Two case reports of possible noise trauma after inflation of air bags in low speed car crashes

Air bags have contributed substantially to the safety of car occupants in road accidents, but concern exists that they may inflate unnecessarily in low speed crashes. 1 Previous articles have reported eye, face, upper limb, and chest injuries caused by air bag inflation. 2 Despite the high noise lev...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ 1999-02, Vol.318 (7182), p.499-500
Main Authors: Buckley, Graham, Setchfield, Nicholas, Richard, Frampton
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents, Traffic
Adult
Aged
Air bags
Air Bags - adverse effects
Audio frequencies
Audiometry
Automobiles
Biological and medical sciences
Deafness
Ears & hearing
Female
Hearing loss
Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced - etiology
Hearing protection
Hearing tests
Humans
Injuries
Low noise
Low speed
Male
Medical sciences
Sensorineural hearing loss
Studies
Tinnitus
Traffic accidents & safety
Transport. Aerospace. Diving. Altitude
Trauma
Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
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Summary:Air bags have contributed substantially to the safety of car occupants in road accidents, but concern exists that they may inflate unnecessarily in low speed crashes. 1 Previous articles have reported eye, face, upper limb, and chest injuries caused by air bag inflation. 2 Despite the high noise level generated by the bags on inflation, we are aware of only one paper reporting that air bag inflation might induce hearing loss. 3 We describe two cases of hearing loss and persistent tinnitus that may have resulted from air bag inflation in low speed collisions. In a study of the effect of air bag "slap" on the ears of squirrel monkeys, the researchers found no permanent hearing damage, ear drum perforation, or disruption of ossicles in air bag velocities of up to 100 mph with a sound pressure level on inflation of 150 dB. 5 None the less, this level might cause acoustic trauma in some humans.
ISSN:0959-8138
0959-8146
1468-5833
1756-1833
DOI:10.1136/bmj.318.7182.499