Assessment of noise pollution in and around a sensitive zone in North India and its non-auditory impacts.
Noise pollution in hospitals is recognized as a serious health hazard. Considering this, the current study aimed to map the noise pollution levels and to explore the self reported non-auditory effects of noise in a tertiary medical institute. The study was conducted in an 1800-bedded tertiary hospital where 27 sites (outdoor, indoor, road side and residential areas) were monitored for exposure to noise using Sound Level Meter for 24h. A detailed noise survey was also conducted around the sampling sites using a structured questionnaire to understand the opinion of the public regarding the impact of noise on their daily lives. The equivalent sound pressure level (Leq) was found higher than the permissible limits at all the sites both during daytime and night. The maximum equivalent sound pressure level (Lmax) during the day was observed higher (>80dB) at the emergency and around the main entrance of the hospital campus. Almost all the respondents (97%) regarded traffic as the major source of noise. About three-fourths (74%) reported irritation with loud noise whereas 40% of respondents reported headache due to noise. Less than one-third of respondents (29%) reported loss of sleep due to noise and 8% reported hypertension, which could be related to the disturbance caused due to noise. Noise levels in and around the hospital was well above the permissible standards. The recent Global Burden of Disease highlights the increasing risk of non communicable diseases. The non-auditory effects studied in the current work add to the risk factors associated with non communicable diseases. Hence, there is need to address the issue of noise pollution and associated health risks specially for vulnerable population.
School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh -160012, India. Electronic address: khaiwal@yahoo.com.
Ravindra
R
Khaiwal
Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India.
Tanbir
T
Singh
School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh -160012, India; International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, The Union South East Asia Office, New Delhi 110016, India.
Jaya Prasad
JP
Tripathy
Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India; Center for Public Health, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160025, India.
Suman
S
Mor
Department of Otolaryngology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India.
Sanjay
S
Munjal
Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar 751019, India.
Binod
B
Patro
Department of Otolaryngology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India.
Naresh
N
Panda
D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009624:Noise, Transportation / Q000009:adverse effects; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
Hospital; Hypertension and non-auditory impacts; Loss of sleep; Noise pollution