Attenuation Produced by Foam Earplugs Worn by Chinchilla

Abstract : This report documents the attenuation of modified foam earplugs when worn by chinchilla. Since the ear canal of the chinchilla is smaller than human, the earplugs were trimmed to a diameter of 7.2 mm. This provided a good fit to the chinchilla ear canal. Methods for determining the attenuation were adapted from ANSI standard methods for determining attenuation for humans. The average attenuation of the earplugs for the chinchilla was generally higher than for humans; however, this difference was not statistically significant. The modified foam earplugs can be used in noise exposure studies involving chinchillas as subjects. The noise exposures could last for hours without concern that the plugs would be removed by the subject.