What is it about?
Effects such as difficulty concentrating, discomfort, and annoyance have been claimed when people are exposed to high-frequency sounds and ultrasound in air. This study exposed participants to these signals at specific pressure levels (between 82 and 92 dB re: 20 micropascals) along with a reference signal at a frequency of 1 kHz. The participants were assessed by a survey, galvanic skin response, and a performance test. In a group of participants that considered themselves sensitive to high-frequency sounds annoyance and difficulty concentrating were ranked higher for the high-frequency exposer relative to the 1 kHz reference tone.
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Why is it important?
Very high-frequency and ultrasonic devices such as pest scarers are available for purchase online with few regulations governing their safe use. It is important to study this exposure to determine what levels are safe.
Perspectives
I've often found pest scarers and other very high-frequency sounds annoying and disturbing, but there is nothing to prevent my neighbour from putting one in their backyard. Many of my friends, however, are not able to hear the frequencies that I find disturbing. I think it is very important to study these exposures and recommend guidelines or regulations for their use.
Dr Craig N Dolder
University of Southampton
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Effects of very high-frequency sound and ultrasound on humans. Part I: Adverse symptoms after exposure to audible very-high frequency sound, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, October 2018, Acoustical Society of America (ASA),
DOI: 10.1121/1.5063819.
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