Residential exposure to road traffic noise in children population near major Lithuanian roads

Abstract

Exposure to traffic noise is considerable in agglomerations and has been associated with health effects for adults and children. Children are vulnerable to traffic noise, especially during sensitive stages of their development and researchers are investigating their health responses. More studies have investigated school or kindergarten exposure in agglomerations. Residential exposure to traffic noise is less investigated, though children spend more time at home than at school. Moreover, nighttime exposure is very important, because traffic noise at normal urban levels has been associated with sleep disturbance and its consequencies. Residential exposure to road traffic noise in children population is less investigated than exposure to the most annoying noise type - airport noise. There is a lack of investigations of road traffic noise outside agglomerations. The study is based on the results of strategic noise mapping near major Lithuanian roads (total length of the mapped network is 750 km). NMPB-Routes-96 method and the standard XPS 31-133 were used for road traffic noise (Lden, Lnight) calculation with the specialized computer programme IMMI. Precise traffic measurements data were used as input data. GIS was applied for the analysis of noise exposure and children population. Residential exposure to road traffic noise was analysed for the years 2006, 2011 and 2016. The zone of noise negative impact is expanding due to increasing traffic intensity and the maximum allowed speed in some sections. The noise zone of Lden > 65 dBA was 109,70 km2 in 2016 near major roads. And the estimated number of people (in hundreds) and their dwellings that were exposed to the values of Lden > 65 dBA in 4 m above the ground on the most exposed facade from major road sources were 36 hundreds and 1400, respectively. In average 17 percent of the inhabitants near major roads are 0-14 year old children [...]Aplinkotyros katedraGamtos mokslų fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta