threat are associated with stress at work performed in health- and life-threatening...
Work-related rhinitis – Is it always an occupational disease?
Rhinitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the upper respiratory tract, characterized by a high prevalence and a complex pathogenesis. Work-related rhinitis (WRR) can be divided into occupational rhinitis (OR) and wor...
ASSESSMENT OF THE PORTABLE RADIOPHONE USERS' EXPOSURE TO ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS, WITH USE OF NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS AND DIRECTIVE 2013/35/EU REQUIREMENTS
Background: The assessment of electromagnetic field distribution near radiophones and their use warranted an analysis of thermal exposure hazards and related health effects, based on i.e. numerical calculations of specif...