Assessment of noise exposure and associated health

Authors: M F Yassin H Almutairi N Alhajeri F AlFadhli M S Al Rashidi T Shatti

Publish Date: 2016/06/20

Volume: 13, Issue: 8, Pages: 2011-2024

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Abstract

Noise exposure has become one of the most important factors in determining the quality of life in indoor environments This paper assesses and analyzes noise exposure levels at school and preschool classrooms with different indoor environments The sound level Aweighting equivalent steady sound level L Aeq dBA was measured using a CEL63× digital sound level meter The noise level measurements were performed inside two preschools at three classrooms an activity room classroom KG1 and classroom KG2 and three schools at different classrooms starting from grade 1 to grade 12 The logarithmic average noise levels L Aeq avg and the 8h average noise exposure level L EX 8h were estimated for each classroom Furthermore health risk issues associated with the exposure to high noise levels were investigated using a questionnaire and an interview with more than 250 teachers at the preschools and the schools Then the results were analyzed using different statistical tools and were compared with the World Health Organization Occupational Health and Safety and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health standards Also the results were compared with those from different countries worldwide The study results show that the 8h average noise exposure level exceeded the allowable limits in some schools which indicates that students and teachers can face a serious health effects from noise exposure The comparisons show that the values of noise levels in Kuwait are higher than those in different countries The maximum value of noise levels was found in secondary schools The health problems found during the survey are potentially associated with issues related to hearing voice headache and the physiological function of teachers

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