Road traffic noise impacts sleep continuity in suburban residents: Exposure-response quantification of noise-induced awakenings from vehicle pass-bys at night

Noise legislation in Austria does not provide an assessment of the cumulative effect of noise from different sources. The desire of citizens for a total noise assessment is getting stronger. Within the pilot project “Gesamtlärmbetrachtung” (Total Noise Investigation) Innsbruck, data from 1031 face-to-face interviews were correlated with exposure data from road, rail and air traffic noise. The interviews were selected in clusters according to the exposure combinations of these three sources. In addition to exposure-response relationships, it has also been found that the annoyance response to air and rail traffic noise is independent of the background noise from road traffic. The total noise annoyance response shows a cumulative effect in each source considered. From the source specific exposure-response relationships, a total noise assessment model based on the annoyance equivalents model was developed. This model is more suitable than the dominant source model and thus also considerable for legal application.

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Effects of Motorcycle Noise on Annoyance—A Cross-Sectional Study in the Alps

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17051580 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 1580

Author(s):

Christoph Lechner ◽

David Schnaiter ◽

Uwe Siebert ◽

Stephan Böse-O’Reilly

Keyword(s):

State Government ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Response Curves ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Exposure Response ◽

Background Exposure ◽

Noise Assessment

Motorcycle noise is an increasing noise problem, especially in Alpine valleys with winding roads and low environmental noise. The annoyance response to motorcycle engine noise is extraordinarily high in comparison to other traffic noise and cannot be explained by standard noise assessment curves. Therefore, the Tyrolean state government decided to initiate a multi-purpose study. Exposures were calculated based on sound-measurements taken across the entire district of Reutte in the western part of the State of Tyrol and a telephone survey (n = 545) was conducted with regional participants. The influence of demographic characteristics; sensitivity to noise; attitudes towards motorcycles and background noise on the annoyance was examined using bivariate analyses. In addition; exposure-response curves and their 95% confidence intervals with cut-off points of 60% and 72% for “highly annoyed” were created. The exposure annoyance response curves for motorcycle noise show a shift of more than 30 dB in annoyance reaction compared to other road traffic noise. The annoyance response to motorcycle noise in this Alpine region is concentrated on summer Sundays and Saturdays and is independent of the background exposure caused by other road traffic

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Pressure Leq and multiple noise sources: A comparison of exposure-response relationships for railway noise and road traffic noise

Journal of Sound and Vibration ◽

10.1016/0022-460x(83)90570-9 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 87 (2) ◽

pp. 327-330 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

I.H. Flindell

Keyword(s):

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Noise Sources ◽

Railway Noise ◽

Exposure Response

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Road traffic noise and annoyance: Exposure-response relationship and burden of disease calculations in Bulgaria

Scripta Scientifica Medica ◽

10.14748/ssm.v47i2.1153 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 22 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Angel Dzhambov ◽

Donka Dimitrova

Keyword(s):

Burden Of Disease ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Response Relationship ◽

Exposure Response

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Traffic noise inhibits cognitive performance in a songbird

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.2851 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 288 (1944) ◽

pp. 20202851

Author(s):

Alison Osbrink ◽

Megan A. Meatte ◽

Alan Tran ◽

Katri K. Herranen ◽

Lilliann Meek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Noise Pollution ◽

Anthropogenic Noise ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Cognitive Interference ◽

Noise Impacts

Noise pollution is commonly associated with human environments and mounting evidence indicates that noise has a variety of negative effects on wildlife. Noise has also been linked to cognitive impairment in humans and because many animals use cognitively intensive processes to overcome environmental challenges, noise pollution has the potential to interfere with cognitive function in animals living in urban areas or near roads. We experimentally examined how road traffic noise impacts avian cognitive performance by testing adult zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) on a battery of foraging tasks in the presence or absence of traffic noise playback. Here, we show that traffic noise reduces cognitive performance, including inhibitory control, motor learning, spatial memory and social learning, but not associative colour learning. This study demonstrates a novel mechanism through which anthropogenic noise can impact animals, namely through cognitive interference, and suggests that noise pollution may have previously unconsidered consequences for animals.

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Updated exposure-response relationship between road traffic noise and coronary heart diseases: A meta-analysis

Noise and Health ◽

10.4103/1463-1741.127847 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 16 (68) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 117

Author(s):

Wolfgang Babisch

Keyword(s):

Road Traffic ◽

Heart Diseases ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Response Relationship ◽

Coronary Heart Diseases ◽

Exposure Response

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Application of the noise annoyance equivalents model for aircraft, rail and road traffic noise to self-reported sleep disturbance

Acta Acustica ◽

10.1051/aacus/2021005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 12

Author(s):

Christoph Lechner ◽

David Schnaiter ◽

Stephan Bose-O’Reilly

Keyword(s):

Sleep Disturbance ◽

Sleep Disorders ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Assessment Model ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Exposure Response ◽

Life Years ◽

Noise Assessment

Sleep disturbances caused by noise exposure are the most relevant outcome measured in disability adjusted life years (DALYs). In analogy to the combined effects of noise from multiple sources on annoyance, these are also of interest for sleep disorders. The study “Overall Noise Assessment” Innsbruck examined data from 1031 personal interviews. Aircraft, rail and road noise were correlated. To choose participants combined exposures were clustered into small, medium and severely affected living situations. The effect of demographic features, noise sensitivity, access to a silent façade and other factors on self-reported sleep disturbances was investigated applying bivariate analyses. Exposure-response curves and their 95% confidence intervals with cut-off values of 72% for “highly disturbed sleep” were generated and the results were discussed in comparison to recently published curves. Using source-specific exposure-response relationships, an overall model for evaluating sleep disorders was developed based on the “annoyance equivalents model”. The “total sleep disturbance response” shows an accumulative outcome for each source measured. A protective effect of road traffic noise as background noise for air and railroad sources could not be proven. Both the “Total Sleep Disruption Assessment Model” and the “Dominant Source Model” have a Spearman-Rho of 0.3 and are therefore suitable for use in noise assessment.

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