Noise as an environmental problem in the animal house

Abstract

Audiogenic seizures, changes in parameters of the stress syndrome, and disturbance of acoustic communication in rodents are discussed as possible harmful effects of noise and evaluated in regard to standards published in Germany for man. These standards are insufficient to protect laboratory animals from ultrasound, to which rodents are very sensitive. Neither do they give sufficient protection for many experiments, since some physiological parameters of the stress syndrome may be influenced by levels of noise less than that regarded as acceptable for man. © 1974, Royal Society of Medicine Press. All rights reserved.