Estimation of Health Risk Posed by Road Traffic Noise in Japan Based on the Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region

Noise can be defined as an undesirable sound that pollutes the environment. If noise is continuous and exceeds certain levels, negative effects on health can be observed. In recent years, the impact of environmental noise (road traffic noise, railway traffic noise, air traffic noise and industrial noise) on human health has come under increasingly intense scrutiny. Noise can cause a number of negative effects on health that directly or indirectly affect humans. The occurrence of some certain and harmful health effects drives the onset of others and may contribute to the development of various diseases. Health is not only a state of physical well-being, but also mental well-being. Mental health primarily depends on the quality of life, which can be affected by various environmental factors, such as noise. An important aspect of fighting noise is the most effective protection of the population by avoiding sources of noise and reducing it. This can be achieved by introducing new technical solutions and new technologies, including devices that generate less noise. Another important measure is educating the society and influencing the change of individual and collective behavior, which may contribute to reducing the harmful factor, which is noise in human life, and minimize the resulting negative effects on health.

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The Influence of Pavement Degradation on Population Exposure to Road Traffic Noise

Coatings ◽

10.3390/coatings9050298 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 298 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Elisabete Freitas ◽

Lígia Silva ◽

Cedric Vuye

Keyword(s):

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Population Exposure ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Road Noise ◽

Pavement Maintenance ◽

Road Pavement ◽

Single Vehicle ◽

The Impact

Road pavement develops distresses over time, which increase tyre/road noise. This work focuses on the impact of these distresses on environmental noise. To calculate the environmental noise, a method to transform Close ProXimity (CPX) measurement results into the required input for traffic noise models was defined and used. The tyre/road noise levels were determined by the CPX method for three types of pavement, with three types of distress, at three different speed levels. The study was carried out in the city center of Guimarães, a medium-sized Portuguese city. Using the NMPB model, 18 noise maps were produced for the passing of one single vehicle, taking into account two levels of distress (50% and 100%) for the pavement. The presence of distresses increased the noise, calculated at control points, by up to 7.1 dBA, and the percentage of the population exposed to levels over 45 dB was more than 11%. It was shown that pavement maintenance at early stages of distress development is, particularly for low-speed roads, very important to reduce environmental noise and population exposure. A comprehensive selection of the type of surface and speed control policies can mitigate the impact of a lack of maintenance.

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Sleep Disturbance and Noise Annoyance and Environmental Noise Exposure in Residents of Two Major Slovakian Cities

Civil and Environmental Engineering ◽

10.2478/cee-2021-0068 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

L. Argalasova ◽

T. Kimakova ◽

E. Panulinova ◽

A. Filova ◽

A. Pultznerova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sleep Disturbance ◽

Noise Exposure ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Noise Annoyance ◽

Exposure Category ◽

The Impact ◽

Lower Noise

Abstract The significant growth in traffic density in Slovakia, combined with the country’s economic change, has resulted in new environmental noise issues, particularly in road traffic noise. The objective of this study was to assess and evaluate the impact of environmental noise on the psychosocial well-being of young healthy individuals in the two main Slovak cities of Bratislava and Kosice. To assess noise annoyance, interference with activities, and sleep disturbance, the ICBEN (The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise) anonymous validated “Noise annoyance questionnaire” was applied; noise levels were objectified by direct measurements using a sound level analyzer with a frequency analysis module. Young individuals between the ages of 20 and 30 were interviewed in Bratislava (533 respondents, 155 males) and Kosice (355 respondents, 111 males). The majority of the respondents in both cities were exposed to medium levels of road traffic noise LAeq ≥ 60 dB. In Bratislava, 27.82 % of respondents resided in the higher noise exposure category LAeq ≥ 70 dB, while in Kosice, 39.9 % resided in the lower noise exposure category LAeq < 50 dB. Road traffic noise annoys respondents in the higher noise exposure category in Bratislava 63.51 %, and even in the lower noise exposure category in Kosice, it interferes with reading and mental work, sleep and falling asleep 46.51 %. The study has identified traffic noise as an environmental issue in large cities, emphasizing the need for vulnerable individuals to be protected, particularly at night.

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Evidence for Environmental Noise Effects on Health for the United Kingdom Policy Context: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Environmental Noise on Mental Health, Wellbeing, Quality of Life, Cancer, Dementia, Birth, Reproductive Outcomes, and Cognition

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17020393 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 393 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Charlotte Clark ◽

Clare Crumpler ◽

Hilary Notley

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Harmful Effect ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Noise Effects ◽

Quality Evidence

This systematic review commissioned by the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), considers how the evidence base for noise effects on health has changed following the recent reviews undertaken for the WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines. This systematic review assesses the quality of the evidence for environmental noise effects on mental health, wellbeing, and quality of life; birth and reproductive outcomes; and cognition for papers published since the WHO reviews (mid-2015 to March 2019), as well as for cancer and dementia (January 2014 to March 2019). Using the GRADE methodology (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) most evidence was rated as low quality as opposed to very low quality in the previous reviews. There is now low-quality evidence for a harmful effect of road traffic noise on medication use and interview measures of depression and anxiety and low quality evidence for a harmful effect of road traffic noise, aircraft noise, and railway noise on some cancer outcomes. Many other conclusions from the WHO evidence reviews remain unchanged. The conclusions remain limited by the low number of studies for many outcomes. The quantification of health effects for other noise sources including wind turbine, neighbour, industrial, and combined noise remains a research priority.

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Road Traffic Noise on the Santa Marta City Tourist Route

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11167196 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (16) ◽

pp. 7196

Author(s):

Dámaris A. Jiménez-Uribe ◽

Darwin Daniels ◽

Zoë L. Fleming ◽

Andrés M. Vélez-Pereira

Keyword(s):

Traffic Flow ◽

Noise Level ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Sampling Point ◽

Heavy Vehicles ◽

Noise Levels

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of vehicular traffic on the environmental noise levels of the Santa Marta City tourist route on the Colombian coast. An analysis of vehicle types and frequencies at various times of the day over nearly a year helped to track the main sources of environmental noise pollution. Five sampling points were selected, which were distributed over 12 km, with three classified as peripheral urban and two as suburban. The average traffic flow was 966 vehicles/h and was mainly composed of automobiles, with higher values in the peripheral urban area. The noise level was 103.3 dBA, with background and peak levels of 87.2 and 107.3 dBA, respectively. The noise level was higher during the day; however, there were no differences between weekdays and weekends. The results from the analysis of variance showed that the number of vehicles and the noise levels varied greatly according to the time of day and sampling point location. The peak and mean noise levels were correlated with the number of automobiles, buses and heavy vehicles. The mean noise levels were similar at all sample points despite the traffic flow varying, and the background noise was only correlated for automobiles (which varied much more than the heavy vehicles between day and night).

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High spatial resolution health risk assessment of road traffic noise on ischemic heart disease deaths for Melbourne, Australia in 2011

Environmental Epidemiology ◽

10.1097/01.ee9.0000607428.30107.53 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 151-152

Author(s):

Hanigan I ◽

Chaston T ◽

Hinze B ◽

Dennekamp M ◽

Jalaludin B ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Health Risk ◽

Ischemic Heart Disease ◽

Spatial Resolution ◽

Health Risk Assessment ◽

High Spatial Resolution ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Road Traffic Noise

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MODELLING URBAN NOISE IN CITYGML ADE: CASE OF THE NETHERLANDS

ISPRS Annals of Photogrammetry Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences ◽

10.5194/isprs-annals-iv-4-w5-73-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol IV-4/W5 ◽

pp. 73-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

K. Kumar ◽

H. Ledoux ◽

T. J. F. Commandeur ◽

J. E. Stoter

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Input Data ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Motor Vehicles ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Noise Levels ◽

Noise Mapping ◽

Urban Noise

Road traffic and industrial noise has become a major source of discomfort and annoyance among the residents in urban areas. More than 44&thinsp;% of the EU population is regularly exposed to road traffic noise levels over 55 dB, which is currently the maximum accepted value prescribed by the Environmental Noise Directive for road traffic noise. With continuously increasing population and number of motor vehicles and industries, it is very unlikely to hope for noise levels to diminish in the near future. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor urban noise, so as to make mitigation plans and to deal with its adverse effects. The 2002/49/EC Environmental Noise Directive aims to determine the exposure of an individual to environmental noise through noise mapping. One of the most important steps in noise mapping is the creation of input data for simulation. At present, it is done semi-automatically (and sometimes even manually) by different companies in different ways and is very time consuming and can lead to errors in the data. In this paper, we present our approach for automatically creating input data for noise simulations. Secondly, we focus on using 3D city models for presenting the results of simulation for the noise arising from road traffic and industrial activities in urban areas. We implemented a few noise modelling standards for industrial and road traffic noise in CityGML by extending the existing Noise ADE with new objects and attributes. This research is a steping stone in the direction of standardising the input and output data for noise studies and for reconstructing the 3D data accordingly.

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The “sound of silence” in Granada during the COVID-19 lockdown

Noise Mapping ◽

10.1515/noise-2021-0002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 16-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jerónimo Vida Manzano ◽

José Antonio Almagro Pastor ◽

Rafael García Quesada ◽

Francesco Aletta ◽

Tin Oberman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Activity ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Noise Levels ◽

Noise Sources ◽

Comparison Results ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

Abstract Exceptional circumstances in the city of Granada due to the COVID-19 lockdown have provided the opportunity to characterise the impact of humans on its urban acoustic climate. Traditional environmental noise management and urban sound planning usually take into account noise sources in the city, such as industrial activities or road traffic noise, in model estimations, as well as in empirical research. But trying to isolate human impact by itself, human activity including social activity, walking, talking or just going around the city, has always been a difficult or even impossible task. The COVID-19 lockdown measures have provided the opportunity to study urban climate as never before, affected just by natural or animal noise sources. Previous soundscape research at some iconic sites in the city of Granada carried out in 2019 before the lockdown and a special measuring campaign carried out at the same locations during the lockdown in 2020 offered valuable information on sound levels and local characteristics in order to carry out this comparison. Results show a great change in environmental noise levels that is interesting not only because of its magnitude, but also for its implications, especially at those sites where social human activity was an identifying characteristic. Natural or animal sounds became surprisingly evident at some study sites, especially where road traffic noise dramatically decreased, leading to significantly lower background noise levels. Important spectral changes are observed before and during the lockdown, suggesting a shift from anthropic to animal sources in the acoustic environment.

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Detection of Anomalous Noise Events for Real-Time Road-Traffic Noise Mapping: The Dynamap’s project case study

Noise Mapping ◽

10.1515/noise-2018-0006 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 71-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Francesc Alías ◽

Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès ◽

Ferran Orga ◽

Joan Claudi Socoró

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Low Cost ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Real Life ◽

Noise Pollution ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Noise Mapping

Abstract Environmental noise is increasing year after year, especially in urban and suburban areas. Besides annoyance, environmental noise also causes harmful health effects on people. The Environmental Noise Directive 2002/49/EC (END) is the main instrument of the European Union to identify and combat noise pollution, followed by the CNOSSOS-EU methodological framework. In compliance with the END legislation, the European Member States are required to publish noise maps and action plans every five years. The emergence of Wireless Acoustic Sensor Networks (WASNs) have changed the paradigm to address the END regulatory requirements, allowing the dynamic ubiquitous measurement of environmental noise pollution. Following the END, the LIFE DYNAMAP project aims to develop a WASN-based low-cost noise mapping system to monitor the acoustic impact of road infrastructures in real time. Those acoustic events unrelated to regular traffic noise should be removed from the equivalent noise level calculations to avoid biasing the noise map generation. This work describes the different approaches developed within the DYNAMAP project to implement an Anomalous Noise Event Detector on the low-cost sensors of the network, considering both synthetic and real-life acoustic data.Moreover, the paper reflects on several open challenges, discussing how to tackle them for the future deployment of WASN-based noise monitoring systems in real-life operating conditions.

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The contribution of LIFE+ NADIA project on the implementation of the European Directive on Environmental Noise

Noise Mapping ◽

10.1515/noise-2015-0002 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Samuele Schiavoni ◽

Francesco D’Alessandro ◽

Alessandro Conte

Keyword(s):

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Economic Feasibility ◽

Research Centre ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Action Plans ◽

Noise Abatement ◽

The Public ◽

Public Bodies

AbstractNADIA, acronym of Noise Abatement Demonstrative and Innovative Actions and information to the public, was a European Project funded as part of the announcement Life+ 2009 between October 2010 and June 2014. Five Italian partners were involved in the project: two provinces, (Genova, the coordinating beneficiary, and Savona), two municipalities (Vicenza and Prato), and a technical coordinator (CIRIAF/University of Perugia). All the public bodies were obliged to perform the actions required by the Environmental Noise Directive, i.e., noise mappings of major roads for the provinces and of the agglomerations for the municipalities and the consequent noise action plans. The four public bodies, with the support of the research centre, decided to go beyond the mandatory requirements of END in order to achieve the following main objectives: (i) to improve the methodologies for the realization of noisemappings and action plans, with a particular focus on road traffic noise; (ii) to increase the awareness of citizens and of potential stakeholders by focused communication and dissemination activities; (iii) to assess the technical and economic feasibility of best practices in tackling road traffic noise. The paper reports a summary of the activities performed by the partners during the project.

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