Noise Pollution

Background and Objective: Noise pollution is an emerging environmental problem in many developing countries including Nigeria. The control of environmental noise pollution has been hampered by lack of sufficient research as well as insufficient knowledge of its effects on humans. This study was aimed at assessing the levels of noise pollution at Wurukum and North Bank areas of Makurdi. Materials and Methods: A Digital sound level meter (Model: GM 1351) was used to measure noise levels at eight locations covering both areas. Noise was measured at the following periods of the day: Morning (7:30-8:00 am), afternoon (12:30-1:00 pm), evening (3:30-4:00 pm) and night (7:30-8:00 pm) on the following days of the week: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday for a period of 4 months (16 weeks). Results: Obtained results showed that the highest level of noise pollution (L NP ) obtained was 84.4 dBA with the least being 50.7 dBA. Traffic noise index (TNI) of 64.1 dBA recorded was the highest value while the least was 10.2 dBA. Analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences in the level of noise pollution (p<0.001) and traffic noise index (p = 0.03) between all the locations sampled. Post hoc test (LSD) further showed that Lafia Park and General hospital had no significant difference in the level of noise pollution when compared to other locations. Conclusion: Therefore, intensive public enlightenment on effects of noise pollution on human health as well as proper training and usage of suitable protection accessories should be encouraged.

Road traffic in urban areas is recognized to be associated with urban mobility and public health, and it is often the main source of noise pollution. Lately, noise maps have been considered a powerful tool to estimate the population exposure to environmental noise, but they need to be validated by measured noise data. The retrieved from a low-cost monitoring network. Indeed, the first objective should improve the spatial sampling based on the legislative road classification, as this classification is mainly based on the geometrical characteristics of the road, rather than its noise emission. The present paper describes the statistical approach of the methodology under development and the results of its preliminary application to a limited sample of roads in the city of Milan. The resulting categorization of roads, based on clustering the 24-h hourly L Aeqh , looks promising to optimize the spatial sampling of noise monitoring toward a description of the noise pollution due to complex urban road networks more efficient than that based on the legislative road classification.

A noise map facilitates the monitoring of environmental noise pollution in urban areas. It can raise citizen awareness of noise pollution levels, and aid in the development of mitigation strategies to cope with the adverse effects. However, state-of-the-art techniques for rendering noise maps in urban areas are expensive and rarely updated (for months or even years), as they rely on population and traffic models rather than on real data. Smart phone based urban sensing can be leveraged to create an open and inexpensive platform for rendering up-todate noise maps. In this paper, we present the design, implementation and performance evaluation of an end-to-end, context-aware, noise mapping system called Ear-Phone. Ear-Phone investigates the use of different interpolation and regularization methods to address the fundamental problem of recovering the noise map from incomplete and random samples obtained by crowdsourcing data collection. Ear-Phone, implemented on Nokia N95, N97 and HP iPAQ, HTC One mobile devices, also addresses the challenge of collecting accurate noise pollution readings at a mobile device. A major challenge of using smart phones as sensors is that even at the same location, the sensor reading may vary depending on the phone orientation and user context (for example, whether the user is carrying the phone in a bag or holding it in her palm). To address this problem, Ear-Phone leverages context-aware sensing. We develop classifiers to accurately determine the phone sensing context. Upon context discovery, Ear-Phone automatically decides whether to sense or not. Ear-phone also implements in-situ calibration which performs simple calibration that can be carried out without any technical skills whatsoever required on the user's part. Extensive simulations and outdoor * Corresponding author.

Growing concern about the impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine life has led to a global increase in the number of acoustic monitoring programmes aiming to quantify underwater soundscapes. However, low-frequency measurements in coastal sites may be affected by flow noise that is not actually present in the environment, but is caused by tidal flow turbulence around the hydrophone. At present, there is no standard way of removing this contaminating noise. This study presents an approach to exclude tidal influences (flow noise and other tidal-related acoustic self-noise) on ambient sound measurements, using data recorded at ten Scottish coastal sites between 2013 and 2017, and with a focus on the 63 and 125 Hz 1/3-octave bands. The annual ambient sound pressure levels (SPL) of the full and “tidal influence excluded” datasets of the three most tidally affected sites were compared against hypothetical noise thresholds. For the 63 Hz 1/3-octave band, results revealed: Site-specific pat...

The aim of the IESTA program (Infrastructure for Evaluating Air Transport Systems) is to provide an efficient tool in the design and modelling of innovative air transport systems through a global evaluation platform. The first application of IESTA is focused on the environmental impact of the air traffic surrounding airports, including noise and chemical emissions. This paper presents the acoustic model dedicated to the aircraft noise prediction. Based on the different physical phenomenon, this model includes three modules: the acoustic source models, the installation effects and the atmospheric propagation. The noise source module describes the models for jet, fan, landing gears and high-lift devices which are mainly responsible for aircraft noise during take-off and landing. The module for the installation effect concerns the influence of aircraft surfaces on acoustic radiation, using a Ray Tracing method. Both direct and reflected fields are computed using Geometrical Acoustics p...

The study assessed sources of noise between two residential neighbourhood in Benin City, Nigeria using a cross-section survey. Mann-Whitney Test was employed to identify relative differences in noise sources between the locations. Results showed that prominent sources of noise across the two locations were those from generator and market activities, however with varying magnitude. However, the test results revealed statistically significant difference in noise sources from generator, market activities, vehicular across the two locations considered. Relevant measures for noise control actions necessary to mitigate noise pollution were identified.

El análisis de la contaminación por ruido urbano en las ciudades resulta de fundamental importancia para definir políticas de planificación urbana para orientar el desarrollo y crecimiento armónico de las ciudades y
compatibilizar los diferentes usos de suelo con la calidad de vida de los habitantes. En este trabajo se realizó un diagnóstico general de la contaminación sonora de una ciudad de tamaño mediano en pleno proceso de crecimiento como es la ciudad de Alta Gracia (Córdoba, Argentina) con el objetivo de proveer información para la modificación
de su plan de ordenamiento urbano y territorial. Se midió el nivel sonoro en estaciones distribuidas en toda la ciudad en diferentes franjas horarias y en distintos días de la semana. Se determinaron diferentes parámetros de contaminación sonora, se generaron mapas e indicadores de contaminación. Se estudió la correlación entre distintos indicadores, topografía del área y valor del suelo urbano. Se encontró que los niveles sonoros están asociados al uso del suelo, pero ni la topografía ni el valor unitario del terreno presentan un grado de correlación importante con los
indicadores de nivel de ruido.

There is more to managing the community noise impacts of large outdoor concerts and festivals than simply setting a noise limit. An analysis of the data associated with outdoor concerts in Brisbane has identified that the risk of noise complaints is influenced by many factors other than the noise limits for the concert. The scheduling of events, frequency of events, event location, event duration, music genre and community engagement and attitudes can be more significant than the noise limits alone. This paper will explore all these factors and how understanding their influence on the community can enable noise regulators to go beyond the decibel to minimise the risk of noise complaints from large outdoor concerts and festivals.

This article describes the results of the Spring of 2021 New England Shelf Break Acoustics (NESBA) Signals and Noise experiment as they pertain to the optimization of a field of passive receivers versus an environmentally aware source with end-state goals. A discrete optimization has been designed and used to demonstrate providing an acoustic system operator with actionable guidance relating to optimally distributed receiver locations and depths and likely mean source detection times and associated uncertainties as a function of source and receiver levels of environmental awareness. The uncertainties considered here are those due to the imperfect spatial and temporal sensing of the water column, ambient noise (AN), and the seabed, and the impact this has on ocean forecasting and acoustic performance prediction accuracy. As a part of the NESBA experiment, high-resolution (1 km spatial) regional Navy Coastal Ocean Model ensemble forecasts were generated to capture oceanographic variability and uncertainty. Passive AN-based seabed measurements were conducted to estimate seabed properties including variability and uncertainty. Extensive AN and conductivity, temperature, and depth measurements were also conducted. In this article, operationally relevant metrics are employed to estimate the potential value-added of optimal receiver location and depth placements as a function of source end-state goals and assumed level of environmental awareness. A concept for generating stochastic acoustic prediction metrics and associated optimally distributed receiver locations and depths in an operational environment is proposed.

This study was conducted to determine the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of agricultural water in the KIMPE district of Delvaux, in the Ngaliema municipality of Kinshasa. To this end, two points, including the Djelo River (P1) and a pond (P2), were targeted for water sampling, which were collected manually in November 2024. The physicochemical analyses, carried out in situ using the WTW multi-parameter probe, consisted of measuring several parameters (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, and dissolved oxygen), while in the laboratory, the major dissolved ions (nitrates, phosphate, and sulfates) were measured by spectrophotometry. The bacteriological analyses consisted of the identification and quantification by the membrane culture method of bacteria indicating fecal pollution including Escherichia coli, Enterococcus and total coliforms.

Background: Noise pollution has increased to alarming extent in most of the urban areas in Pakistan. It is assumed even more perilous than air and water pollution due to its direct acute and chronic physio-psychological effects. The objective of this study is to analyze and evaluate the psychological and physiological effects caused by traffic noise on traffic wardens and to find relation type between exposure time and effect. Methods: Three wardens check posts near roads were selected for survey in Taxila and Islamabad cities of Pakistan. Survey conducted included noise measurements at aforementioned check posts for one month and Performa based interviews of traffic wardens. Results and conclusions: Analysis of results showed that noise levels varied between 85-106 dB hence violating OSHA regulations. Major psychological effects found in wardens were aggravated depression 58%, stress 65%, public conflict 71%, irritation and annoyance 54%, behavioral affects 59% and speech interference 56%. Physiological effects found were hypertension 87%, muscle tension 64%, exhaustion 48%, low performance levels 55%, concentration loss 93%, hearing impairment 69%, headache 74% and cardiovascular issue 71%. Relation between exposure time and effects were evaluated by using simple regression test in excel. Percentage of psychological and physiological effects in wardens varied with the exposure time; aggravated depression (R 2 = 0.946, P = 0.133), stress suffering (R 2 = 0.014, P = 0.173), public conflict (R 2 = 0.946, P = 0.133), irritation and annoyance (R 2 = 0.371, P = 0.137), behavioral affects (R 2 = 0.596, P = 0.0616) and speech interference (R 2 = 0.355, P = 0.445), hypertension (R 2 = 0.96, P = 0.00095) and cardiovascular issue (R 2 = 0.775, P = 0.044).

Waar gaat dit onderzoek over?
RTV Lansingerland en Vers Beton onderzochten in juni en juli 2025 hoe bewoners in de Noordrand van Rotterdam (Hillegersberg, Schiebroek, Overschie) en Lansingerland (Berkel en Rodenrijs, Bergschenhoek, Bleiswijk) denken over Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA). De online enquête (open oproep) is aangevuld met een kleine onafhankelijke steekproef bij zes supermarkten. Antwoorden zijn gekoppeld aan woonlocatie (en o.a. aan geluidszones).
Kernpunten uit de resultaten
• Breed draagvlak, met een afstandslijn. Binnen het onderzoeksgebied is circa 62% (zeer) positief over het bestaan van RTHA; in de totale dataset ligt dat hoger. Dit is van dezelfde orde als het onderzoek in 2016/2017 (Hillegersberg-Schiebroek). Tegelijk: hoe dichter bij de baan, hoe kritischer; verder weg neemt de waardering toe, ook net buiten de formele geluidscontour. Het vaak genoemde voordeel “dichtbij en kleinschalig” wordt juist vaker genoemd door mensen die niet pal naast of onder het vliegpad wonen. Naarmate de afstand toeneemt, weegt het gemak van “dichtbij” zwaarder mee in de waardering. Dit is een aanwijzing voor het “neighbourhood effect”.
• Herbestemming minder populair dan behoud, met nuance dichtbij. In het onderzoeksgebied is grofweg 53% tegen en 34% voor vervanging door wonen/werken/groen. In de zwaarste geluidszones is het draagvlak voor herbestemming duidelijk groter.
• Gewenste functie: een gemengde luchthaven. Respondenten kiezen gemiddeld voor balans (vakantie én niet-vakantie). Dichtbij de baan klinkt vaker de wens om het aandeel vakantievluchten te beperken. Dat wijkt af van het huidige, overwegend leisure-profiel.
• Geluid en luchtkwaliteit kleuren de beleving. Ervaren geluidshinder en zorgen over (ultra)fijnstof nemen toe naarmate men dichterbij woont.
• Informatie en invloed kunnen beter. Veel bewoners voelen zich onvoldoende geïnformeerd en twijfelen aan invloed. Dit is sterker in de directe omgeving en wijst op een kloof in systeemvertrouwen (vertrouwen in overheid, toezichthouders en luchthaven).
• Verspreidingskanalen (tags) verklaren toon, niet het patroon. Verschillende kanalen trokken verschillende publieken, maar de afstandslijn blijft overeind, ook na weging naar inwonertal binnen het onderzoeksgebied.
Datakwaliteit in het kort
Zeer grote online respons; met een drietraps-ontdubbeling zijn weinig dubbelen gevonden en verwijderd. De supermarktsteekproef bevestigt de online patronen. Er is geen signaal van gecoördineerd misbruik.
Wat betekenen de bevindingen?
• Erken de afstandslijn. Kijk bij ruimtelijke keuzes niet alleen naar de formele geluidsgrens, maar ook naar afstandsbuffers. Reken in milieueffectrapportages niet automatisch op “goed wonen” pal naast een modelmatige papieren contour; een marge van ±500 meter blijkt reëel. Tot 3 kilometer blijkt de luchthaven invloed te hebben op attitudes.
• Richt op balans. Een gemengd gebruiksprofiel met zakelijke vluchten naast vakantievluchten sluit beter aan bij voorkeuren in de regio dan eenzijdige groei.
• Investeer in vertrouwen. Verbeter informatievoorziening, participatie en zichtbare terugkoppeling over wat er met bewonersinput gebeurt. Zet doorlopende monitoring en heldere spelregels in om het systeemvertrouwen te vergroten.
• Blijf meten in de leefomgeving. Combineer modellen, officiële metingen en het Burgermeetnet om pieken, routes en seizoenseffecten naast beleving te leggen.
• Herbestemming is geen “quick win”. Draagvlak is het grootst waar de geluidsdruk het hoogst is, maar bouwen op dit lage maaiveld vraagt om water-eerst-ontwerp en vroegtijdig overleg met waterschappen.
In één zin
RTHA wordt breed gewaardeerd, maar afstand bepaalt de uitkomst: verder weg telt gemak, dichterbij nemen hinder en zorgen toe. Simpele oplossingen, zoals ongewijzigd voortgaan dan wel sluiting en herbestemming vinden geen steun. Het knellende systeemvertrouwen vraagt om zichtbaar beter beleid, met informatie, participatie en maatwerk.

The rapid urbanization of global populations has fundamentally altered human exposure to environmental stressors, creating unprecedented challenges for public health. Within this complex landscape of environmental hazards, noise pollution stands out as a pervasive yet often underappreciated threat to cardiovascular health. [1,2] While traditional research focused primarily on hearing damage, mounting evidence reveals intricate pathways through which noise exposure influences cardiovascular function, necessitating a comprehensive reevaluation of noise as a cardiovascular risk factor. [2,3] Modern urban environments generate noise through various sources, each presenting unique challenges for human health. Transportation infrastructure, including road, rail, and air traffic, contributes significantly to Urban environments of the 21 st century present unprecedented challenges to human health, with environmental noise emerging as a critical determinant of cardiovascular well-being. This integrative analysis synthesizes contemporary understanding of noise-induced cardiovascular effects, incorporating insights from molecular biology, clinical research, and epidemiological investigations. The physiological response to noise encompasses both rapid adaptations and sustained modifications, including autonomic nervous system modulation, stress hormone cascades, and altered inflammatory pathways. Large-scale population studies demonstrate robust associations between chronic noise exposure and cardiovascular conditions, with particular emphasis on hypertension and coronary artery disease. The disruption of sleep architecture emerges as a central mechanism linking environmental noise to cardiovascular dysfunction. Vulnerability to these effects varies across populations, influenced by genetic, demographic, and preexisting health factors. Evidence supports a graded relationship between noise intensity and cardiovascular risk, suggesting a lack of safe threshold. These findings carry profound implications for urban planning and public health policy, highlighting the urgent need for innovative noise reduction strategies in modern living spaces.

The prototype was based on partial virtual reality reconstruction of visual and aural field recordings. Its potential use is illustrated using a case study of the waterfront promenade in the historical centre of Zadar, Croatia. The future prospects for the method described are debated according to the most recent developments within the field of soundscape research.

This paper presents the results of a noise emission study of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) and their impact on the road network. By comparing the current situation with a future hypothetical scenario (100% AVs penetration), this study highlights the positive effect, in terms of noise pollution, of the adoption of AVs on a real road network (city of Rome). For this scope, a traffic simulationbased approach was used to investigate the effects of AVs on the network congestion. Results show that the full AVs penetration scenario leads to an improvement in the network performances in terms of travel time and average network speed. Moreover, the amount of Vehicle Kilometre Travelled (VKT) shows an 8% increase on longer extraurban routes, due to the higher capacity impact of AVs on highways, with a consequent load reduction for intraurban shortcutting routes. These results are also reflected in terms of noise emission. In fact, the central area would benefit from lower noise emission, whereas an increase in traffic volume and speed lead to worsened conditions for some specific highway links of the network. Overall, it was shown that a 100% AVs fleet would have a beneficial effect for the noise pollution, leading to a general reduction of noise emissions, which is more pronounced for intraurban roads.

Sound surrounds us every day, whether we are inside buildings or moving around our cities. But what is "sound" and what is "noise?" What e ects can arise from exposure to one or the other? This article will introduce the complex and fascinating world of sound, highlighting the opportunities that acoustic scientists have to reduce noise pollution and to design cities and buildings that sound good to our ears, to improve people's health and wellbeing. No matter how hard we try, we will never find a place that is completely silent. If something moves, it produces a sound-even if humans cannot hear it. Sounds are everywhere, all around us. The sounds we usually notice are produced by people or by things that people use. Think about road tra c or industries, for instance. Yet, nature can be very loud too! Imagine how noisy an erupting volcano or a tornado might be! kids.frontiersin.org November | Volume | Article |

Predicting sound propagation from highways over complex terrain can be challenging and validation with measurements is most often lacking. This study considers a 6.3-m high (grown) embankment parallel to a depressed 8-lane ring road having a middle verge. At 2 fixed locations (one near the road’s border, the other one on the embankment), continuous sound pressure level measurements were conducted during a full month. In this validation exercise, the full range of prediction methods was covered, going from a highly detailed full-wave numerical technique to common engineering methods. The full-wave technique, here applied in two dimensions, shows a close spectral correspondence with the measurements, including the (limited) effect of scattering by the sparse vegetation near the top of the talud. Also the Harmonoise point-to-point model, allowing a fast numerical evaluation, shows good agreement with the spectral level difference data, indicating that the sound propagation physics are ...

Noise pollution in urban environments is today a major problem affecting inhabitants of many European cities. Reducing noise is therefore a necessity. As a result, many cities now have noise action plans comprising concrete actions to tackle noise issues in affected areas. Nevertheless, these often isolated documents only address existing problems. In order to change this practice an integrated strategy is necessary. A new approach to urban sound planning, a holistic approach, is being developed and tested within the SONORUS project and it is described in this paper. SONORUS, the Urban Sound Planner project, is an initial training network (ITN) that is educating researchers in a whole range of acoustic disciplines, as well as in advanced urban planning processes. An essential part of this training is the application of the holistic approach to real test sites. Although this is an ongoing work, a few innovative techniques were already developed and its application to the test sites r...

This study presents the result of a traffic simulation analysis based on Floating Car Data and a noise emission assessment to show the impact of mobility restriction for COVID-19 containment on urban vehicular traffic and road noise pollution on the road network of Rome, Italy. The adoption of strong and severe measures to contain the spreading of Coronavirus during March-April 2020 generated a significant reduction in private vehicle trips in the city of Rome (-64.6% during the lockdown). Traffic volumes, obtained through a simulation approach, were used as input parameters for a noise emission assessment conducted using the CNOSSOS-EU method, and an overall noise emissions reduction on the entire road network was found, even if its extent varied between road types.

Private Cars (PC) are becoming the most common way to travel daily. This is one of the effects of poor access to Public Transport (PT). As a result, increase air pollution, traffic congestion, noise, accidents. This study aims to develop a modal shift model for car users to shift to PT and determine the factors that effects the performance of the mode of transportation. A survey of 384 of PT users was conducted in Kajang city, Malaysia. Data were processed by SPSS software. A binary logit model has been used for three different lines (car, train and bus). The explanatory factors that looked at two models include trip distances, a trip rate per day, trip time, gender, age, and occupation, which are important variables. Mode Choice Model (Car vs Bus) show the travel time and distance travelled are significant factors to increase the use of public buses and reduce dependence on the car. While in Model (Car vs Train), the travel time is an important variable that effects of the switching decision between car and train. Younger people are more likely to switch in both models. Improve some factors like reliability in public transport services and change some fundamental policy could be the most effective measures for shifting from PC to PT.

Noise is a type of pollution that has a negative impact on human health and well-being. Because of population growth and urbanization, the magnitude and severity of noise pollutionare increasing. This study examines the level of noise throughout Zakho university-faculty of science buildings. Noise levels were measured using a sound level meter at two campus buildings at five different times (9:00 AM –2:00 PM). A total of 180 students (98 females, 82 males) were questioned to collect data. The noise levels were highest at the ground floor of building one were at (11:00AM-12:00PM) and (12:00-1:00 PM), respectively, changing from 60.6 to 73.7 dB at (11:00 AM-12:00 PM) and 63.3-73.8 dB at (12:00-1:00 PM) (12-1:00 PM). These results could be due to students taking a lunch hour after 12:00PM and visiting a café at this site.  The most prevalent direct impact of noise on students was feeling annoyed, which affected 23% of students, followed by headache (18%) and so on. Noise has psychologi...

This annotation focuses on the latest (out of three) European Commission decisions on the financing of the new Berlin airport by its public shareholders. The decision is important because it deals with a case having a great impact on the Single Market. Moreover, it constitutes the first example of application of the private investor test in airport financing cases after the publication of the Commission Notice on the notion of State aidthe jewel in the crown of the State Aid Modernisation initiative. The commentary points to the link between politics, law and economics in high-profile State aid cases, questioning the effectiveness of EU State aid control.

Introduction Nowadays noise remains the third largest cause of environmental pollution on Earth. It appears that despite the existing noise control legislation the issue deserves further supervision by the public authorities so that the ceilings established for the various activities are observed. People exposed to noise are more likely to develop numerous auditory and non-auditory problems directly impacting persona family and working life. Objectives The objective of this study is to research and consequently understand how the population of students of a youth and adult school in Curitiba perceives noise pollution as well as look into the actions that the school adopts in order to guide the students on the topic. Method We applied a structured questionnaire to 120 individuals and assessed the following variables: characterization of the place of residence occupation leisure health and perception of soundscapes. We also applied a closed questionnaire about educational actions for ...

The noise levels inside metro units are considered a significant problem that makes passengers suffer from severe damage, especially for those who use the metro periodically. This research evaluates the acoustic environment inside the metro car and studies factors affecting the noise levels inside metro units and developing models for estimate noise in the metro unit while moving between stations. Greater Cairo Metro (GCM) Line 1 has been selected as a case study. A sound level meter was used to measure the equivalent sound level in dBA and evaluate the noise inside metro units. The results indicate that the noise levels are unacceptable compared with the international noise exposure standards. The highest measured noise level inside metro units is 91.2 dBA. These unacceptable noise levels led to more investigation of factors that may affect noise levels inside metro units. Other data have been collected, such as the speed of the train and the track alignment details. The results showed that the noise increases with the increase of the train speed until the speed reaches a specific value, then it decreases depending on the maintenance status and the train type. In addition, the noise levels through curved underground tracks are higher than the levels along straight surface tracks by 18 dB(A).

Open theaters are crucial for public urban environments, as they require high-quality speech and listening processes. Designers protect open theaters by creating barriers and technical solutions to maintain an appropriate acoustic level. However, the impact of open theaters on the surrounding urban environment is often overlooked. This research aims to understand the mutual influence between open theaters and the surrounding environment to ensure environmental friendliness and noise-free operation. To achieve this, noise levels are measured near the open theater and other noise sources, such as roads, commercial uses, maintenance workshops, and mosques. These levels are then used to predict noise levels in the surrounding areas. The methodology was applied to Children's Cultural Park in Cairo, analyzing acoustic results to increase awareness of selecting the appropriate location for open theaters in urban environments. The noise levels were monitored at 10 different times, divided into three periods: morning (6 am to 12 pm), afternoon (2 pm to 6 pm), and night (8 pm to 12 am). The predicted noise levels were then mapped using satellite images and standard noise models, and the predictions were verified with recorded noise data from the field study.

Effective reduction and control of noise have continued to attract attention globally due to the adverse effects noise poses to human health, effective knowledge dissemination and desirable environmental tranquility. The use of natural and synthetic reinforced composites in noise pollution control is an emerging area of research. In this study, coal fly-ash in nanoparticles varied at 5 – 25 wt. % was employed as reinforcement in the fabrication of epoxy resin composites. The composites were characterised both for noise reduction capability and mechanical properties necessary for a damage-free handling during installation. Results showed that at 5 – 15 wt. % fly-ash nanoparticles addition, the composites demonstrated the following mechanical properties in terms of flexural strength, 43.7 MPa; impact energy, 4.8 J and hardness, 25.4 HV. Samples of the composites at 15 wt. % exhibited the highest noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of 0.8072. Contributions to these levels of performances...

The ever-accelerating rate of research focusing on the issue of underwater noise pollution, particularly concerning low-frequency, continuous noise, has steadily been unveiling the myriad of detrimental ecological implications caused to marine life. Despite this, many European Member States, such as Malta, still lack solid monitoring and regulatory frameworks aimed at characterising and improving the state of the marine acoustic environment and achieving ‘Good Ecological Status’ in accordance with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. This shortcoming is directly reflected in the complete absence of baseline information covering the quality of the national soundscape. This paper aims to serve as a preliminary investigation into continuous underwater noise generation within Maltese waters, focusing on two sites characterised by heavy marine activity: Ċirkewwa and the Grand Harbour. Digital signal processing software packages (dBWav version 1.3.4) were used to extract and analyse s...

In the present study assessment of some physicochemical and microbial parameters of the ground water in Ruhuwiko, Songea, Tanzania were determined during the month of October 2014 to November 2014 with an objective to analyze the physicochemical characteristics like water temperature, transparency, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, pH, dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity, hardness, BOD and minerals studies has been done during the investigation period. Total solids, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids and turbidity were minimum, which may be due to the gradual disturbances in sedimentation of solids as well as dust particles deposited along with runoff rainwater. The values of pH, conductivity, hardness, calcium, dissolved oxygen and biological oxygen demands were identified. This study enhances the quality of ground water in Songea.

The degree of environmental noise pollution and its potential effects in thirteen (13) of AMAC's primary marketplaces in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, have been analyzed. Noise measurement has been done throughout the mornings, afternoons, and nights to determine noise pollution all over the major markets of AMAC, FCT. Thirteen markets (13) was selected based base on the phases and the level of development; ten are selected from phases 1 and 2, while phase three and four (3and 4) is represented by two (2) because the markets present in the district are either local or just coming up because of the level of development that is still coming up in these places. Other criteria are; markets along heavy and light traffic road, markets that have submerged and other gradually submerging into residential building and the busiest markets in AMAC. The analysis of the noise levels measurement was done for seven (7) days, three (3) times a day (mornings, afternoons and evenings), using Testo 816 Digital sound level meter with accuracy class of two to IEC 60651, precision integrated was employed in order to gather the noise data. The loudest mean levels, 122.1 dB(A), 119.2 dB(A), and 95.1 dB(A), were measured at Gosa Market (GM), Nyanya Market (NM), and Nyanya Market (AM), respectively, in the nights, afternoons, and mornings. This generated a serious health hazards for the merchants and some buyers who stay more than two hours in the market as this results far exceed the acceptable recommended standards of WHO/NESREA. The findings revealed that generators, grinding machines, mobile sellers, vehicular movement, siren from security vehicles, horn from moving vehicles, traffic jams etc. are the sources of noise in the markets. With the exception of Asokoro Modern Market, Garki International Market, and Wuye Ultra-Modern Market, most markets have high levels of noise pollution, which may have an adverse effect on the public's and traders' health. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and one sample t-test indicated that there were no appreciable variations in sound levels among the various markets in the research region. Because noise can have physiological and psychological effects on people, governments and environmental managers should enforce laws and implement policies to educate the public about the importance of adopting energy-efficient building techniques like solar energy and other environmentally friendly options that will improve urban livability, such as noiseproofing (power) and retrofitting.

This study assessed the intensity and likely effects of noise on workers during wheat processing. Noise measurements were taken using HD600 sound level meter. Subjective assessment of the effects of noise was undertaken using semi structured questionnaire. Also audiometric test was conducted on workers using AD229e diagnostic audiometer. The results of the study show that during wheat processing operations, the noise level in the factory ranges between 56.0 dB(A) and100.9 dB(A). Also, only 25.6 % of all the readings was below the specified limit of 85 dB(A). Workers are also observed to have certain forms of physiological and psychological disorders related to noise. The audiometric test results revealed that 33 % of the examined workers have defect in their left or right ear. Based on these results, WHO Class-5 hearing protector is recommended to be worn by workers in the processing sections while room acoustics should be upgraded to absorb some sounds transmitted to offices. © JASEM

Noise pollution is a growing public health concern since it may have serious consequences beyond only the auditory system. The purpose of this research was to determine how living in a noisy region in Chennai, India affects people's mental health. Three hundred persons (aged 18-60) living in regions with high ambient noise levels (>85dB) near major highways and railway lines in Chennai participated in cross-sectional research. A sound level meter was used to assess the ambient noise level. Data on demographics, noise discomfort, sleep disruption, and mental health problems were gathered using a questionnaire. The average noise level recorded in the study locations ranged from 86-96 dB. About 62% of participants reported high annoyance due to noise, and 57% reported sleep disturbance. Anxiety, irritability, headache and poor concentration were the most commonly reported mental health complaints. Noise sensitivity, noise annoyance and sleep disturbance showed significant positive associations with mental health issues. The study highlights high ambient noise levels and their impact on mental health status among the general population in Chennai. Stringent regulations on noise limits, noise mapping and interventions to reduce exposure are recommended to promote mental well-being.

Effective reduction and control of noise have continued to attract attention globally due to the adverse effects noise poses to human health, effective knowledge dissemination and desirable environmental tranquility. The use of natural and synthetic reinforced composites in noise pollution control is an emerging area of research. In this study, coal fly-ash in nanoparticles varied at 5 – 25 wt. % was employed as reinforcement in the fabrication of epoxy resin composites. The composites were characterised both for noise reduction capability and mechanical properties necessary for a damage-free handling during installation. Results showed that at 5 – 15 wt. % fly-ash nanoparticles addition, the composites demonstrated the following mechanical properties in terms of flexural strength, 43.7 MPa; impact energy, 4.8 J and hardness, 25.4 HV. Samples of the composites at 15 wt. % exhibited the highest noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of 0.8072. Contributions to these levels of performances...

Human health can be negatively impacted by exposure to loud noise, which can harm the auditory system. Traffic noise is the leading cause of noise pollution. This paper studies the problem of noise pollution on the roads in Baghdad, Iraq. Due to the increase in vehicle numbers and road network modifications in Baghdad, noise levels became a serious topic to be studied. The aim of the paper was thus to study traffic noise levels and the effect of the traffic stream on noise levels and to formulate a prediction model that identified the guidelines used for designing or developing future roads in the city. Then, the noise levels were measured based on five variables: the functional classification of roads, traffic flow, vehicle speed, distance from the carriageway, and skid number. An analysis of traffic noise prediction was conducted using a simple linear regression model to accurately predict the equivalent sound levels. Finally, the findings have shown that the formulated prediction model gives acceptable prediction noise levels since the R2 is 88.83%. The results showed that the noise levels measured were 23.1% and 48.8% higher than the allowable noise levels limited by Iraqi standards during the daytime and nighttime, respectively. Further, studying the alternatives used to improve the performance of the environment on the existing roads in Baghdad can be considered as a future research direction.

LIFE MONZA project (Methodologies fOr Noise low emission Zones introduction And management) aims at defining an easy-replicable method for the identification and management of theNoise Low Emission Zones(Noise LEZ), urban areas subject to traffic restrictions, usually introduced in order to ensure compliance with the air pollutants limit values, prescribed by the European Directive on ambient air quality 2008/50/EC, whose impacts and potential benefits regarding noise issues have been taken into account, tested and analysed in a pilot area of the city of Monza, located in North Italy. Noise LEZ has been established in Libertà district, introducing infrastructural interventions carried out by the municipality (top-down actions) and encouraging an active involvement of the citizens, in the definition of a more sustainable lifestyle (bottom-up actions). The analysis of potential effects on noise reduction due to the Noise LEZ can contribute to the implementation of the EU Directive 200...

Over the last decade the issue of underwater noise pollution has received increased attention from scientific bodies, the media, NGOs, and institutions at the national, supranational and international levels. This in turn, has led to the development of several regulatory initiatives that seek to mitigate the negative impact of this source of pollution. This article outlines and analyses existing legislation and management regimes that govern marine activities that generate noise. Best practices and specific mitigation measures are also addressed and assessed. Underwater noise pollution • Anthropogenic noise input • Underwater sound • Sonar • Pile driving • Whale watching • Seismic surveys • Air guns • Shipping • Off-shore constructions • Offshore infrastructures • Precautionary approach • Marine environment • Marine mammals • Marine life Management? In recent times, the issue of anthropogenic noise input to the marine environment, or "underwater noise", has received increased attention from scientific bodies (

The present study has been carried to assess Equivalent noise level (L eq ), Noise climate (NC), Traffic noise index (TNI) and Day Time Average Noise level from7.00 A.M. to 9.00 P.M (L d ) at eleven major crossings of Jammu City. The L eq and L d values at all the sites were observed to be above permissible limits prescribed by CPCB. The calculated values of L d at all the sites were observed to be statistically significant at 0.05 (5%) level of significance (p=0.000-0.004).

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance is a risk factor for somatic, psycho-social and spiritual dysfunction. It is also arguably the most deleterious effect of traffic noise pollution. Quantification of its burden is an anchor element of environmental policy making but no data are currently available for Bulgaria where the preponderance of dangerous nighttime noise exposure is highest in Europe. AIM: The aim of this study was to quantify the socio-economic burden of severe sleep disturbance due to traffic noise (road, aircraft and railway) in Bulgaria. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The official World Health Organization methodology used in Europe was applied in order to estimate this annual loss expressed as disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and their corresponding monetary value (assuming € 12 000 per DALY). RESULTS: Results showed that severe sleep disturbance due to all traffic sources was associated conservatively with 15 468 DALYs (8 839 - 22 097) and € 185 615 861 (€ 106 066 206 - € 265 ...

Background Noise pollution, unwanted or excessive sound, is one of the most common nuisances in industrial sectors. In the city of N’Djamena, Chad, workers in power plants are exposed to very high levels of noise, which could have deleterious effects on human health. The purpose of the study is to determine the level of noise pollution and its repercussions in a population of power plant workers. Results Ninety-two (11.5%) of the 800 workers were included. Their sex ratio was 88 men: 4 women with an outcome of 22. The age range was from 23 to 64 years with an average of 38.7 ± 9.0 years. Forty-seven (51.1%) of the employees had received occupational safety training. The average noise level in the machine rooms was 113.5 ± 4 dB(A). The average duration of exposure to noise was 10.8 ± 8.5 years. Personal protective equipment was worn regularly in 85.9% (n = 79). The consequences of noise pollution were auditory fatigue (38%; n = 35), tinnitus (32.6%; n = 30), hearing loss (15.2%; n = ...

The development and broad use of passive acoustic monitoring techniques have the potential to help assessing the large-scale influence of artificial noise on marine organisms and ecosystems. Deep-sea observatories have the potential to play a key role in understanding these recent acoustic changes. LIDO (Listening to the Deep Ocean Environment) is an international project that is allowing the real-time longterm monitoring of marine ambient noise as well as marine mammal sounds at cabled and standalone observatories. Here, we present the overall development of the project and the use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) techniques to provide the scientific community with real-time data at large spatial and temporal scales. Special attention is given to the extraction and identification of high frequency cetacean echolocation signals given the relevance of detecting target species, e.g. beaked whales, in mitigation processes, e.g. during military exercises.

Past research has shown that the effects of prolonged exposure to urban acoustic noise are both detrimental to mind and body. In recent years, studies have also indicated that the socially disadvantaged are more susceptible to environmental hazards such as noise pollution. This paper aims to fill a gap in literature through the evaluation of urban soundscapes by analysing the spatiotemporal patterns of acoustic events within selected New York City (NYC) neighbourhoods and comparing the datum to the socio-economic data of the urban environments. In this paper, the author aims to address this question, 'Does racial/ethnic composition of each neighbourhood influence how acoustic events are distributed, and in what way does this relate to the socio-economic status of each location?' This study focuses on seven neighbourhoods within the New York City metropolitan area, each location representing one of the seven levels of noise metadata found on NYC's 311 noise map. The ambient soundscape of each location was recorded for 30 minutes over four different time intervals across three days, comprising in a total of 45 hours of raw data. Acoustic events were extracted and annotated for saliency and classed according to soundscape components, which were then compared against the racial/ethnic demography of NYC. The findings in this study partially aligned with past research in which communities of lower socio-economic status with higher proportions of non-Caucasian communities were susceptible to higher levels of noise exposure. Additionally, this study also aligned with the hypothesis that high numbers of acoustic events negatively correlate to the socio-economic composition of neighbourhoods.

Transverse Rumble Strips (TRS) acts as safety device that alert inattentive drivers from potential dangers. However, the noise produced due to TRS was reported as noise annoyance among the nearby residents lived adjacent to roadways. Thus, this paper investigates the impulsivity characteristic of noise due to single lightweight vehicles transit on TRS. The objectives of this study are to determine the increase of sound level and to evaluate the impulsivity of noise. Two TRS profiles namely middle overlapped (MO) and middle layer overlapped (MLO) were selected. Three types of single lightweight vehicles which include hatchback, sedan and multipurpose (MPV) were tested at speed of 30, 50 and 70km/h. The sound level was measured using sound level meter (SLM). Noise indices such as LAeq, LAIeqT, LAImax, LAFmax and LASmax were obtained from the measurement. This study considered the differences of LAImax – LAFmax &gt; 2dBA, LAFmax – LAeq ≥ 10dBA, LAIeqT – LAeq ≥ 2dBA and LAImax – LASmax ...

Transverse rumble strips (TRS) are widely used by local authorities to reduce vehicle speed and to alert the driver of road conditions ahead. This study investigated the application and effects of installation of TRS on the roadway to the traffic noise climate condition. The evaluations were carried out through changes in noise levels and changes in traffic noise index (TNI) which indicate the dissatisfaction. The samplings were performed at a road installed with two types of TRS which has most noise complaints, located at a highway that passes through a rural area of South Malaysia. Results show that TRS increase the sound level indices L Aeq , L 10 , L 90 significantly and also increase the TNI values. All TNI values exceed the value intended for planning purposes. Therefore, engineers should compromise the environmental effects and the role of TRS as a tool in safety aspect.

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.