A questionnaire survey of complaints of infrasound and low-frequency noise

Abstract

A survey of complaints about infrasound and low frequency noise has been carried out. 198 persons reported about their troubles in a questionnaire. Their verbal reports often describe a "deep and humming or rumbling sound, like coming from a distant idling engine of a truck or pump". Nearly all respondents report of a sensory perception of a sound. In general they report that they perceive the sound with their ears, but many mention also a perception of vibrations, either in their body or of external objects. The sound disturbs and irritates during most activities, and many consider its mere presence as a torment to them. Many of the respondents report on secondary effects, such as insomnia, headache and palpitation, which they associate with the sound mainly because it occurs at the same place. In a majority of the cases, only a single or few persons can hear the sound, but there are also examples, where it is claimed to be audible to everybody. Typically, measurements have shown that existing limits (and hearing thresholds) are not exceeded. The investigation leaves the key question: Are the troubles induced by an external sound or not, and if they are, which frequencies and levels are involved? The feasibility of a study of this is supported by the results.

Proposal for a new diagnosis for U.S. diplomats in Havana, Cuba, experiencing vestibular and neurological symptoms

“…Some of the affected individuals described the inciting episode as "a few minutes of a high-pitched noise, often accompanied by a high-pressure sensation, described as a force field" [1]. It is known that low frequency noise (e.g., infrasound) can be extremely distressing, and given the right parameter, can cause headache, dizziness, and problems with sleep and concentration in 29-67% of exposed patients [7]. Sound has been found to trigger a headache in 79% of subjects with chronic migraine or headache disorder [8], and there are reports in the literature regarding the utilization of tone-burst stimuli or low-frequency fluctuation to potentiate or provoke symptoms Persistent defined as presence more than 3 months after exposure in Havana cohort and presence more than 3 months before presented to our clinic in VM cohort.…”

A Detailed Study of Low-Frequency Noise Complaints

“…Twenty-two subjects were selected from the group of 203 persons who had responded in our previous survey on low-frequency noise problems [50] (full report in Danish in [51]). Twenty subjects were selected randomly, while two were selected because of long-term contact with the university.…”

Laagfrequent geluid als omgevingsstressor in relatie tot neuropsychologische beperkingen

“…Bij neuropsychologische klachten worden problemen met concentratie, aandacht, geheugen of het uitvoeren van cognitief veeleisende taken genoemd. Aangenomen wordt dat deze klachten een significant negatief effect hebben op het dagelijks functioneren en het welzijn van mensen die gevoelig zijn voor LFG en kunnen leiden tot relatie-of familieproblemen, problemen met huisvesting en een onvermogen om te werken of mogelijk het verlies van werk [21,22,24].…”