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What Are Sonic Booms & Are They Bad for Your Health?

Some aircraft, particularly certain military aircraft, can cause a sonic boom that is both heard and felt on the ground. This boom often comes unexpectedly and can startle an unsuspecting person. Some people become afraid because they do not understand what causes a sonic boom and may think an airplane is crashing or exploding. A sonic boom, however, is not a problem with the aircraft and has little effect on humans.

  1. Causes

    • A sonic boom is caused by the speed of the aircraft. To create a sonic boom, the aircraft must be traveling faster than the speed of sound. The resulting boom is the sound of the aircraft breaking the sound barrier. In addition to the noise you hear, waves of pressure also move through the air. The pressure is usually equal to the change in pressure when traveling down two or three floors in an elevator. The boom lasts as long as the aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound, which is 750 miles per hour at sea level.

    Occasional Exposure

    • In many cases, people are only exposed to a sonic boom every once in a while rather than on a daily basis. Some people rarely ever hear one at all. A study at Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories in 1968 exposed 10 to 15 people to sonic booms with pressures between 50 and 144 pounds per square foot, which is the same as 155 decibels of noise. Those in the study experienced temporary symptoms of ringing in the ears and discomfort, but no pain. However, this study did not address possible long-term effects.

    Frequent Exposure

    • Those who live closer to military bases and other high air traffic areas may be exposed to sonic booms on a more frequent basis. Living in an area with frequent exposure to sonic booms often results in more frequent occurrences of the temporary symptoms, such as ear ringing and temporary hearing loss. The more often someone is exposed to sonic booms, especially those at higher pressures, the more likely the hearing loss may become permanent.

    Other Effects

    • While auditory effects are the most likely to occur from noises such as from the sonic boom, some experts feel that a sonic boom can have other adverse effects on health. Many studies have been done to look at the effects of occasional and frequent sonic booms on the psychological health of people, including studies done by NASA, the NATO CCMS-Conference on Aircraft Noise in Germany in 1986 and the American Speech and Hearing Association. While much of the data is inconclusive, studies revealed increased instances of psychological problems, low scholastic achievement, blood pressure problems and cardiovascular disease.

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