Survey context and question wording affects self reported annoyance due to road traffic noise: a comparison between two cross-sectional studies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Surveys are a common way to measure annoyance due to road traffic noise, but the method has some draw-backs. Survey context, question wording and answer alternatives could affect participation and answers and could have implications when comparing studies and/or performing pooled analyses. The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in annoyance reporting due to road traffic noise in two types of surveys of which one was introduced broadly and the other with the clearly stated aim of investigating noise and health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data was collected from two surveys carried out in the municipality of Malmö, southern Sweden in 2007 and 2008 (n = 2612 and n = 3810). The first survey stated an aim of investigating residential environmental exposure, especially noise and health. The second survey was a broad public health survey stating a broader aim. The two surveys had comparable questions regarding noise annoyance, although one used a 5-point scale and the other a 4-point scale. We used geographic information systems (GIS) to assess the average road and railway noise (L_Aeq,24h) at the participants' residential address. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for annoyance in relation to noise exposure.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Annoyance at least once a week due to road traffic noise was significantly more prevalent in the survey investigating environment and health compared to the public health survey at levels > 45 dB(A), but not at lower exposure levels. However no differences in annoyance were found when comparing the extreme alternatives "never" and "every day". In the study investigating environment and health, "Noise sensitive" persons were more likely to readily respond to the survey and were more annoyed by road traffic noise compared to the other participants in that survey.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The differences in annoyance reporting between the two surveys were mainly due to different scales, suggesting that extreme alternatives are to prefer before dichotomization when comparing results between the two. Although some findings suggested that noise-sensitive individuals were more likely to respond to the survey investigating noise and health, we could not find convincing evidence that contextual differences affected either answers or participation.</p

Influence of Social and Behavioural Characteristics of Users on Their Evaluation of Subjective Loudness and Acoustic Comfort in Shopping Malls

A large-scale subjective survey was conducted in six shopping malls in Harbin City, China, to determine the influence of social and behavioural characteristics of users on their evaluation of subjective loudness and acoustic comfort. The analysis of social characteristics shows that evaluation of subjective loudness is influenced by income and occupation, with correlation coefficients or contingency coefficients of 0.10 to 0.40 (p<0.05 or p<0.01). Meanwhile, evaluation of acoustic comfort evaluation is influenced by income, education level, and occupation, with correlation coefficients or contingency coefficients of 0.10 to 0.60 (p<0.05 or p<0.01). The effect of gender and age on evaluation of subjective loudness and acoustic comfort is statistically insignificant. The effects of occupation are mainly caused by the differences in income and education level, in which the effects of income are greater than that of education level. In terms of behavioural characteristics, evaluation of subjective loudness is influenced by the reason for visit, frequency of visit, and length of stay, with correlation coefficients or contingency coefficients of 0.10 to 0.40 (p<0.05 or p<0.01). Evaluation of acoustic comfort is influenced by the reason for visit to the site, the frequency of visit, length of stay, and also season of visit, with correlation coefficients of 0.10 to 0.30 (p<0.05 or p<0.01). In particular, users who are waiting for someone show lower evaluation of acoustic comfort, whereas users who go to shopping malls more than once a month show higher evaluation of acoustic comfort. On the contrary, the influence of the period of visit and the accompanying persons are found insignificant

Towards a general framework for including noise impacts in LCA

Industrial Ecolog

International meta-analysis of stated preference studies of transportation noise nuisance

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11116-014-9527-4This paper reports the first meta-analysis and most extensive review of stated preference studies of transportation noise nuisance. The meta-analysis is based on a newly compiled data set of 258 values from 49 studies and 23 countries and spanning more than 40 years. Contrast this with the most extensive meta-analysis of the more conventional hedonic pricing approach which includes 53 noise valuations. Moreover, the sample compares favourably with the 444 observations from the very first meta-analysis of the value of travel time savings which is by far the most widely examined parameter in transport planning. A particularly significant finding of the study is that the intertemporal income elasticity is close to one, somewhat larger than the cross-sectional income elasticity typically obtained from individual studies. This demonstrates the importance of distinguishing the effects of 2 income variations that occur over time, which tend to drive policy, from variations across individuals at one point in time, and such findings are typical of those observed in other markets. Importantly, the values derived are transferable across countries and may be used to benchmark existing evidence and provide values in contexts where none exist. Other key results are that values for aircraft noise exceed those for other modes, whilst those exposed to higher noise levels and those who are highly annoyed also have higher values in line with expectations. A wide range of design effects were tested but few were significant and these included the consumer surplus measure, the representation of noise and the context

Permeation of supercritical CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e through dense polymeric membranes

\u3cp\u3eSupercritical carbon dioxide (scCO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e) is used in the food industry as a water-extracting drying agent. Once saturated with water, the scCO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e needs to be regenerated. A promising way of drying scCO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e is by using H\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO permeable membranes. Ideally, these membranes demonstrate low CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e permeability. Here, we investigated the CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e permeability of three types of dense membranes, Nafion, Natural Rubber and PDMS, of which the latter in more detail because of its ease of handling. The experimental conditions, temperature and pressure, resulting in minimum CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e permeability (=losses) were explored. Even though the absolute CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e permeability depends on the intrinsic membrane material properties, its trend with increasing feed pressure is defined by the (supercritical) behavior of CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e, notably its density as a function of temperature and pressure. The data points to transitions within the supercritical regime, from the gaseous-like supercritical state to the liquid-like supercritical state, graphically visualized by the Widom line for CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e density. Sorption measurements with PDMS membranes confirm this behavior that follows the diffusion-solution theory. In the gaseous state, the (normalized) permeability follows the (normalized) solubility, indicating a constant CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e diffusivity. With increasing pressure and when entering the liquid-like (supercritical) regime, the diffusivity drops, resulting in a (normalized) permeability that starts to lag behind the (normalized) solubility.\u3c/p\u3

Sex Differences in Subjective and Actigraphic Sleep Measures: A Population-Based Study of Elderly Persons

Study Objectives: To investigate and explain sex differences in subjective and actigraphic sleep parameters in community-dwelling elderly persons. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: The study was embedded in the Rotterdam Study, a population-based study. Participants: Nine hundred fifty-six participants aged 59 to 97 years. Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: Participants wore an actigraph and kept a sleep diary for an average of 6 consecutive nights. Subjective sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Unadjusted sex differences in sleep parameters were assessed with t tests. Women reported shorter total sleep time, a less favorable sleep-onset latency, lower sleep efficiency, and worse global sleep quality, as compared with men. When assessed with actigraphy, however, women were found to have longer and less-fragmented sleep than men. Sex differences in diary-reported sleep duration and other subjective sleep parameters were attenuated by adjustment for marital status, the use of sleep medication, and other covariates, but all sex differences remained significant in a multivariate-adjusted model. Sex differences in actigraphic sleep parameters were barely attenuated by multivariate adjustment, although the shorter actigraphically measured sleep duration in men was partly explained by their higher alcohol consumption. Some covariates (eg, sleep medication) had a different relationship with diary-reported or actigraphic total sleep time in men and women. Conclusions: If assessed by diary or interview, elderly women consistently reported shorter and poorer sleep than elderly men. In contrast, actigraphic sleep measures showed poorer sleep in men. These discrepancies are partly explained by determinants of sleep duration, such as sleep medication use and alcohol consumption

Accumulation of environmental risks to human health: geographical differences in the Netherlands

The question whether there are correlations between observed geographical differences in human health and risks due to several types of environmental contamination led to the project 'Accumulation of environmental risks'. The project aimed, firstly, at developing methods to illustrate these geographical differences and, secondly, at applying these methods. The methods are applied to map the risks due to possible severe accidents (external safety), radioactive substances and radiation, substances in air, and environmental noise. The investigation resulted in two reports. The main report contains a general description of the methods applied and the maps created. The accompanying background document (report no. 610127002) focuses on the details of the methods and on the data used. In spite of the complexity of the discussions on risk-related subjects, it appears that by applying the methods developed insight has been obtained into the geographical distribution and the proportions of risks. These methods are based on the risk concept which is implemented in the environmental policy in the Netherlands. The geographical distribution of risks differs greatly between external safety and noise on the one hand and radiation and substances on the other hand. The maps for external safety and noise show high risks on a local scale ; there are areas where risk for these two categories is equal to zero (areas without sources of danger or disturbing noise). Spatial coincidence of external safety risks rarely occurs. Especially for noise the areas of zero risk are smaller than those shown by the maps because the lack of information made a significant part of the risk incalculable. Spatial coincidence of environmental noise occurs mainly near junctions of transport lines and near (large) airports. The risks due to radiation and substances, on the contrary, cover large parts of the Netherlands, with local increases near large (industrial) sources. Peaks in risks on scales less than 500 or 100 m, e.g. near road traffic, are not visible on the maps.De aanleiding voor het project 'Cumulatie van milieurisico's' was de vraag of er relaties bestaan tussen geconstateerde geografische verschillen in gezondheid van mensen en geografische verschillen in risico's als gevolg van diverse typen milieuverontreinigingen. Het project beoogde eerst het ontwikkelen van methoden om deze geografische verschillen in risico's in kaart te brengen en vervolgens het toepassen van deze methoden. De methoden zijn toegepast voor de volgende agentia: mogelijke grote ongevallen (externe veiligheid), radioactieve stoffen en straling, luchtverontreinigende stoffen en geluid. Het onderzoek heeft geleid tot twee rapporten. Het hoofdrapport bevat een algemene beschrijving van de gevolgde methoden en de geproduceerde kaarten. Het bijbehorende achtergronddocument (rapportnr. 610127002) gaat nader in op de details van de gevolgde methoden en de gebruikte gegevens. Ondanks de complexiteit van de discussies rond de risico-problematiek is gebleken dat met de ontwikkelde methoden op basis van het risico-concept dat in het Nederlandse milieubeleid wordt gehanteerd, inzicht is verkregen in de geografische verdeling en de onderlinge verhoudingen van risico's. De geografische verdeling van de risico's verschilt sterk tussen enerzijds externe veiligheid en geluid en anderzijds straling en stoffen. De kaarten voor externe veiligheid en geluid tonen zeer lokaal hoge risico's; daarnaast zijn er gebieden waar het risico voor deze twee categorieen gelijk is aan nul, namelijk die gebieden waar zich geen gevaren- en/of geluidsbronnen bevinden. Vooral voor geluid is het werkelijke 'schone' gebied veel beperkter dan de hier opgenomen kaarten tonen, omdat bij gebrek aan informatie een significant deel van de belasting niet kon worden berekend. Ruimtelijk samenvallen van de externe-veiligheidsrisico's treedt nauwelijks op. Voor geluid treedt ruimtelijk samenvallen vooral op nabij knooppunten van transportwegen en nabij (grote) vliegvelden. De risico's als gevolg van straling en stoffen daarentegen strekken zich uit over grote delen van Nederland, met lokaal verhogingen rond grote (industriele) bronnen. Risicopieken op een schaal kleiner dan 500 of 100 m, bijvoorbeeld nabij wegverkeer, zijn niet zichtbaar op de kaarten