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This industrial symphony may just seem like background din, considering that an estimated 1 in 3 Americans is exposed to “excessive noise levels,” but it can have very real health consequences ...
Annoyance effects of noise are minimally affected by demographics, but fear of the noise source and sensitivity to noise both strongly affect the 'annoyance' of a noise. [42] Sound levels as low as 40 dB(A) can generate noise complaints [ 43 ] and the lower threshold for noise producing sleep disturbance is 45 dB(A) or lower.
[79] [80] This noise pollution significantly raises the low-frequency ambient noise levels above those caused by wind. [81] Animals such as whales that depend on sound for communication can be affected by this noise in various ways. Higher ambient noise levels also cause animals to vocalize more loudly, which is called the Lombard effect ...
Social activities may generate noise levels that consistently affect the health of populations residing in or occupying areas, both indoor and outdoor, near entertainment venues that feature amplified sounds and music that present significant challenges for effective noise mitigation strategies.
One study suggests that there is a higher correlation of noise irritation and bodily pain or discomfort in women. [25] Effects of excessive noise pollution include hearing impairment, speech intelligibility, sleep disturbance, physiological functions, mental illness, and performance.
Within this context, environmental noise is generally present in some form in all areas of human, animal, or environmental activity. The effects in humans of exposure to environmental noise may vary from emotional to physiological and psychological. [2] Noise at low levels is not necessarily harmful.
The most notable levels of TCS were found in wastewater (up to 26.2 μg concentration) and extremely high in biosolids found in sewage sludge (up to 35,000 μg concentration). [3] After this wastewater is treated, significant levels of up to 2.7 μg concentration of TCS are still found in water. [3]
Background noise is an important concept in setting noise levels. Background noises include environmental noises such as water waves , traffic noise , alarms , extraneous speech , bioacoustic noise from animals, and electrical noise from devices such as refrigerators , air conditioning , power supplies , and motors .