Buzz

Description

The essential component which defines the phenomenon of the buzz is what is perceived as low frequency sound persisting which resembles that of a diesel engine idling at a certain distance or a similar sound, and for which no cause can be identified after one examined and eliminated the ordinary possibilities from noises of this nature (domestic apparatuses, motor vehicle traffic, etc).

However, in addition to this its characteristic, other components also seem to be frequently associated to a significant degree with the phenomenon of the buzz, because they are perceived by a significant proportion of the people who are affected by the buzz, although not by all. Thus, a great number of the affected people perceive the buzz only, or more intensely, when they are inside houses or of buildings, but not when they are outside. Also, a great number of the affected people perceive Vibration S, which are felt on the surface or inside the body. The use of balls for the ears or other means blocking the ordinary sounds do not seem to decrease the buzz. The phenomenon is often perceived in a more intense way during the night, often at the point to awake the people who perceive it.

Certain people perceive the buzz in a continual way, whereas others perceive it only during certain periods. For some, the buzz can constitute only one weak background noise and a minor disadvantage whereas for others, which perceive the sound and/or the vibrations of them more intensely, it constitutes a major harmful effect which interferes in an important way with their daily activities. Among the frequent consequences, one notes the lack of sleep, since the buzz can prevent these people to sleep or awake them in the middle of the night.

History

It is towards beginning of the year 1990 that the phenomenon of the buzz started to be paid in an important way in North America. The buzz of Taos ( the Taos Hum ) became more known of the American public when a study of the university of New Mexico as well as the complaints of many citizens living the area of the town of Taos, in New Mexico, drew the attention of the media. During years 1970 and 1980, a similar phenomenon had been the subject of complaints of citizens, reports in the media and studies, especially with the the United Kingdom but also in other countries, like the New Zealand. It is however difficult to determine if the buzz reported in these cases and that which started to be brought back more and more often in North America during years 1990 must be regarded as being identical or rather as being different natures. During the last decade, the phenomenon of the buzz was reported in many other areas of North America and Europe like in other areas of the world.

Although the cases of the area of Taos and, more recently, that of Kokomo are those which were publicisés in the United States, it may be that is due to the fact that the citizens of these localities more effectively gathered and better succeeded in being made hear their local authorities and media, and not necessarily with the fact that the buzz is more present in these localities. Other regroupings were or are active in various countries. The Low frequency noise sufferers association , in the United Kingdom, and Association for research on the phenomenon of the buzz ( Interessengemeinschaft zur Aufklärung of Brummtons, IGZAB ), in Germany, are probably most known. Undoubtedly because only a small percentage of the population feels as being directly affected by the perception of the buzz, there was not yet until now of study of great scale relating to the phenomenon of the buzz, but only of the initiatives at the local level, having limited resources. For this reason, these studies concentrated their attention especially on a small number of possible causes which it is easier to study with limited resources and they generally concluded that searchs for greater scale would be necessary but that would require resources more important than those which are available at the local level.

Some possible explanations

Among the explanations which one proposed, one finds in particular the following ones:

Phenomena of Acoustic type

distant Sounds of industrial source of which the high frequencies were attenuated by the distance. As the sound moves through the air or the ground, the high frequency sounds weaken more quickly than those low frequency, which makes so that the latter thus travel at a longer distance. The low frequency sounds can be amplified by the walls or the structure of the buildings. Industrial machinery, like compressors or ventilators, can also produce similar types of sounds. Although it is the one of the explanations which come most spontaneously to mind, the ordinary microphones did not succeed in collecting the buzz and of the studies did not succeed in clearly identifying such sources as being at the origin of the phenomenon. Studies made in the United Kingdom are leaning on this problem, and the bearing report/ratio on the buzz of Kokomo gave acoustic examples of sources of noise.
Infrasons which can come from various possible sources, either industrial, or natural, for example of geological nature or Tectonic.

Phenomena of nonacoustic type

a phenomenon similar to the phenomenon of hearing of the Microwave S, which is caused by sources of pulsated microwaves. Under certain conditions, an effect of these types of waves is interpreted by the auditive system like the equivalent of sounds. A similar phenomenon could occur only or in combination with other factors. The thermoelastic mechanism, which explains the traditional phenomenon of hearing of the microwaves, could be concerned, or it could be a question here of a different mechanism. Various types of electromagnetic sources could bring into play various physical or physiological mechanisms or a combination of those. Certain components of the electromagnetic environment, as well as examples of their possible combined effects, were discussed in the appendix of the report expert carried out by the town of Kokomo in 2003.
an alternative of the electromagnetic emissions of audio frequency of nature similar to that which are generated at the time of the entry and the disintegration of a meteor in the upper atmosphere. This phenomenon releases a power of several megawatt S in the audio frequencies, mainly by the interaction of the ionized trajectory and the magnetic field of the Earth. See for example this article of NASA for a description of this effect: '' Listening to Leonids '' (in English).
Certain types of communication systems, the such system of radio-transmissions of very low frequency used in the communications with the submarines. This theory would suppose that these frequencies could be detected by mechanisms similar or different from those by which the higher frequencies are detected.
Of the effects with large scales coming from the installations which test on the Ionosphère, of the type of those which are in operation in Alaska (the United States), Russia and Norway.

Internal phenomena

Generated either by the body, the auditive system or the nervous system, in the absence of external stimulus. To some extent with the manner of acouphenes, but low frequency and with certain differences. However, this theory would not explain why the same person would hear Hum only in certain places for example inside rather than outside. Indeed, there does not exist such a thing that a “acouphene of interior”. She does not explain either the perception of vibrations on the level of the body, nor why there would have been an explosion of the number of cases during the last decades. However, it is possible, and even probable, that there exist individual differences between the various people within a population as for their threshold of feeling of the or not acoustic acoustic stimuli, or that there exist other kinds of normal physiological variations between various people and who could contribute to the fact that certain people in the population perceive the buzz whereas others do not perceive it. These differences could also contribute to explain the differences in level of intensity in perception.

Multiple phenomena

Any combination of two or more of the types of explanations above.

External bonds and references

What' S that noise? , The Guardian, October 18th, 2001. - Bearing Article on the buzz in general and more particularly on the Largs Hum (Scotland), includes/understands a typical history of case. (In English.)
Pilkington Mark, Humdinger , The Guardian, July 22nd, 2004. - Very short article, for highlights. (In English.)
Interessengemeinschaft zur Aufklärung of Brummtons (IGZAB) - Association for research on the buzz, German Web site organized good, with some pages in English, including a FAQ as well as the two parts of the study carried out for the town of Kokomo.
Joe Mullins, a synopsis of the study on the '' Taos Hum '' - By one of the researchers of the university of New Mexico having proceeded to the study. (In English.)
John Dawes, The Hum - British independent Web site, general information, propose its personal theory as for an electric type of interference. (In English.)
William J. Beaty, Taos Hum - independent Web site American container various elements relating to especially the Taos Hum (the United States). (In English.)
Humforum - Newsgroup Internet on the phenomenon of the Hum (In English)

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