Firearms and Noise: Risk Quantification for Soldiers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3849/aimt.01946Keywords:
Noise, Firearms, Hearing ProtectionAbstract
Professional soldiers are often exposed to the risk of excessive noise during their work. The most common environment in which a soldier is exposed to excessive noise is regular shooter training. Excessive noise can lead to sudden acoustic trauma or barotrauma with perforation of the eardrum, and chronic hearing damage can occur with repeated exposure to noisy environments. Other complaints, such as tinnitus, can accompany these conditions. It is, therefore, important to prevent such damage and use hearing protection (such as earplugs or earmuffs) as these play an important role in preventing hearing damage. However, any aid is only as effective as its proper use. This article describes the risk of hearing damage when firing firearms.
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