Military audiological aspects in noise-induced hearing losses

The sound pressure of a single shot ranges from about 165 up to 190 dB, depending on the type of weapon. In general, most shooting practice is carried out from a sheltered shooting gallery. Groupshooting and multiple reverberations from sheltered galleries maximize the acoustic strain. Clinically the acoustic trauma can be considered to be a combination of both acute and chronic noise injury, because very intense impulse noise, such as gunfire, can injure the inner ear both mechanically and by mean of disturbances in metabolism. When the ears are not protected, acoustic trauma develops in about 10% of military conscripts and 60% of regular army personnel.