Consequences of traffic noise in residents of Karachi, Pakistan (original) (raw)
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The effect of traffic noise on the hearing level of people on Karachi streets
JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 2010
To study the effects of traffic noise on hearing ability of subjects prone to traffic noise exposure. A hospital based prospective study was performed comprising of 200 selected subjects significantly exposed to traffic noise. These included rickshaw drivers, traffic constables and shopkeepers in central business area. All subjects were questioned according to a Performa after which ENT examination was carried out followed by Pure Tone Audiometery. Hearing impairment showed correlation with the duration of job when analyzed by linear regression analysis with correlation coefficient r = 0.36 (p < 0.001), Hearing impairment was 33.81 + 0.42 dB according to the duration of job (in years). Subjects are perceptually exposed to potentially damaging sound pressure level in the metropolis of Karachi. It was observed that audiologically consistent noise induced hearing loss was found to be 0.42 dB per octave from 500Hz to 2000Hz per year of duration of job.
2020
Traffic noise has reached in an unacceptable level with the growing number of vehicles in urban areas. Exposure to traffic noise causes significant health and behavioral risks for the people who are vending or working along the roadside. This research explores the traffic noise levels at six selected intersections of Khulna City and identifies its effects on human health. So, noise level (in dB unit) was measured by Sound Meter, an android application which supports calibration to achieve actual reading. Using a cluster random sampling technique, a total of 120 respondents were surveyed through questionnaire together with collecting noise levels' data of different times at all selected intersections. Questionnaire of this study included issues related to demographics, health and exposure to noise. Then appropriate statistical analysis was carried out by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and R Studio. Among the six intersections, highest (111 dB) level of traffic noise was found in Dakbangla and lowest (51 dB) in Moilapota. In fact, noise levels at all the intersections are greater than expected level. Intersections with inadequate carriageway width to accommodate all traffic flow along with low level traffic management can be considered as one of the major causes of high traffic noise levels at the intersections. High noise levels have been found to be correlated with rising risk of noise related physical and mental health issues. Most of the people got affected by several health related problems simultaneously such as hearing impairment, communication problem, sleeping disturbance, cardiovascular and psychophysiological issues, mental health problems and performance related problems. Among them, some people were found with diabetes mellitus who were affected by traffic noise while working along the roadside of these intersections. It is also observed that age is moderately correlated with noise related health problems. Although the study didn't withstand effects of other factors on health related problems, but it has explored something on this aforementioned issuse that creates an enormous scopes for clinical research and upgrading relevant policy.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss Assessment of the Road-Noise Affected People of Dhaka City
Noise is a disturbance to the human environment that is escalating at such a high rate that it will become a major threat to the quality of human lives. In the past thirty years, noise in all areas especially in urban areas has been increasing rapidly. There are numerous effects on the human environment due to the increase in noise pollution. Our study area was Shahbag in Dhaka city. In this paper, the impact of traffic noise on hearing status has described in detail. Our focus group was hawker and shop keeper. Sound pressure level was measured continuously from 9.00am to 12.00pm and 3.00pm to 6.00pm and it was found that the sound pressure level was remained 75-80dB all over the day. We measured the noise pressure level by digital sound level meter (model no: ST-8850) and PTA test was performed by clinical audiometer (model no: AC33). In this paper several measures are proposed to reduce the noise level in this area. PTA test was performed on 29 people (shop keeper-15 and hawker-14) for assessing the status of hearing. We got 3 people (10.34%) whose hearing status decrease permanently for exposing such type of noise for long time. Among them 2 persons was hawker and 1 person was shop keeper. This study revealed the hearing stability of the road-noise affected people of Dhaka city on the basis of a time-distance-intensity complex phenomenon of noise.
Road Traffic Noise Pollution a Hazard
Bangladesh Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, 2008
A road traffic noise study was conducted in Lahore at 18 busy places of high traffic flow in peak working hours of the day. It has been found that the day time average noise level has crossed the permissible limit of 85dB(A) at 90% busy points in the city. The maximum average noise level recorded in Lahore was 104 dB(A). This high level attributed to vehicular traffic specially auto rickshaw with ineffective silencers (without filters) and frequent use of the pressure horns by buses, wagons and trucks etc. The findings of the survey provide enough baseline data for engineering controls and interim legislation against traffic noise pollution. Key words: Noise pollution, Traffics load , Community health, Lahore city Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 42(4), 435-440, 2007
Traffic Noise and its Risks on Human Health in India: A Systematic Review from 1990 To 2022
Ecology, Environment and Conservation
This literature reviews article based on the systematic study of research conducted during the most recent thirty years on traffic noise and its effect in Indian occupants. Studies on road traffic noise was only restricted to the metropolitan territories all through the country. The studies on the noise level have determined only on the monitoring, recording, analysis, modelling, and mapping to some level and related to themes. Negligible findings are found in the exposure-effect sense of physiological and sleep research areas. Nearly all of studies related to noise pollution have been uniquely connected with disturbance and behavioural surveys. In the Indian situation a very few studies associated to human physiology by traffic noise were found and study also outlook very less study are accessible related to traffic noise and its sever impacts on human health. This study review reveals that highway traffic noise is a main cause of aggravation in respondents. Traffic noise could lea...
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2020
Background: To assess the prevalence of health effects of noise exposure and the factors associated with it among people occupationally exposed to traffic noise in Mysuru city in Karnataka.Methods: A community based crossectional study was conducted for two months in Mysuru city in Karnataka. The sample size was calculated to be 280 and study participants were recruited from 70 selected locations in the city including all major traffic junctions with signal or traffic police control, covering all regions in the city. Four samples were assessed from each location by history taking and the ambient sound level was recorded from each location using a sound level meter. Data were entered in microsoft excel and analysed using SPSS version 22.Results: The prevalence of hearing loss among the study participants was 5.7% and 1.8% of people complained of tinnitus. Among the study participants, 8.9% had hypertension, 1.1% had cardiovascular disorders, 8.2% had sleeplessness, 6.4% had anxiety, ...
Noise pollution is an emerging global problem therefore, it is imperative to determine noise level especially in the urban environment and its implications on human health. The objectives of this study were i) to assess the urban noise pollution and traffic density of Chiniot and Jhang and ii) to determine non-auditory health effects of noise pollution on the residents of both cities. Noise pollution was examined from 181 locations (103 from Jhang and 78 from Chiniot) and categorized into hospitals, educational, religious and recreational, residential, industrial areas, and traffic intersections. Noise levels measurements were taken using integrated sound level meter. The urban noise data showed 82% of the sites in Jhang and 95% in Chiniot exceeded the noise limits set by NEQS-Pak and WHO. Moreover, higher intensity of noise pollution (≥ 100 dB) was recorded in Chiniot (17 sites) than in Jhang (1 site). Regression analysis showed relatively strong relationship of traffic density wit...
Frequency of Noise Induced Hearing Loss Among Traffic Wardens of Lahore
Journal of Islamabad Medical & Dental College
Background: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a major cause of disability throughout the world. It is the most common irreversible job-related hazard in the world with a higher burden in the developing regions of the world. Certain occupations are at high risk for NIHL. Traffic wardens could be considered highly vulnerable group as they are exposed to long hours of traffic noise. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of noise induced hearing loss among traffic wardens of Lahore city.Material and Methods: It was a cross-sectional, descriptive study, carried out from 1st December 2018 to 31st May 2019, in which 329 traffic wardens appointed in 34 beats/sectors of Lahore city were included. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire, followed by Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) of all the subjects.Results: A total of 329 traffic wardens were selected for this study. Mean age of the traffic wardens was 35.35 ± 1.21 years. NIHL was present in 174 (52.9%) traf...
Scientific reports, 2024
In the present study, an attempt has been made to assess the impact of vehicular noise upon the 3-wheeler tempo drivers and to know whether there is any relationship between hearing loss and cumulative noise exposure. For this purpose, 3-wheeler tempo drivers (Exposed group) and noncommercial light motor vehicle car drivers (Unexposed group) were chosen as study subjects. Three traffic routes were selected to assess the noise level during waiting and running time in the exposed and unexposed groups. Among all three routes, the highest mean noise level (L eq) was observed on the Chowk to Dubagga route for waiting and en-route noise measurement. It was measured as 84.13 dB(A) and 86.36 dB(A) for waiting and en-route periods of 7.68 ± 3.46 and 31.05 ± 6.6 min, respectively. Cumulative noise exposure was found to be significantly different (p < 0.001) in all age groups of exposed and unexposed drivers. Audiometric tests have been performed over both exposed and unexposed groups. The regression analysis has been done keeping hearing loss among tempo drivers as the dependent variable and age (years) and Energy (Pa 2 Hrs) as the independent variable using three different criteria of hearing loss definitions, i.e., World Health Organization, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration criteria. Among these three criteria, the NIOSH criterion of hearing loss best explained the independent variables. It could explain the total variation in dependent variable by independent variable quite well, i.e., 68.1%. The finding showed a linear relationship between cumulative noise exposures (Pa 2 Hrs) and the exposed group's hearing loss (dB), i.e., hearing loss increases with increasing noise dose. Based on the findings, two model equations were developed to identify the safe and unsafe noise levels with exposure time.