Voyager flight crew hearing threshold levels resulting from 5- and 9-day continuous in-flight noise exposure.
The flight crew of the Voyager aircraft were continuously exposed to a broadband noise for nearly 5 days during a trial flight, and for over 9 days during their nonstop flight around the world. Evaluation of the threshold shifts resulting from these exposures represents a unique opportunity to study the effect of human exposure to intense continuous noise for long durations. Postflight audiometry demonstrated that the 9-day flight did not result in larger hearing threshold shifts than those following the 5-day flight. Neither crewmember incurred a permanent threshold shift from these exposures.
Stephenson
M R
MR
Biological Acoustics Branch, Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-6573.
Billings
B L
BL
Jutila
G A
GA
D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D006801:Humans; D009622:Noise; D013026:Space Flight