Effects of Infrasound on Respiratory Function of Man

Abstract

It is reported elsewhere that a high-level of infrasound can keep a dog alive without respiratory movement. An investigation was made into the effect of infrasound on the respiratory function of 8 human subjects with ages 21 to 25 years, 2 males and 6 females. After 30 seconds breath holding the oxygen-saturation content measured at the ear exhibited a flat latent prerecovery phase which was followed by a recovery phase. When the subjects were exposed to 100 dB-infrasound at 10 and 20 Hz, the latent time of the flat phase and the total recovery time (from the onset to the end of the recovery phase) were both decreased. At the same time the initial rise of the recovery curve was increased, compared with the control data. The result suggests that a high-level of infrasound can enhance the ventilation function of the respiratory system without any change in the respiratory period on the part of the subject.