Can high frequency pitch sounds at high levels hurt hearing?

Question

I have some major problems with a neighbor and his dog barking into all hours of the night. I tried purchasing a ultrasonic device that is supposed to stop neighborhood dogs from barking but it doesn't work. I looked into why and the decible rating just isn't high enough.

So I bought a 152db train horn. This thing is incredibly loud as you can imagine. In fact it's loud enough that if you're about 10 feet away it will give you an upset stomach. You can actually "feel" the sound inside your body.

I've altered the horns so they emit their sound at around 22000 to 21000 hz and I believe. I know I cannot hear the sound but it's blatantly obvious the neighbor's dog sure can.

My question is, is being around this harmful to one's hearing? Since a human cannot hear this hz sound but it is being emitted at such a level can it cause hearing damage?

Answer 1

Yes, it can hurt your hearing over an extended period. I am a living example, but if it is outside, and you are inside, and you just blast it when the dog is kicking it up, you shouldn't have anything to worry about it. MAN !! I'll bet your neighbors HATE that!!!! :)

Answer 2

I think that using a device like this in most places is legal if it is used for wild animals which are considered a nuisance, like; mountain lions, bears and kangaroos. I am personally an animal lover, but it does seem to be an interesting answer to your problem.

I think that damage to hearing is only really a problem if it is in the range of hearing ie. up to about 18khz (this varies between people). Maybe 21 or 22khz is close to the range of hearing and may have some bad effects, then again it may not cause any perminant damage because it is above the range of hearing. Maybe it could cause tinnitus, which should not to be taken lightly, as there is no cure. There does not seem to be any conclusive research that i could find which clearly states an answer to your question. I think the important point here is don't aim it at yourself, and don't get too close to the front of the horn, also shorter bursts of use may be safer. It would be interesting to see whether industrial ultrasonic transducers come with a hearing warning.

I think that any damage which could result from this would most likely be from the sound pressure. I have read on a blog that high sound pressure could contribute to a collapsed lung. Also, i know from personal experience that high sound pressure can paralyse someone, or cause someone to lose consciousness.

Other problems can also result, like maybe someone with a heart condition, or another sort of medical condition may have a bad response which could be dangerous.

I have also read that high sound pressure levels can kill small animals, mainly through heating the body temperature. So maybe you should be careful if using this on a small dog.

Also, i think it would be dangerous to compress this sort of power into a very narrow beam and aim it at a dog as the spl would increase to the point of being just too intense, and maybe dangerous.

Taking these things into consideration, I think that you should definitely be careful with how you use it. However it also sounds like it could be quite effective and maybe even fun ;) , provided you have researched the risks. I don't think you should put this onto the dog for long periods of time because this would be very cruel, and maybe even illegal. Maybe just a short burst when he is stopping you from sleeping. It seems that a lot of people are putting them in suv's and trucks so i don't think that overall it could be that dangerous, but i don't know about a 152db version. I must admit i really like this idea for getting a high powered whistle cheaply, i think it would cost a lot more to have a high powered whistle specially built. Good luck with this.

I wonder how much it costs to get the horns altered for this frequency and who could do this.

Answer 3

A dog should be trained on how to eat, walk with you, not to bark, potty training and sleep on its place etc. You can teach anything to your puppy, dogs get trained easily with some good instructions. If you want some good training tips visit https://tr.im/uPp6S

If properly trained, they should also understand whistle and gesture equivalents for all the relevant commands, e.g. short whistle or finger raised sit, long whistle or flat hand lay down, and so on.

It's important that they also get gestures and whistles as voice may not be sufficient over long distances and under certain circumstances.

Answer 4

hell yes it can hurt someones ears if the sound is to dam high yeah thats some loud *** **** yes it can cause damage

Answer 5

Yes.

Answer 6

yes you may not even hear them but they do affect your ability to hear

Answer 7

it should not hurt you, only bother the dog, good luck