Blood Pressure Changes in Man during Infrasonic Exposure

Danielsson Å. LandstrÖm U. (Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, and National Board of Occupational Safety and Health, UmeÅ, Sweden.) Blood pressure changes in man during infrasonic exposure. Twenty healthy male volunteers were exposed to infrasound in a pressure chamber especially designed for the experiments. The effects on blood pressure, pulse rate and serum cortisol levels of acute infrasonic stimulation were studied in a series of different experiments. Varying frequencies (6, 12, 16 Hz) and pressure levels (95, 110, 125 dB(lin)) were tested. Significantly increased diastolic and decreased systolic blood pressures were recorded without any rise in pulse rate. The increase in diastolic blood pressure reached a maximal mean of about 8 mmHg after 30 min exposure. The results suggest that acute infrasonic stimulation induces a peripheral vasoconstriction with increased blood pressure, previously shown to occur in conjunction with industrial noise. Chronic long‐term exposure to environmental infrasound may be of importance for the development of essential hypertension in predisposed individuals.