We are excited to have you join us for an amazing educational line up, check out the agenda below for the 2025 Conference. Please note that this agenda is subject to change.
Hearing protection devices are limited in their ability to attenuate high-level firearm impulse noise. Hazardous sound levels can reach the cochlea via the flanking bone/tissue conduction pathway. Assessing bone/tissue’s role in high-level impulse transduction could allow for more accurate assessment of risk to hearing and other body systems (i.e. brain health). The aim of this study was to estimate firearm sound levels conducted via the bone/tissue pathway using temporal bone acceleration recordings from an anatomic head simulator. Firearm impulses from two different rifles were recorded using an anatomic head simulator instrumented with bilateral triaxial accelerometers in the temporal bone region, high level pressure measurement microphones within each ear canal, and a hydrophone and angular rate sensor located near the center of the head. Field levels of the firearm impulses were determined using recordings from a measurement microphone positioned near the head simulator. Firearm impulse-related acceleration was converted to equivalent sound pressure using previously published Reference Equivalent Threshold Acceleration Levels and then compared with recordings made in the sound field. Results indicated that bone/tissue conducted sound levels estimated using this method corresponded with published bone conduction attenuation limits for .5, 1 and 2 kHz frequency bands.
