Infrasound and its effect on the human body. Infrasonic weapons: the history of creation
Infrasound is low frequency sound waves that humans cannot hear. Since the hearing aid of people can perceive sounds within frequencies from 16 to 20 thousand, then 16 Hz is considered to be the upper level of infrasound frequencies. The lowest level of this range is located at the level of 0.001 Hz. However, in practice, oscillations having a tenth or a hundredth of a hertz are of interest.
What is this
Infrasonic waves are low-frequency mechanical vibrations less than 16 Hz. Its sources can be natural objects in the form of lightning discharges or earthquakes, as well as artificial objects in the form of machine tools, cars, explosions or special devices. Waves can also accompany noise from transport and industrial installations. Vibration is a typical example of such low frequency oscillations.
Since infrasonic vibrations are weakly absorbed by different media, they can travel over very considerable distances on the surface of the earth, water and air. Thanks to this property, it is possible to determine the location of the epicenter of an earthquake, a powerful explosion or a firing gun. Since fluctuations in the ocean go over long distances, then fixing equipment can receive data on the occurrence of a natural disaster, for example, a tsunami, for a certain period of time.
The nature of the appearance of infrasonic vibrations is similar to audible sound, as a result of which they are characterized by the same physical principles as ordinary sound. Infrasound has a sufficiently long wavelength, as a result of which they have a pronounced diffraction. In general, range is an important property of ultra-low sound. Due to the ability of reflection and range, infrasonic waves are widely used in various fields of science and technology.
Operating principle
Infrasound can create any body that has a certain oscillatory motion. Since the frequency of natural oscillations decreases with an increase in the size of the object, in most cases infrasonic waves appear during vibrations or fast movements. For example, at home, they can be obtained by hitting a stretched fabric or by abruptly closing the door, and so on. The sources of such fluctuations can also be natural phenomena: thunderstorms, earthquakes, and the like.
Continuous wave generators are devices that resemble whistles. If the pipe has a closed end, then the wavelength corresponds to 1/4 of a standing wave. Since the wavelength is large, a large pipe should be taken. With the help of whistles, you can get very significant power. For example, the infrasonic “whistle”, which was created by the French scientist Gavreau, had the highest power of 2 kW and a diameter of 1.5 m. When it was used, waves appeared that led to cracks on the walls. If it were turned on at full power, then the waves could destroy the whole building.
Infrasonic waves penetrate rooms much better than sound waves. In addition, they have an adverse effect on humans. With prolonged exposure, people experience irritation, headache and fatigue. The action of waves on a person is explained by the resonant nature. In the case of body oscillation frequencies approaching the frequencies of an external infrasonic wave, a resonance effect is observed.
If a person is lying, then his body frequency is 4 Hz, in a standing position it is from 5 to 12 Hz. Moreover, each human organ has its own frequency of oscillation. For the abdominal cavity, the frequency is 3-4 Hz, for the chest - within 6-8 Hz, and so on. When the waves coincide with these frequencies, a resonance occurs, which causes discomfort, and in some cases leads to very serious consequences. That is why in industry, transport and residential buildings, measures are being taken to reduce the impact of infrasonic vibrations.
When resonance occurs, it seems to a person that his internal organs begin to vibrate. Infrasound of a certain frequency can even cause brain disorders, lead to blindness and even cause death. By the same principle, infrasonic waves act on other objects. For example, in history there is a case when a detachment of soldiers moved along a stone bridge, marching, minting a step. As a result, oscillations arose that coincided with the internal frequency of the bridge. There was a resonance, which led to the destruction of the bridge.
Application
Infrasound is not only an undesirable and dangerous phenomenon, it is often used for useful purposes. So infrasonic vibrations are used to study the oceans, the atmosphere, including finding places where explosions or volcanic eruptions occur. With their help, tsunamis are predicted and underground nuclear explosions are controlled. Geophones, hydrophones or microphones are used to register infrasonic waves.
To date, infrasonic waves are slowly but successfully being used for medical purposes. They are mainly used to remove tumors during cancer treatment, treatment of corneal diseases, as well as in a number of other areas. In our country, the cornea was treated with infrasonic vibrations for the first time in a children's clinical hospital. For this purpose, infrasonic phonophoresis was created and used.
With the help of this device and the infrasonic waves created by it, medicinal substances were delivered to the cornea, which accelerated recovery and led to the resorption of opacities in the cornea.
At the moment, various physiotherapeutic technologies are being developed that use infrasonic waves. However, such treatment is used only by individual specialists and is narrowly focused. In the treatment of cancer, only individual copies of devices that operate on infrasonic vibrations are used. They have a great prospect, however, the development of such methods stops the harmful effects that infrasonic waves have on a living organism. However, these issues should be addressed in the future.
Military application
Today, American, Russian and other foreign specialists are developing infrasonic weapons. Each country wants to succeed in this matter, because this will provide an inexpensive but effective tool that will be able to covertly affect many people. Depending on the frequency used on the battlefield, infrasound will cause the enemy to panic, cause insanity, fear, malaise and death. It will be enough for the owner of such a weapon to direct it towards the soldiers so that they run away.
Infrasonic weapons are already being used against crowds. Similar weapons were used in Georgia against protesters. People under the influence of the waves felt incredible fear, they wanted to hide. It seemed to them that they were going crazy and even dying. Some people lost control and for a while completely forgot who they were and what was going on around them. Then people came to their senses, but did not understand how they ended up in this or that place. After these events, many people had a persistent fear of participating in rallies or any other public events.
Although infrasonic weapons have shown their worth, the consequences that they can have on people have not yet been properly studied. The problem is that infrasound in urban conditions is refracted and reflected, acting in the opposite direction. The phenomenon of resonance can also be used during the siege of the building where the terrorists are located. But there are also a lot of "white" spots.
The background of the military use of infrasound
Nevertheless, the inventors have a historical example of the quite successful use of infrasonic weapons. So the Bible describes the case when the Jews destroyed the walls of Jericho with the help of the sound that the sacred trumpets emitted. On this example, the "Germans" also tried to create their own infrasonic weapons to destroy enemy aircraft. But this did not lead to success.
The "Germans" tried to arrange sabotage against the British. They sent special gramophone records to Great Britain, on which melodies were recorded. When the recording was turned on, the plates were supposed to emit infrasound. However, here too the German military failed.
However, German scientists did not stop their inventive work. Richard Wallaushek went on to create a device that could lead to the death of an opponent. In 1944 he demonstrated the installation Schallkanone, which resembled a parabolic reflector, inside which was an ignition injector. It was supplied with fuel and oxygen.
When the mixture was ignited, the device at certain intervals produced waves of the required frequency. As a result, people who were at a distance of 60 meters from the device. They fell dead and died. The installation showed effectiveness, but it was already the end of the war, it could not be fully tested and put into series. The installation itself, after the defeat of the "Germans", was taken to America, like many other samples of acoustic weapons.
Today, the ideas of the “Germans” have been developed. Not so long ago, the US Army demonstrated a device that generates "acoustic bullets." Specialists from Russia also showed their installation, which creates infrasonic "acoustic bullets" that hit the enemy hundreds of meters away.
Introduction
Infrasound (from the Latin infra - below, under), elastic waves similar to sound waves, but with frequencies below the range of human audible frequencies. Usually, frequencies of 16-25 Hz are taken as the upper boundary of the infrasonic region. . The lower limit of the infrasonic range is uncertain. Of practical interest may be oscillations from tenths and even hundredths of a Hz., That is, with periods of ten seconds. Usually, human hearing perceives fluctuations in the range of 16-20,000 Hz (oscillations per second). Infrasound causes nervous tension, malaise, dizziness, changes in the activity of internal organs, especially the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Infrasound is characterized by low absorption in various media, as a result of which infrasonic waves in air, water and in the earth's crust can propagate over very long distances. This phenomenon finds practical application in determining the location of strong explosions or the position of a firing gun. The propagation of infrasound over long distances in the sea makes it possible to predict a natural disaster - a tsunami. The sounds of explosions, containing a large number of infrasonic frequencies, are used to study the upper layers of the atmosphere, the properties of the aquatic environment. "Voice of the Sea" - these are infrasonic waves that arise above the sea surface during a strong wind, as a result of vortex formation behind the wave crests. Due to the fact that infrasound is characterized by low absorption, it can propagate over long distances, and since its propagation speed significantly exceeds the speed of movement of the storm area, the "voice of the sea" can serve as an early prediction of the storm. Peculiar indicators of the storm are jellyfish. On the edge of the "bell" of the jellyfish are primitive eyes and organs of balance - auditory cones the size of a pinhead. These are the "ears" of the jellyfish. They hear infrasounds with a frequency of 8 - 13 Hz. The storm is played out hundreds of kilometers from the coast, it will come to these places in about 20 hours, and the jellyfish already hear it and go to the depths. The length of the infrasonic wave is very large (at a frequency of 3.5 Hz it is equal to 100 meters), penetration into the tissues of the body is also large. We can say that a person hears infrasound<всем телом>. This work describes the main topics related to infrasound.
Sources of infrasonic waves
The main man-made sources of infrasound include powerful equipment - machine tools, boilers, vehicles, underwater and underground explosions. In addition, infrasound is emitted by wind farms. Natural sources of powerful infrasound are hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, electrical discharges and sharp fluctuations in pressure in the atmosphere (level from 60 to 90 dB. But in this harmful region of infrasound, a person quickly catches up with nature and in some cases has already surpassed it. So, when launching space rockets of the Apollo type, the recommended (short-term) value of the infrasonic level for astronauts was 140 dB(!), and for service personnel and the surrounding population 120 dB(!).The source of infrasonic vibrations are lightning discharges (thunder), as well as explosions and gun shots. In the earth's crust, tremors and vibrations of infrasonic frequencies are observed from a wide variety of sources, including explosions of landslides and traffic pathogens.It is contained in the noise of the atmosphere, forests and the sea, their source is atmospheric turbulence and wind (for example, the so-called "voice of the sea" - infrasonic vibrations generated from wind eddies on the crests of sea waves, there are other types of infrasonic waves of wind origin). In the air, not only transverse vibrations occur, but also longitudinal ones, the strength of the resulting infrasound is proportional to the square of the wavelength. At a wind speed of 20 m / s, the power of the “voice” can reach 3 W from each meter of the wave front. Under certain conditions, the storm generates infrasound with a power of tens of kW. Moreover, the main radiation of infrasound is approximately in the range of about 6 Hz - the most dangerous for humans. It should be added that the “voice”, propagating at the speed of sound, is significantly ahead of the wind and sea waves, moreover, infrasound is very weakly scattered with distance. In principle, it can propagate without significant attenuation for hundreds and thousands of kilometers, both in air and in water, and the speed of the water wave is several times higher than the speed of the air wave. So - somewhere a storm is raging, and a thousand kilometers from this place the crew of some schooner goes crazy from 6-hertz radiation and rushes in horror into an absolutely calm sea. With fluctuations of the order of 6 hertz, a person experiences a feeling of anxiety, often turning into unaccountable horror; at 7 hertz, paralysis of the heart and nervous system is possible; with fluctuations an order of magnitude higher, the destruction of technical devices is possible. In general, there are quite a few sources of infrasound. The development of industrial production and transport has led to a significant increase in the sources of infrasound in the environment and an increase in the intensity of the level of infrasound. A brief description of technogenic sources of infrasound is given in the following table:
Infrasound in our world
Infrasound accompanies us in our everyday environment. Infrasonic noises produced by cooling towers of combined heat and power plants, various air intake or exhaust devices; inaudible, but such harmful infrasonic radiation of powerful vibration platforms, screens, crushers, conveyors. Infrasonic waves propagate actively in the atmosphere. All this affects our health. Some rare tragic incidents are known, presumably related to infrasound. The most prominent acoustician T. Tarnotsi reported on the death of three tourists in the Bordal grotto (Upper Hungary) under conditions of a sharp change in atmospheric pressure. In combination with a narrow and long entrance corridor, the mainsail was a kind of low-frequency resonator, and this could cause a sharp increase in pressure fluctuations of the infrasonic frequency.
The periodically observed appearance of ships - "Flying Dutchmen" with the dead on board was also sometimes supposedly attributed to powerful infrasonic vibrations that occur during severe storms and typhoons. If we could equip all ships with the simplest infrasonic level (infrasonic noise) recorders, so that we could then compare the changes in the well-being of the crew with the recorded fluctuations in air pressure. So far, environmentalists have limited themselves to installing, for example, infrasound receivers in the upper parts of “point” buildings and at the same time they found the following: during strong gusts of wind, the level of infrasonic vibrations (frequency 0.1 Hz) reached 140 dB on the thirtieth floor, that is, it even somewhat exceeded the ear pain threshold in the range of audible frequencies. One experiment shows that even a small room compared to a long infrasonic wave can serve as a wave resonator with a frequency of 5.5 Hz. It has been experimentally shown that being in different parts of even a small room can cause a multidirectional reaction of organs and systems of humans and animals. In a person who is at one end of the room, working capacity decreases, the frequency of difference between sound pulses and light flashes decreases, the activity of regulation of the vascular system is sharply activated, and the reaction of blood hypercoagulation (blood supercoagulability) develops.
This is due to the direct action of infrasound on the walls of blood vessels. At the same time, a person who was at the opposite end of the room moderately, but statistically significantly, has an increase in working capacity, a decrease in the activity of blood coagulation systems, and an improvement in the response to the frequency of light flashes and sound impulses.
The dependence of the body's response to the presence of a person and animals in different parts of the same room remained within the tested infrasound intensity from 80 to 120 dB and frequencies of 8, 10 and 12 Hz.
The maximum permissible levels (MPL) of sound pressure at workplaces are set by SN (sanitary standards) 2.2.4 / 1.8.583-96 differentially for various types of work. The total sound pressure level for work of varying severity should not exceed 100 dB, for work of varying degrees of intellectual and emotional intensity, not more than 95 dB.
The use of infrasound in medicine
Currently, infrasound is slowly being used in medicine. Mainly in the treatment of cancer (removal of tumors), in eye microsurgery (treatment of diseases of the cornea) and in some other areas. In Russia, for the first time infrasound treatment of the cornea of the eye was used in the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital. For the first time in the practice of pediatric ophthalmology, infrasound and infrasound phonophoresis were used in the treatment of corneal diseases. Bringing medicinal substances to the cornea with the help of infrasound allowed not only to accelerate the healing process, but also contributed to the resorption of persistent corneal opacities, as well as to reduce the number of relapses of the disease. Now there are many physiotherapy devices using the method of treatment with infrasound. But they are used only in narrow specializations. Very little is known about the use of infrasound against cancer; there are single devices of this type. Although the prospects for their use is not in doubt. The complexity of the application is due to the fact that infrasound has a detrimental effect on a living organism, hundreds of tests and many years of work are needed to find suitable exposure parameters. The future of this method is not far off.
The development of technology and vehicles, the improvement of technological processes and equipment are accompanied by an increase in the power and dimensions of machines, which leads to a tendency to increase low-frequency components in the spectra and the appearance of infrasound, which is a relatively new, not fully understood factor in the production environment.
Interesting Facts
The organ can reproduce infrasound
Infrasound is called acoustic vibrations with a frequency below 20 Hz. "Infrasound" comes from lat. infra - "below, under" and means elastic waves, similar to sound, but with frequencies below the region of human audible frequencies. Infrasound is contained in the noise of the atmosphere, forests and the sea. The source of infrasonic vibrations are lightning discharges (thunder), as well as explosions and gun shots. In the earth's crust, tremors and vibrations of infrasonic frequencies are observed from a wide variety of sources, including explosions from landslides and transport pathogens.
Infrasound is characterized by low absorption in various media, as a result of which infrasonic waves in air, water and in the earth's crust can propagate over very long distances. This phenomenon finds practical application in determining the location of strong explosions or the position of a firing gun. The propagation of infrasound over long distances in the sea makes it possible to predict a natural disaster - a tsunami. The sounds of explosions, containing a large number of infrasonic frequencies, are used to study the upper layers of the atmosphere, the properties of the aquatic environment.
"Voice of the Sea" - these are infrasonic waves that arise above the sea surface during a strong wind, as a result of vortex formation behind the wave crests. Due to the fact that infrasound is characterized by low absorption, it can propagate over long distances, and since its propagation speed significantly exceeds the speed of movement of the storm area, the "voice of the sea" can serve as an early prediction of the storm.
"Storm Indicator"
Sometimes infrasonic waves originate in the ocean during a storm or underwater earthquakes, propagating over hundreds, thousands of kilometers, both in air and in water. Therefore, they can overtake a ship that is far away, in a completely calm area. In the open sea there are ships with dead sailors. They died from instant cardiac arrest. There are also depopulated ghost ships. Their crews, possessed by incomprehensible horror, were thrown overboard. There are many stories about submarines that disappeared under strange circumstances. All this is a consequence of the action of infrasonic vibrations.
Peculiar indicators of the storm are jellyfish. On the edge of the "bell" of the jellyfish are primitive eyes and organs of balance - auditory cones the size of a pinhead. These are the "ears" of the jellyfish. They hear infrasounds with a frequency of 8 - 13 hertz. The storm is played out hundreds of kilometers from the coast, it will come to these places in about 20 hours, and the jellyfish already hear it and go to the depths.
Influence of infrasound on the human body
In the late 60s, the French researcher Gavro discovered that infrasound of certain frequencies can cause anxiety and anxiety in a person.
Infrasound with a frequency of 7 Hz is fatal to humans.
Infrasound sources on land can be compressors, internal combustion engines, moving vehicles, industrial air conditioners and fans.
Studies of the biological effect of infrasound on the body have shown that the human body is highly sensitive to infrasound. Its impact occurs not only through the auditory analyzer, but also through the mechanoreceptors of the skin. Arising under the influence of infrasound, nerve impulses disrupt the coordinated work of various parts of the nervous system, which can manifest itself as dizziness, abdominal pain, nausea, shortness of breath, a feeling of fear, with more intense and prolonged exposure - coughing, suffocation, mental disorders. Infrasonic vibrations of even low intensity cause nausea and ringing in the ears, reduce visual acuity.
Fluctuations of average intensity can cause indigestion, cardiovascular, respiratory systems, mental disorders with the most unexpected consequences.
High-intensity infrasound, which entails resonance, due to the coincidence of the frequencies of vibrations of internal organs and infrasound, leads to disruption of almost all internal organs, death is possible due to cardiac arrest, or rupture of blood vessels;
Natural (resonant) frequencies of some parts of the human body.
Special precautions should be taken against the occurrence of sound vibrations with the following frequencies, because the coincidence of frequencies leads to resonance:
20-30 Hz (head resonance)
40-100 Hz (eye resonance)
0.5-13 Hz (resonance of the vestibular apparatus)
4-6 Hz (heart resonance)
2-3 Hz (stomach resonance)
2-4 Hz (gut resonance)
6-8 Hz (kidney resonance)
2-5 Hz (hand resonance)
Main sources of infrasonic waves
The development of industrial production and transport has led to a significant increase in the sources of infrasound in the environment and an increase in the intensity of the level of infrasound.
How to avoid the harmful effects of infrasound on the human body
The most effective and practically the only means of combating infrasound is to reduce it at the source. When choosing structures, preference should be given to small-sized machines of high rigidity, since in structures with flat surfaces of a large area and low rigidity, conditions are created for generating infrasound. The fight against infrasound in the source of occurrence must be carried out in the direction of changing the operating mode of technological equipment - increasing its speed (for example, increasing the number of working strokes of press-forging machines so that the main repetition rate of power pulses lies outside the infrasonic range).
Measures should be taken to reduce the intensity of aerodynamic processes - limiting the speed of traffic, reducing the speed of the outflow of liquids (aircraft and rocket engines, internal combustion engines, steam discharge systems of thermal power plants, etc.).
Means of protection
In the fight against infrasound on the propagation paths, interference-type silencers have a certain effect, usually in the presence of discrete components in the infrasound spectrum.
The theoretical substantiation of the flow of nonlinear processes in resonant-type absorbers, performed recently, opens up real ways to design sound-absorbing panels and casings that are effective in the low-frequency region.
As personal protective equipment, it is recommended to use headphones, ear plugs that protect the ear from the adverse effects of accompanying noise.
Preventive measures of the organizational plan should include compliance with the regime of work and rest, prohibition of overtime work. If contact with ultrasound is more than 50% of the working time, breaks of 15 minutes are recommended every 1.5 hours of work.
A complex of physiotherapeutic procedures - massage, UV irradiation, water procedures, vitaminization, etc., gives a significant effect.
According to the materials of the magazine "YUGSPETSTEKHNIKA"
and website http://tmn.fio.ru/
Few people think about how many different sounds exist in nature. Few people know that the sound itself does not exist as such, and what a person hears is just converted waves of a certain frequency. The hearing aid that people have is able to convert some of these waves into the sounds we are used to. However, this is only a small fraction of all those frequencies that surround everyone. Some of them, which cannot be heard without special instruments, can cause significant harm to the human body.
concept
Infrasound is sound vibrations whose frequency is less than 16 Hz. The existing world is full of sounds, and they all have a different range. The human hearing aid is designed to receive sounds with a frequency of at least 16 vibrations per second, but not more than 18-20. Such fluctuations are measured in hertz (Hz). However, such sound vibrations can be either above or below the specified range. Such frequencies, inaudible to humans, are the so-called areas in which ultrasound and infrasound exist. These oscillatory processes are absolutely inaudible by a person, however, at the same time, they can influence various processes, including the human body.
The human brain is arranged in such a way that it is able to perceive only a small part of those phenomena occurring in the sound environment that can reach the inner ear, its peripheral receptor devices. At the same time, the perception of such acoustic waves will be determined by several factors, including the focus of attention, and receptors, and the speed of transmission along the nerve pathways.
Sound
As mentioned, infrasound is below the range of human perception of sounds. The essence of infrasound is no different from other sounds. In general, elastic waves are called sound, which move in a certain medium and, with their such movements, create mechanical vibrations. In other words, sound can be called the movement of air molecules, which occurs as a result of the vibration of a physical body. As an example, one can cite vibrations originating from stringed instruments. In order for sound to propagate, there must be air. It is well known that silence always reigns in a vacuum. This is due to the fact that as a result of physical action, reciprocating air movements occur, which, in turn, cause waves of compression and rarefaction.
Features of infrasound
Infrasound is a low-frequency sound, and although its physical essence is the same as that of another sound, it has several features. Thus, low-frequency waves have a high penetrating power. This is due to the fact that they are characterized by low absorption. Infrasound propagated in the depths of the ocean or in the air space near the earth, having a frequency of ten to twenty hertz, as a rule, attenuates after traveling a thousand kilometers by only a few decibels. The same slight scattering of infrasonic waves occurs in the natural environment. This is due to the huge wavelength. So, the last value, if the frequency of infrasound is 3.5 Hz, will be about 100 meters. The only thing that can have a significant impact on the dispersion of these acoustic waves is large objects (high-rise buildings and structures, mountains, rocks, etc.). These two factors - small absorption and low scattering - contribute to the movement of infrasound over long distances.
For example, sounds such as volcanic eruptions or nuclear explosions can go around the surface of the globe several times, and waves resulting from some kind of seismic vibrations can overcome the entire thickness of the planet. As a result of these reasons, infrasound, whose influence on a person is very negative, is practically impossible to isolate, and all materials used for sound insulation and sound absorption lose their properties at low frequencies.
Infrasound and processes occurring in the human body
As already noted, the length of the low-frequency wave is quite large, so its penetration into the human body, into its tissues, can also be expressed to a large extent. To put it figuratively, a person, although he does not hear infrasound with his ears, he hears it with his whole body. Infrasound can affect a person in different ways, it can coincide with many processes occurring in the human body. After all, many organs also create certain sounds. For example, the heart during contraction creates infrasound with a frequency of 1-2 Hz, the brain during sleep - from 0.5 to 3.5 Hz, and during its active work - from 14 to 35 Hz. Naturally, if the external infrasonic vibrations somehow coincide with the vibrations occurring in the human body, then the latter will only increase. And this strengthening can eventually lead to damage to the organ, its disorder, or even to rupture.
Sources in nature. Sea waves
Nature is literally permeated by infrasound. This is caused by many phenomena, including sudden changes in pressure, and volcanic eruptions, and seismic activity, and hurricanes, as well as many other factors. Numerous studies conducted on people who fell into the zone of action of low-frequency waves gave scientists reason to believe that infrasound is dangerous for a person, for his health. These waves provoke a loss of sensitivity of the organs designed to regulate the balance of the body. In turn, this loss causes earaches, brain damage, and spinal pain. Some scientists and psychologists believe that infrasound is the main and most serious cause of psychological disorders.
It always exists, even when people think that there is silence in the atmosphere. Sources of infrasound are various and diverse. The impact of sea waves on the shore, firstly, causes small seismic vibrations in the bowels, and secondly, contributes to changes in air pressure. With the help of special barometers, it is possible to catch such fluctuations. Powerful gusts of wind, combined with sea waves, are the source of powerful low-frequency waves. They move with and spreading along the waves of the sea, they are even more intensified.
Foretellers
Similar infrasounds are harbingers of a storm or hurricane. It is no secret that animals have a unique ability to predict such natural phenomena. For example, jellyfish, which even before the start of the storm move away from the coast. This ability to predict, according to some scientists, is also available to individuals. Since ancient times, people have been known who, looking at a calm and serene sea, could announce an imminent storm. When studying this fact, it turned out that such people feel pain in the ears, which are caused by infrasonic waves. In addition, low-frequency waves that appear as a result of a storm affect a person's behavior and his psyche. This can be expressed both in malaise, memory impairment, and in an increase in the number of suicidal attempts.
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
Infrasound in nature can also occur as a result of an earthquake. With its help, for example, the Japanese predict the imminent appearance of a tsunami resulting from underwater seismic activity. Boris Ostrovsky, a researcher in this field, claims that over fifty thousand underwater earthquakes occur in the World Ocean every year, and each of them creates infrasound. This phenomenon and its mechanism are characterized as follows. It is well known that seismic activity occurs as a result of the accumulation of energy in the earth's crust. Eventually this energy is released and the bark ruptures. It is these forces that create. At the same time, the intensity of infrasound is directly proportional to the intensity of energy in the earth's crust. During an underwater earthquake, transverse low-frequency waves move through the water column and further, reaching the ionosphere. A vessel that has fallen into the area of radiation of such waves will be affected by infrasound. If such a ship stays in the specified area for a long time, then it can become a so-called resonator. That is, in other words, a subsequent source of low-frequency waves. This ship will transmit, like a speaker, infrasound. The influence of this particular factor on a person is sometimes the cause of an inexplicable fear in people on the ship, often turning into horror. Some researchers argue that this is the key to the discovery of ships on the high seas without a crew. People who find themselves in such a situation are looking for ways out, escape from the ship, just to hide from this inaudible sound that drove them crazy.
The greater the intensity of low-frequency vibrations, the greater the panic that can seize people on the resonator ship. This inexplicable horror will be interpreted by human consciousness, its cause will be searched for. Perhaps this is what influenced the emergence of such common myths as calling sirens. If we study the ancient myths in more detail, we can assume that the rowers, laying their ears with soundproof devices, as well as other members of the ship's crew, who tied themselves to the masts, tried to protect themselves in this way. It was a kind of protection against infrasound.
There are many cases in history when a ship was found with the dead bodies of the crew. And here the theory of infrasound is applicable. As mentioned above, if it coincided with the frequencies emitted by the internal organs of a person, then, as a rule, it was amplified many times over. This amplified infrasound was quite capable of rupturing internal organs, hence causing sudden death. Killer infrasound was most likely responsible for several deaths that occurred in 1957 in Mongolia. Then, on December 4, there was a powerful earthquake. According to eyewitnesses, some people, including shepherds grazing cattle, literally fell dead even before the start of the Gobi-Altai earthquake.
Volcanic eruptions are another source of infrasound. The frequency of the waves of the infrasound that appears in this case is about 0.1 Hz.
According to some statements, all kinds of ailments that appear in people during bad weather are caused by nothing more than infrasound.
Production sources
Unlike nature, which does not often complicate a person's life with its low-frequency sounds, infrasound, which appears as a result of human activity, has an increasingly negative impact on people. These low-frequency waves appear along with the same processes that produce human-audible sounds. One of these are gunshots, explosions, sound radiation emanating from jet engines.
Factory compressors and fans, diesel installations, all kinds of slow-running units, urban transport - these are all sources of infrasound. The most powerful low-frequency waves cause the meeting of two trains at speed, as well as the passage of a train in a tunnel.
The further humanity develops, the more powerful and voluminous machines and mechanisms are developed and produced. Accordingly, this is accompanied by an increase in the generated infrasonic waves. Of particular danger is infrasound in production due to the fact that it has not been fully studied in this area.
Infrasound and man
The negative impact of infrasound on humans is confirmed by many studies. Some scientists believe that it has an undoubted negative effect not only on the body, but also on the psyche of people. Thus, the experiments that astronauts are subjected to allow us to say that the subjects under low-frequency waves solve simple mathematical problems more slowly.
Scientists in the field of medicine have determined that at an oscillation frequency of 4-8 Hz, a dangerous resonance of the abdominal cavity is detected. During the pulling of this area with belts, an increase in the frequency of sounds was observed, but the effect of infrasound on the body did not stop.
One of the largest resonant objects in the human body are the heart and lungs. In cases where their frequencies coincide with external low-frequency waves, they are subject to the strongest vibrations, which ultimately can lead to cardiac arrest and damage to the lungs.
Many works of scientists are devoted to the effects that infrasound has on the brain. Low-frequency waves can affect a person in different ways. Studies have shown that there is some similarity between the effects of alcohol and the effects of infrasound. So, in both cases, both of these factors actively inhibit mental work.
Low-frequency waves also have a negative effect on the circulatory system. Experiments have been carried out by researchers in this area. As a result, the subjects who were treated with infrasound experienced a sharp decrease in blood pressure, arrhythmia, respiratory failure, fatigue and other disturbances in the normal functioning of the body.
Everyone has met with a situation when, after a long and tiring trip by car or swimming in the sea, a bad condition sets in, in which a gag reflex manifests itself. Usually people in such cases say that they are seasick. However, this is the direct effect of infrasound, which manifests itself in the action on the vestibular apparatus. Interestingly, with the help of infrasound, even in ancient Egypt, priests tortured their captives. They tied them and by means of a mirror and aimed at the eyes of the victim, they achieved the appearance of convulsions in the latter. It was the influence of infrasound. The will of such captives was suppressed, and they were forced to answer questions asked of them.
Conclusion
And although ultrasound and infrasound have not yet been fully studied, and there are many gaps in their understanding, the latter has been associated with some natural disasters since ancient times. Their subconscious allowed them to avoid many troubles, and infrasound itself was perceived by a person as a harbinger of something bad. Over time, this feeling in humanity gradually atrophied. However, even now, suddenly, out of nowhere, an inexplicable fear that has come from can warn a person against something bad, forcing him to run away and hide from the overtaking horror.
Infrasound is a low frequency sound that is below the human hearing range. It constantly surrounds people, generated naturally and man-made. In the first case, the sources of infrasound are wind, waves, earthquakes, and in the second, construction, transport, air conditioners, etc. Marine mammals use it to communicate over vast distances, and birds use it to determine migration routes.
Infrasound: impact on humans
Higher levels of infrasound with a frequency of 7-20 Hz can directly affect the central nervous system of people. A person experiences disorientation, anxiety, panic, spasms in the intestines, nausea, vomiting and, ultimately, loss of consciousness occurs. Presumably, 7-8 Hz are the most effective, since they coincide with the average frequency of α-brain waves. Infrasound is unintentionally (or not?) issued by church organs, instilling religious feelings and causing a feeling of "an extreme feeling of sadness, coldness, anxiety and even shivers down the spine" in unsuspecting parishioners. It is said that low-frequency sound generated naturally, by traffic or construction, is the cause of reports of supernatural phenomena and ghosts, since 19 Hz corresponds to the resonant frequency of the eyeball.
sound action
7 Hz is supposedly the most dangerous because it corresponds to the alpha rhythms of the brain. It is also claimed that this is the resonant frequency of human organs, therefore, with prolonged exposure, damage to them and even death can occur.
At 1-10 Hz, the brain is first blocked and then destroyed. As the amplitude increased, several unpleasant reactions were noted, after which a full neurological intervention begins. The action of the medulla is physiologically blocked, and its vegetative functions are terminated.
At a frequency of 43-73 Hz, there is a decrease in visual acuity, IQ indicators decrease to 77% of normal, spatial orientation, coordination of muscle work, balance are disturbed, speech becomes slurred, loss of consciousness occurs.
At 50-100 Hz, even with protected ears, "unbearable sensations in the chest" occur. Other physiological changes that may occur include vibration and changes in respiratory rate. Mild nausea and dizziness appear at levels of 150-155 dB, after which the tolerance limit is reached. Symptoms include accompanying discomfort, coughing, significant pressure reduction, choking, and hypopharyngeal discomfort.
At a level of 100 Hz, a person has mild nausea, dizziness, reddening of the skin and tingling in the body. This is followed by anxiety, feeling very tired, pressure in the throat and respiratory dysfunction.
History of creation
The destructive possibilities of sound have been known since ancient times. In 1400 BC. e. the Israelites, standing at the walls of Jericho, “hearing the voice of the trumpet, cried out with a loud voice, and the wall fell down to its foundation,” as evidenced by the book of Joshua (ch. 6, v. 20). At the end of the nineteenth century. Nikola Tesla, while experimenting with eccentric wheels, while standing on a platform, felt a pleasant feeling all over his body. He also found that staying in this state for more than 1-2 minutes altered the heart rate and raised blood pressure to dangerously high levels. And during World War II, German engineers built a weapon that directed sound at a target using a reflector.
Whirlwind Cannon
It is the only known sonic weapon to have been deployed in the final phase of the war. The Luftkanone infrasonic gun was designed to destroy enemy aircraft with a sonic whirlwind. The design consisted of a parabolic reflector 3.2 m in diameter with a short tube. The latter was a combustion chamber and a sound generator extending to the rear from the top of the parabola. Methane and oxygen were fed into the chamber at the rear by two coaxial nozzles. The length of the bowl was a quarter of the wavelength of sound in air. After initiation, the first shock wave was reflected from the open end of the chamber and initiated the second explosion. The frequency ranged from 800 to 1500 pulses per second. The main lobe of sound intensity had an opening angle of 65°, and a pressure of 1000 microbars was measured at a distance of 60 m. No physiological experiments have been done, but it has been estimated that it would take 30-40 seconds to kill a human. At long distances, up to 300 m, the effect was not fatal, but very painful and would probably neutralize a person for a long time. In particular, vision was affected, and even low exposure levels would cause point lights to appear as lines.
Gavro's research
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Vladimir Gavro, an engineer of Russian origin, and his assistant, while working in their laboratory, suddenly felt nausea and an unbearable headache. As soon as they left the room, the symptoms immediately disappeared. They realized that something in the lab was causing the painful symptoms, but they had no idea what it was. Eventually, they noticed that when strange ripples appeared in the cup of coffee on the bench, they began to feel unwell. When the ripples stopped, the negative sensations disappeared.
Gavreau found that the malaise and ripples stopped when some of the windows were closed. Extensive experience and dozens of tests led to the discovery that a faulty electric fan was installed in the building. Its movement caused an infrasonic resonance, which, combined with the building's concrete, formed a huge infrasonic amplifier with a resonant frequency that was inaudible but could make them sick.
Knowing the reason, Gavro and his assistant tested the theory on themselves. They did not hear anything, but 5 minutes after turning on the device that simulates a faulty fan, they had to crawl to turn it off. According to Gavro, they felt unwell for hours, everything inside them vibrated heart, lungs, stomach ... People in other laboratories also felt bad, and they were very angry. Gavro was convinced that he had found a new infrasonic weapon of mass destruction. He continued to change the sizes and frequencies of the equipment in order to investigate their possible effect. But in 1968 he stopped. Without warning and without explanation, the experiments ceased. Gavreau patented the device, and the inventor's certificate is held by the French Patent Office, where it can be accessed for a small fee.
Application in Vietnam
In 1975, the USSR demanded that infrasonic weapons be classified as weapons of mass destruction and that their development be banned worldwide. This followed the publication of a number of articles accusing the US of using it in Vietnam. Then repeated requests were made, which stopped due to the constant refusal of the US and UK to recognize the need for such a law, since no one possessed such weapons and did not develop them. In 1977, however, an article appeared in British Science Magazine claiming that the UK was testing it on British soldiers and that it was similar to that used by the United States during the Vietnam War.
Myths and reality
Much of what has been written about infrasonic weapons is based on mythology, conspiracy theories, and pseudoscience. Despite this, attempts to debunk the theory have failed to dampen interest in him, thanks to new rumors about Russian secret weapons factories and the use of infrasound by American police as a means of suppressing riots.
LRAD system
Although no state in the world recognizes the existence of infrasonic weapons, each of them is ready to use it. The Long Range Acoustic Instrument (LRAD), developed for maritime security, has transitioned to land-based use by law enforcement to pacify riots. The LRAD found on some police vehicles has a continuous volume of 162 dB. The pain threshold for most people is around 130 dB, which is what makes the device so effective.
The effect of infrasound on a person is completely different. It works at ultra-low levels, affecting people literally from the inside. Those exposed to ultra-low frequencies suffer from headaches, feel nauseous and are generally unwell. As the exposure time increases, the headaches become more severe and vomiting begins. Heart rate quickens, blood pressure rises. The internal organs begin to vibrate. Further exposure will lead to the destruction of delicate blood vessels in them and the appearance of bleeding. The continued resonance will cause complete destruction or liquefaction of the internal organs and death will be inevitable.
In addition, infrasonic weapons use a frequency range below 20 Hz, while LRAD systems use 2.5 kHz.
Mass control tool?
There is no information that any country is developing or deploying infrasonic weapons, but the conspiracy theory is rife with "proof" of their existence and use. Although it is difficult to believe that it is not there. The ability to control a large number of people is too tempting for those who seek to control and manipulate their citizens. Therefore, the ability to cause illness or death without getting your hands dirty is too tempting to pass by.
