The acoustic trauma
The ear can be damaged by very violent sounds , which can lead to a loss of hearing.
Basically it distinguishes between a "chronic" acoustic trauma and an "acute" acoustic trauma.
The chronic acoustic trauma is a relatively common disease in occupational medicine and is due to exposure over long periods of time intensity sound sources above 85 dB.
An "acute acoustic trauma" is defined asan event that leads to a short exposure to sound waves with a very high energy, over 120 dB.
Sound waves are mechanical waves, like those of the sea.
To make a comparison we could say that a sound wave with an intensity of 120 db and above could be compared to a tsunami, a high and violent wave, which hits the delicate structures of the ear.
The violent impact can damage the mechanical part leading to tearing of the tympanic membrane, but more often occurs damage to the nervous structures where the internal ear fluid (perilinfa and endolymph) in turn generate a violent wave that tears and damages the auditory receptors.
For anatomical reasons, the violence of the perilinfatica wave is almost exclusively striking on the sector that conveys the frequencies of 4 and 6 kHz, which correspond to very acute sounds.
