Infrasound and its relevance for audible sound

• Applicants: Dr.-Ing. Thomas Fedtke; Professor Dr. Jesko L. Verhey
• Subject Area: Acoustics ; Otolaryngology, Phoniatrics and Audiology
• Term: from 2017 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 381242260

An increasing number of individuals are being exposed to infrasound. It is well known that certain individuals may be particularly sensitive and that their quality of life is considerably degraded by a range of symptoms (insomnia, concentration disorders, restlessness, migraine). It is, however, substantially unexplained, how infrasound is processed by human beings. The project aims at investigating the perception mechanisms for infrasound and low-frequency sound. This will provide physicians and psychologists with essential information for an improved examination of the effects such sound has on humans.One hypothesis, how infrasound can be "heard", is that the auditory system generates audio-frequency distortion products. An alternative infrasound perception hypothesis is that infrasound becomes audible because it modulates audio sound. These two hypotheses shall be critically validated by means of listening tests. The results of the latter as well as those of the technical ear canal sound measurements shall provide the basis for developing models of the infrasound perception processes within this project.The results of this project are believed to lay, in the long run, the ground for future safety regulations and for an adequate characterization of infrasound emission. The results will be important for both protection of health (protection against hazardous infrasound immission) and for economic development (infrasound emission, e.g. manufacturer and operators of wind turbines).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants