Study on the impact of exposure to noise in professional snipers.

Facing an increasing violence level and higher firepower in the hands of criminal organizations (especially those related to drug trafficking), the Military Police of Pernambuco has created, in 1989, the "1a Companhia Independente de Operações Especiais" (1st Independent Company of Special Operations), as a tactical last resort of the Police to be used on special, complex situations. The CIOE progressively makes use of Negotiation measures, of less-than-lethal maneuvers, of Precision Shots and Tactical Assaults. When all possibilities are drained, the Precision Shot will bring the crisis perpetrator down. This study had as an objective to assess the level of impact noise suffered by the elite snipers of the 1st CIOE-PE in their training. The working conditions of the snipers were evaluated through the use of a semi-structured questionnaire. Noise measuring was done on four (4) .308 IMBEL AGLC (with ammo from the same lot) rifles. Six (6) shots were fired off each gun, separated by a 30-second pause. In the end, it has been concluded that the noise level the 1st CIOE snipers are submitted to is considered to be normal by Brazilian legislation.