IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1683 
Recognizing the Department of Defense for its work in identifying the dangers 
of tinnitus, or the perception of sound where no external source of 
such sound exists, for members of the Armed Forces subjected to blast 
injuries and high-decibel equipment. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010 
Mr. COLE (for himself, Mr. TEAGUE, Ms. FALLIN, and Mr. BOREN) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 
Services 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the Department of Defense for its work in iden-
tifying the dangers of tinnitus, or the perception of sound 
where no external source of such sound exists, for mem-
bers of the Armed Forces subjected to blast injuries 
and high-decibel equipment. 
Whereas tinnitus, or the perception of sound where no exter-
nal source of such sound exists, is the most prevalent dis-
abling condition that affects members of the Armed 
Forces, most notably those members who have been ex-
posed to blast injuries during combat or to other high- 
noise-level situations; 
Whereas tinnitus is the leading service-connected disability 
for members of the Armed Forces returning from Iraq or 
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•HRES 1683 IH 
Afghanistan and the prevalence of tinnitus is continuing 
to increase at alarming rates; 
Whereas at the end of 2009, more than 750,000 veterans had 
been determined to have a service-connected disability re-
lated to tinnitus; 
Whereas an otologic, or ear injury such as tinnitus, has been 
shown to decrease performance and situational awareness 
during combat, seriously compromising the ability of a 
member of the Armed Forces to hear and execute com-
mands properly, thereby jeopardizing not only the af-
fected member but other members as well; 
Whereas while certain types of sensory impairment in combat 
or other military activities may be readily apparent, 
otologic injuries such as tinnitus may not be easily no-
ticeable, which necessitates the need for more rigorous 
screening for tinnitus before and after deployment, and 
for additional research to distinguish tinnitus from other 
forms of brain injury incurred during combat; 
Whereas some medical evidence to date suggests a dem-
onstrated link between tinnitus and posttraumatic stress 
disorder and traumatic brain injury, such that improved 
understanding of treatment of tinnitus may also directly 
advance research efforts to address posttraumatic stress 
disorder and traumatic brain injury; 
Whereas improving the treatment and prevention of tinnitus 
will benefit all members of the Armed Forces who are in-
creasingly at risk of injury from high-decibel equipment 
or explosive devices; 
Whereas even though there are recommended maximum al-
lowable exposure times, cumulative noise exposure, even 
at ‘‘safe’’ levels, can cause tinnitus over time; 
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Whereas, in this age of amplified sound, many everyday noise 
sources produce decibel levels that can be hazardous to 
hearing and can result in tinnitus and other types of 
hearing loss; 
Whereas the Army is the only branch of the Armed Forces 
that requires earplugs as part of the uniform, but many 
types of military equipment exceed the 85 DBA limit; 
Whereas between all public and private funding in the United 
States, only $10,000,000 is given to tinnitus research, far 
behind what is spent on research for most other medical 
conditions; and 
Whereas new, sophisticated brain-imaging technologies have 
allowed scientists to identify the areas of the brain that 
involve tinnitus and have led scientists to study tinnitus 
on several new fronts: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the Department of Defense for 
its work in identifying the dangers of tinnitus; 
(2) encourages the Department of Defense to 
continue to educate members of the Armed Forces 
of the potential threats of unprotected exposure to 
high-decibel sounds; and 
(3) encourages both the Department of Defense 
and public institutions to continue their important 
work researching this medical condition. 
Æ 
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