The Assessment of Infrasound and Low Frequency Noise Impact on the Results of Learning in Primary School – Case Study
Abstract
The aim of the research was to determine the occurrence of possible, significant levels of infrasound and low frequency noise both in classrooms and around the primary school. Two sources of noise during research were significant: traffic on the national road and a wind farm, located near the school building. So far, few studies have been published regarding the impact of low-frequency, environmental noise from communication routes. The identification of hazards in a form of estimated noise levels resulted in preliminary information whether the location of the school near the road with significant traffic and the nearby wind farm can cause nuisance to children. There have been determined the criteria for assessing infrasound and low frequency noise. There have been made third octave band analyses of noise spectrum and the essential noise indicators were calculated. The results of learning in that school were thoroughly analysed for a long period of time and they were compared to the results obtained in other schools within a radius of 200 km situated near similar noise sources. Chosen assessment criteria show small exposure to low frequency noise. Measured infrasound noise levels are below hearing threshold.Keywords:
impact on environment, ease of learning factor, traffic noise, wind turbine, noise measurementsReferences
1. Bakar A.H.A., Alias A., Rahmat N.,(2013), Teaching and Learning: The impact of noise pollution from Light Rail Transit (LRT) near the school compound, Proceedings of International Academic Conference (IAC 2013), Malaysia.
2. Baliatsas C., van Kamp I., van Poll R., Yzermans J. (2016), Health effects from low-frequency noise and infrasound in the general population: Is it time to listen? A systematic review of observational studies, Science of The Total Environment, 557–558: 163–169, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.065
3. Boczar T., Malec T., Wotzka D. (2012), Studies on infrasound noise emitted by wind turbines of large power, Acta Physica Polonica A, 122(5): 850–853, https://doi.org/10.12693/APhysPolA.122.850
4. Bullmore A., Adcock J., Jiggins M., Cand M. (2009), Wind farm noise predictions and comparison with measurements, Proceedings of Third International Meeting on Wind Turbine Noise, Aalborg, Denmark.
5. Crichton F., Petrie K.J. (2015), Health complaints and wind turbines: The efficacy of explaining the nocebo response to reduce symptom reporting, Environmental Research, 140: 449–455, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2015.04.016
6. DIN 45680: 2013, Measurement and assessment of low-frequency noise immissions in the neighbourhood, Berlin, Deutches Institut für Normung.
7. Eze I.C. et al. (2018), Transportation noise exposure, noise annoyance and respiratory health in adults: A repeated-measures study, Environment International, 121: 741–750, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.10.006
8. Herrmann L. et al. (2016), Low-frequency noise incl. infrasound from wind turbines and other sources, Proceedings of Inter-Noise 2016, pp. 5786–5795, Hamburg, Germany.
9. Holmberg K., Landstrom U., Kjellberg A. (1997), Low frequency noise level variations and annoyance in working environments, Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control, 16(2): 81–88, https://doi.org/10.1177/026309239701600202
10. Hygiene norm HN 30:2016, Infrasound and low frequency sounds: Limit values for residential and public buildings, Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania.
11. Ingielewicz R., Zagubień A. (2014), Infrasound noise of natural sources in environment and infrasound noise of wind turbines, Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 23(4): 1323–1327.
12. ISO 226:2003 (2003), Acoustics – Normal equal-loudness level contours, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva.
13. ISO 7196:1995 (1995), Acoustics – Frequency weighting characteristic for infrasound measurements, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva.
14. Jacobsen J. (2001), Danish guidelines on environmental low frequency noise, infrasound and vibration, Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control, 20(3): 141–148, https://doi.org/10.1260/0263092011493091
15. Kaczmarska A., Łuczak A. (2008), Analysis of annoyance caused by infrasound and low-frequency noise during mental work, Archives of Acoustics, 33(3): 331–340.
16. Kjellberg A., Tesarz M., Holmberg K., Landström U. (1997), Evaluation of frequency-weighted sound level measurements for prediction of low-frequency noise annoyance, Environment International, 23: 519–527, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-4120%2897%2900054-8
17. Leventhall G. (2003), A review of published research on low frequency noise and its effects, DEFRA, London.
18. Leventhall G. (2007), What is infrasound?, Progress in Biophysics & Molecular Biology, 93(1–3): 130–137, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2006.07.006
19. Lundquist P. (2003), Classroom noise – Exposure and subjective response among pupils, Umeå University, Sweden.
20. Lundquist P., Holmberg K., Landström U. (2000), Low frequency noise and annoyance in classroom, Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control, 19(4): 175–182, https://doi.org/10.1260/0263092001493010
21. McCunney R.J., Mundt K.A., Colby W.D., Dobie R., Kaliski K., Blais M. (2014), Wind turbines and health: A critical review of the scientific literature, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56(11): e108–e130, https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000313
22. Moller H., Pedersen C.S. (2004), Hearing at low and infrasonic frequencies, Noise and Health, 6(23): 37–57.
23. Murphy E., King E.A., Rice H.J. (2009), Estimating human exposure to transport noise in central Dublin, Ireland, Environment International, 35(2): 298–302, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2008.07.026
24. Muzet A. (2007), Environmental noise, sleep and health, Sleep Medicine Reviews, 11: 135–42, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2006.09.001
25. Pawlaczyk-Łuszczyńska M., Dudarewicz A., Śliwińska-Kowalska M. (2007), Proposals of exposure criteria for the assessment of low frequency noise at workplaces in industrial control rooms and office-like areas, Archives of Acoustics, 32(2): 303–312.
26. Pawlaczyk-Łuszczyńska M., Szymczak W., Dudarewicz A., Śliwińska-Kowalska M. (2006), Proposed criteria for assessing low frequency noise annoyance in occupational settings, International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 19(3): 185–197.
27. Pawlas K., Pawlas N., Boroń M., Szłapa P., Zachara J. (2013), Infrasound and low frequency noise assessment at workplaces and environment – review of criteria, Environmental Medicine, 16(1): 82–89.
28. Pedersen E., van den Berg F., Bakker R., Bouma J. (2010), Can road traffic mask sound from wind turbines? Response to wind turbine sound at different levels of road traffic sound, Energy Policy, 38(5): 2520–2527, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.01.001
29. Pirrera S., de Valck E., Cluydts R. (2010), Nocturnal road traffic noise: a review on its assessment and consequences on sleep and health, Environment International, 36(5): 492–498, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2010.03.007
30. Roswall N. et al. (2017), Residential exposure to traffic noise and leisure-time sports – A population-based study, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 220(6): 1006–1013, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2017.05.010
31. Schultz Christensen J., Hjortebjerg D., Raaschou-Nielsen O., Ketzel M., Sørensen T.I.A., Sørensen M. (2016), Pregnancy and childhood exposure to residential traffic noise and overweight at 7 years of age, Environment International, 94: 170–176, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2016.05.016
32. Seetha P., Karuppiah K., Ismail M.Y., Sapuan S., Ismail N., Moli T. (2008), Effects to teaching environment of noise level in school classrooms, Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, 67(9): 659–664.
33. Shehap A.M., Shawky H.A., El-Basheer T.M. (2016), Study and assessment of low frequency noise in occupational settings, Archives of Acoustics, 41(1): 151–160, https://doi.org/10.1515/aoa-2016-0015
34. Shield B., Dockrell J. (2008), The effects of environmental and classroom noise on the academic attainments of primary school children, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 123: 133–144, https://doi.org/10.1121/1.2812596
35. Thiesse L. et al. (2018), Adverse impact of nocturnal transportation noise on glucose regulation in healthy young adults: Effect of different noise scenarios, Environment International, 121: 1011–1023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.05.036
36. Wszołek T., Kłaczyński M. (2014), Problems in measurements of noise indicators for wind turbines in Poland, Proceedings of Forum Acusticum, Cracow, Poland.
37. Wu S., Peng J., Bi Z. (2014), Chinese speech intelligibility in low frequency reverberation and noise in a simulated classroom, Acta Acustica united with Acustica, 100: 1067–1072, https://doi.org/10.3813/AAA.918786
38. Xie H., Kang J., Tompsett R. (2011), The impacts of environmental noise on the academic achievements of secondary school students in Greater London, Applied Acoustics, 72: 551–555, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2010.10.013
39. Zagubień A. (2016), Non-occupational exposure to low frequency noise – the analysis on the basis of chosen mean of transport [in Polish: Pozazawodowe narażenie na hałas niskoczęstotliwościowy – analiza na podstawie wybranego środka transportu], Rocznik Ochrona Srodowiska, 18: 626–641.
40. Zagubień A., Ingielewicz R. (2017), The analysis of similarity of calculation results and local measurements of wind farm noise, Measurement, 106: 211–220, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2017.03.041
41. Zagubień A., Wolniewicz K. (2016), Everyday exposure to occupational/non-occupational infrasound noise in our life, Archives of Acoustics, 41(4): 659–668, https://doi.org/10.1515/aoa-2016-0063
2. Baliatsas C., van Kamp I., van Poll R., Yzermans J. (2016), Health effects from low-frequency noise and infrasound in the general population: Is it time to listen? A systematic review of observational studies, Science of The Total Environment, 557–558: 163–169, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.065
3. Boczar T., Malec T., Wotzka D. (2012), Studies on infrasound noise emitted by wind turbines of large power, Acta Physica Polonica A, 122(5): 850–853, https://doi.org/10.12693/APhysPolA.122.850
4. Bullmore A., Adcock J., Jiggins M., Cand M. (2009), Wind farm noise predictions and comparison with measurements, Proceedings of Third International Meeting on Wind Turbine Noise, Aalborg, Denmark.
5. Crichton F., Petrie K.J. (2015), Health complaints and wind turbines: The efficacy of explaining the nocebo response to reduce symptom reporting, Environmental Research, 140: 449–455, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2015.04.016
6. DIN 45680: 2013, Measurement and assessment of low-frequency noise immissions in the neighbourhood, Berlin, Deutches Institut für Normung.
7. Eze I.C. et al. (2018), Transportation noise exposure, noise annoyance and respiratory health in adults: A repeated-measures study, Environment International, 121: 741–750, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.10.006
8. Herrmann L. et al. (2016), Low-frequency noise incl. infrasound from wind turbines and other sources, Proceedings of Inter-Noise 2016, pp. 5786–5795, Hamburg, Germany.
9. Holmberg K., Landstrom U., Kjellberg A. (1997), Low frequency noise level variations and annoyance in working environments, Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control, 16(2): 81–88, https://doi.org/10.1177/026309239701600202
10. Hygiene norm HN 30:2016, Infrasound and low frequency sounds: Limit values for residential and public buildings, Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania.
11. Ingielewicz R., Zagubień A. (2014), Infrasound noise of natural sources in environment and infrasound noise of wind turbines, Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 23(4): 1323–1327.
12. ISO 226:2003 (2003), Acoustics – Normal equal-loudness level contours, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva.
13. ISO 7196:1995 (1995), Acoustics – Frequency weighting characteristic for infrasound measurements, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva.
14. Jacobsen J. (2001), Danish guidelines on environmental low frequency noise, infrasound and vibration, Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control, 20(3): 141–148, https://doi.org/10.1260/0263092011493091
15. Kaczmarska A., Łuczak A. (2008), Analysis of annoyance caused by infrasound and low-frequency noise during mental work, Archives of Acoustics, 33(3): 331–340.
16. Kjellberg A., Tesarz M., Holmberg K., Landström U. (1997), Evaluation of frequency-weighted sound level measurements for prediction of low-frequency noise annoyance, Environment International, 23: 519–527, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-4120%2897%2900054-8
17. Leventhall G. (2003), A review of published research on low frequency noise and its effects, DEFRA, London.
18. Leventhall G. (2007), What is infrasound?, Progress in Biophysics & Molecular Biology, 93(1–3): 130–137, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2006.07.006
19. Lundquist P. (2003), Classroom noise – Exposure and subjective response among pupils, Umeå University, Sweden.
20. Lundquist P., Holmberg K., Landström U. (2000), Low frequency noise and annoyance in classroom, Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control, 19(4): 175–182, https://doi.org/10.1260/0263092001493010
21. McCunney R.J., Mundt K.A., Colby W.D., Dobie R., Kaliski K., Blais M. (2014), Wind turbines and health: A critical review of the scientific literature, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56(11): e108–e130, https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000313
22. Moller H., Pedersen C.S. (2004), Hearing at low and infrasonic frequencies, Noise and Health, 6(23): 37–57.
23. Murphy E., King E.A., Rice H.J. (2009), Estimating human exposure to transport noise in central Dublin, Ireland, Environment International, 35(2): 298–302, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2008.07.026
24. Muzet A. (2007), Environmental noise, sleep and health, Sleep Medicine Reviews, 11: 135–42, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2006.09.001
25. Pawlaczyk-Łuszczyńska M., Dudarewicz A., Śliwińska-Kowalska M. (2007), Proposals of exposure criteria for the assessment of low frequency noise at workplaces in industrial control rooms and office-like areas, Archives of Acoustics, 32(2): 303–312.
26. Pawlaczyk-Łuszczyńska M., Szymczak W., Dudarewicz A., Śliwińska-Kowalska M. (2006), Proposed criteria for assessing low frequency noise annoyance in occupational settings, International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 19(3): 185–197.
27. Pawlas K., Pawlas N., Boroń M., Szłapa P., Zachara J. (2013), Infrasound and low frequency noise assessment at workplaces and environment – review of criteria, Environmental Medicine, 16(1): 82–89.
28. Pedersen E., van den Berg F., Bakker R., Bouma J. (2010), Can road traffic mask sound from wind turbines? Response to wind turbine sound at different levels of road traffic sound, Energy Policy, 38(5): 2520–2527, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.01.001
29. Pirrera S., de Valck E., Cluydts R. (2010), Nocturnal road traffic noise: a review on its assessment and consequences on sleep and health, Environment International, 36(5): 492–498, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2010.03.007
30. Roswall N. et al. (2017), Residential exposure to traffic noise and leisure-time sports – A population-based study, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 220(6): 1006–1013, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2017.05.010
31. Schultz Christensen J., Hjortebjerg D., Raaschou-Nielsen O., Ketzel M., Sørensen T.I.A., Sørensen M. (2016), Pregnancy and childhood exposure to residential traffic noise and overweight at 7 years of age, Environment International, 94: 170–176, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2016.05.016
32. Seetha P., Karuppiah K., Ismail M.Y., Sapuan S., Ismail N., Moli T. (2008), Effects to teaching environment of noise level in school classrooms, Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, 67(9): 659–664.
33. Shehap A.M., Shawky H.A., El-Basheer T.M. (2016), Study and assessment of low frequency noise in occupational settings, Archives of Acoustics, 41(1): 151–160, https://doi.org/10.1515/aoa-2016-0015
34. Shield B., Dockrell J. (2008), The effects of environmental and classroom noise on the academic attainments of primary school children, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 123: 133–144, https://doi.org/10.1121/1.2812596
35. Thiesse L. et al. (2018), Adverse impact of nocturnal transportation noise on glucose regulation in healthy young adults: Effect of different noise scenarios, Environment International, 121: 1011–1023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.05.036
36. Wszołek T., Kłaczyński M. (2014), Problems in measurements of noise indicators for wind turbines in Poland, Proceedings of Forum Acusticum, Cracow, Poland.
37. Wu S., Peng J., Bi Z. (2014), Chinese speech intelligibility in low frequency reverberation and noise in a simulated classroom, Acta Acustica united with Acustica, 100: 1067–1072, https://doi.org/10.3813/AAA.918786
38. Xie H., Kang J., Tompsett R. (2011), The impacts of environmental noise on the academic achievements of secondary school students in Greater London, Applied Acoustics, 72: 551–555, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2010.10.013
39. Zagubień A. (2016), Non-occupational exposure to low frequency noise – the analysis on the basis of chosen mean of transport [in Polish: Pozazawodowe narażenie na hałas niskoczęstotliwościowy – analiza na podstawie wybranego środka transportu], Rocznik Ochrona Srodowiska, 18: 626–641.
40. Zagubień A., Ingielewicz R. (2017), The analysis of similarity of calculation results and local measurements of wind farm noise, Measurement, 106: 211–220, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2017.03.041
41. Zagubień A., Wolniewicz K. (2016), Everyday exposure to occupational/non-occupational infrasound noise in our life, Archives of Acoustics, 41(4): 659–668, https://doi.org/10.1515/aoa-2016-0063
