High-Intensity Acoustics for Military Nonlethal Applications: A Lack of Useful Systems

Jauchem, James R.; Cook, Michael

doi:10.7205/milmed.172.2.182

Cited by 20 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Although infrasound at high levels apparently does not cause direct mechanical damage to the ear (Westin 1975, Jauchem and Cook, 2007) in animal studies it has been found to exacerbate functional and hair cell losses resulting from high level exposures of sounds in the audible range (Harding et al, 2007). This was explained as possibly resulting from increased mixture of endolymph and perilymph around noise induced lesion sites in the presence of infrasound.…”

Section: Physiologic Responses Of the Ear To Low Frequency Stimulimentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of the ear to low frequency sounds, infrasound and wind turbines

2010

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Infrasonic sounds are generated internally in the body (by respiration, heartbeat, coughing, etc) and by external sources, such as air conditioning systems, inside vehicles, some industrial processes and, now becoming increasingly prevalent, wind turbines. It is widely assumed that infrasound presented at an amplitude below what is audible has no influence on the ear. In this review, we consider possible ways that low frequency sounds, at levels that may or may not be heard, could influence the function of the ear. The inner ear has elaborate mechanisms to attenuate low frequency sound components before they are transmitted to the brain. The auditory portion of the ear, the cochlea, has two types of sensory cells, inner hair cells (IHC) and outer hair cells (OHC), of which the IHC are coupled to the afferent fibers that transmit “hearing” to the brain. The sensory stereocilia (“hairs”) on the IHC are “fluid coupled” to mechanical stimuli, so their responses depend on stimulus velocity and their sensitivity decreases as sound frequency is lowered. In contrast, the OHC are directly coupled to mechanical stimuli, so their input remains greater than for IHC at low frequencies. At very low frequencies the OHC are stimulated by sounds at levels below those that are heard. Although the hair cells in other sensory structures such as the saccule may be tuned to infrasonic frequencies, auditory stimulus coupling to these structures is inefficient so that they are unlikely to be influenced by airborne infrasound. Structures that are involved in endolymph volume regulation are also known to be influenced by infrasound, but their sensitivity is also thought to be low. There are, however, abnormal states in which the ear becomes hypersensitive to infrasound. In most cases, the inner ear’s responses to infrasound can be considered normal, but they could be associated with unfamiliar sensations or subtle changes in physiology. This raises the possibility that exposure to the infrasound component of wind turbine noise could influence the physiology of the ear.

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Section: Physiologic Responses Of the Ear To Low Frequency Stimulimentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of the ear to low frequency sounds, infrasound and wind turbines

2010

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“…At audio frequencies, confinement has received most attention, with recent success despite a poor initial record [157]. There has been considerable publicity given to non-lethal sonic weapons for crowd control, marine vessel protection etc.…”

Section: (4) Ultrasonic Weaponsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are some people suffering as a result of increasing mass exposure of the public to ultrasound in air?

Leighton¹

2016

Proc. R. Soc. A.

125

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New measurements indicate that the public are being exposed, without their knowledge, to airborne ultrasound. Existing guidelines are insufficient for such exposures; the vast majority refers to occupational exposure only (where workers are aware of the exposure, can be monitored and can wear protection). Existing guidelines are based on an insufficient evidence base, most of which was collected over 40 years ago by researchers who themselves considered it insufficient to finalize guidelines, but which produced preliminary guidelines. This warning of inadequacy was lost as nations and organizations issued ‘new’ guidelines based on these early guidelines, and through such repetition generated a false impression of consensus. The evidence base is so slim that few reports have progressed far along the sequence from anecdote to case study, to formal scientific controlled trials and epidemiological studies. Early studies reported hearing threshold shifts, nausea, headache, fatigue, migraine and tinnitus, but there is insufficient research on human subjects, and insufficient measurement of fields, to assess what health risk current occupational and public exposures might produce. Furthermore, the assumptions underpinning audiology and physical measurements at high frequencies must be questioned: simple extrapolation of approaches used at lower frequencies does not address current unknowns. Recommendations are provided.

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“…Furthermore, the state of sonic weaponry is crude and impractical due to physical limitations such as the size of the device required and the laws of physics. 8 Some police agencies use long-range acoustic devices to disperse crowds of protestors, but there is nothing subtle or mysterious about them. They are nicknamed ‘sound cannons’ due to their capacity to generate loud noises.…”

Section: A Crime In Search Of a Perpetratormentioning

confidence: 99%

Politics, scapegoating and mass psychogenic illness: claims of an ‘acoustical attack’ in Cuba are unsound

Bartholomew

2017

J R Soc Med

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, the United States Department of State announced that it was investigating a mysterious illness cluster among staff working at the American Embassy in Havana, Cuba. The symptoms began in November 2016 and continued in a sporadic fashion through August 2017. In response, several Cuban diplomats working in Washington, DC, were expelled on the grounds that the Castro government had failed in their duty under the Vienna Convention to protect foreign diplomats. 1 The number of those affected eventually reached 24, in addition to several staff at the Canadian Embassy. Some 'victims' reported a high-pitched whine accompanying symptoms which include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, insomnia, tinnitus, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, confusion, hearing loss and 'mild brain trauma'. On 14 September, the Department of State began to describe what had previously been referred to as 'incidents' as 'health attacks', and later a 'crime'. 2 The next day, five members of the Senate Intelligence Committee wrote to US President Donald Trump advocating that all Cuban diplomats in the US be expelled, and the American Embassy in Cuba closed, unless the 'acoustic attacks' ceased. 3 On 16 October, Mr Trump stoked tensions by stating, 'I do believe Cuba is responsible, yes'. 4

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High-Intensity Acoustics for Military Nonlethal Applications: A Lack of Useful Systems

Cited by 20 publications

References 32 publications

Responses of the ear to low frequency sounds, infrasound and wind turbines

Responses of the ear to low frequency sounds, infrasound and wind turbines

Are some people suffering as a result of increasing mass exposure of the public to ultrasound in air?

Politics, scapegoating and mass psychogenic illness: claims of an ‘acoustical attack’ in Cuba are unsound

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