Picture Credit: johnalastair
Scientists have officially admitted that noise pollution is the third environmental factor for poor health effects.
Methods to combat noise pollution of the environment
The problem of noise pollution of the environment is most acutely posed in large cities of the world. In them every resident is forced to face hundreds of sources of noise every day – rail, air, road transport, public institutions – shops, clubs, etc.
A special place among these types of noise, is the noise emanating from numerous urban buildings.
The active development of construction technologies reduces the time and costs for the construction of civil and industrial facilities, which, as a rule, goes against the requirements of environmental safety. Today, the maximum noise levels in residential areas exceed the maximum permissible level by more than five times.
Administrative and organizational measures to combat noise pollution of the environment:
- Differentiation of roads and streets according to their purpose, composition and speed of traffic flows;
- Restriction of movement of cargo types of transport on interurban highways;
- Compilation of noise maps of cities;
- Carrying out of automobile routes intended for transit transport, for city boundaries;
- Timely repairs and maintenance of roads in proper condition;
- Strengthening the control of the technical condition of personal and public transport (technical inspections with checking the noise characteristics of vehicles).
Town-planning measures to combat noise pollution of the environment:
- Functional zoning (allocation of medical, recreational, residential areas) and separation of zones from noisy (communication) areas;
- Accommodation in the residential area of buildings with a reduced noise requirement. Use of terrain features. Laying roads in closed overpasses, in tunnels. Construction of bypass roads. Providing a system of garages and parking outside of residential areas.
- Reducing the number of intersections;
- Creation of soundproof structures (screens).
Picture Credit: bernswaelz
Engineering and technical measures to combat noise pollution of the environment:
The erection of houses with a special architectural structure, a spatial and voluminous solution that provides an orientation relative to the source of noise;
The construction of houses with balconies and windows, which have an increased sound insulation, equipped with special ventilation devices that drown out noise.
Many of these measures to combat noise pollution of the environment should be carried out by government agencies, since this requires multi-million dollar investments and a centralized approach.
The problem of noise pollution of the environment is also solved at the level of individual objects and companies.
Special acoustic screens are being built. The design of these noise shields is acoustic panels that absorb or reflect sound waves (vibrations), i.e. noise. They are mounted among themselves, installed step by step between the metal racks that are carriers, and form a noise-proof fence of the required length and height.
Soundproof structures are installed along railway lines, highways, industrial facilities (transformer substations, power plants) and protect residential, park, children’s and other territories adjacent to them from harmful noise effects.