It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of soldiers who return from active military service after not using hearing protection develop acoustic trauma. The study measured the impact of impulse noise generated by five gunshots from an AK-47 rifle on 80 subjects with no history of hearing disorders. In the study, soldiers using hearing protection did not have their hearing affected, while soldiers not using hearing protection experienced the expected levels of hearing loss.

The study recommends that the military adopt hearing protectors that will muffle the most harmful frequencies while still enabling solders to communicate with each other. The study's authors recommend the use of noise-reducing earmuffs for that purpose.

The authors note that because most military personnel are at the beginning stages of their careers, they would be negatively impacted by a loss of hearing as they enter the civilian work force.