We all know about the harmful effects of noise on human health. The very definition of this concept has a negative meaning: it is a chaotic combination of sounds that differ in frequency and strength.

But most often, when we talk about this phenomenon, we still mean household noise - this is an unwanted sound or even several different sounds that disturb the silence and irritate, preventing you from doing business.

Impact of noise on performance

The harm caused by irritating sounds while doing business is difficult to overestimate. Noise affects the cerebral cortex, causing a person to be either overly excited or overly inhibited. Because of this, mental work sometimes becomes overwhelming, concentration falls, mistakes are constantly made in work, and fatigue sets in much faster and stronger than usual.

The effect of noise on the human body

Noise, whatever it is, will always have different effects on different people. It all depends on the individual sensitivity of people. Some are very susceptible, noises irritate them and make them want to leave the room, while others are able to continue going about their business, having become accustomed to such, albeit unpleasant, background. It depends on the internal parameters of perception. That is why the noise that a person himself makes may not be annoying, but what comes from outside can interfere. Of course, what kind of noise it is also plays an important role in this matter: if a neighbor’s child is constantly crying or the sound of a hammer drill is heard, this is most often perceived as the most disturbing.

The impact of household noise on a person may differ depending on what the person is doing. It’s one thing if noise interferes with reading a book, and quite another if you have to wake up at night due to extraneous noise. In addition, if you work in a stressful situation, or are generally prone to worry, or have bad habits, then any noise will be more annoying for you.

The effect of noise on a person is not only mental, but also physical. As explained above, these symptoms will manifest themselves to varying degrees for different people, however, they are all possible:

• the frequency of contractions of the heart muscle changes;
• blood pressure decreases or increases;
• blood flow to the brain decreases;

The effect of noise on the body will be strongest if it is permanent. Scientists conducted research and found that after 10 years of living in the city, there is an increase in the overall incidence of human disease. It is urban living conditions that are one of the causes of diseases such as hypertension or coronary heart disease, gastritis or stomach ulcers.

Effect of noise on hearing

It's no secret that loud music reproduced by equipment can reach 100 dBA. At concerts and nightclubs where electroacoustic speakers are installed, the sound can reach up to 115 dBA. Staying in such places for a long time is dangerous, as there is a risk of irreversible hearing loss. To prevent this from happening, you should either limit your stay in such places or use muffling headphones.

A little about noise sources

In any residential building, the source of noise is household appliances and all kinds of sound-reproducing equipment. However, the most disturbing noises usually come from the area of ​​renovation: drilling or knocking on walls, moving furniture. In addition, people themselves make noise: walking, talking, the stomping of children. This alone makes a city apartment quite noisy.

However, the noise coming from the street - and this is especially true for residents of the lower floors - is no less destructive. Cars, special equipment, railway tracks or a runway passing by - all this has an even more destructive effect than household noise.

Numerous studies over the past few decades have shown quite convincingly that noise causes changes not only in the organ of hearing, but also in many other organs and systems of the body. Clinical observations and experimental studies indicate that the central nervous system, cardiovascular system and many others are primarily affected. Noise has an irritating effect on a person, changes his behavior, interferes with speech intelligibility, contributes to a decrease in labor productivity and an increase in injuries.

Damage to the hearing system, as a rule, does not manifest itself in increasing deafness over the entire frequency range; it is expressed only in a decrease in sensitivity to certain frequencies or in a progressive decrease in hearing at higher frequencies, as noted by N. N. Grachev. Employers are legally liable for hearing damage in work environments, which is why some companies take audiograms when hiring new people who will be exposed to high levels of noise at work.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) in its document “Protecting workers from noise and vibration at work” confirms that “noise and vibration are two of the most important hazards in the workplace. Noise and vibration exceeding certain threshold values ​​harm the health and performance of people, ranging from mild mental and physical disorders to serious illnesses.” The document also points to the economic losses caused by equipment downtime due to illness or premature retirement due to excessive noise and vibration.

Noise is one of the most common environmental factors that can have an adverse impact on public health.

In the literature, data on the harmful effects of noise on the human body are studied in three main areas:

• 1) the effect of noise on the organ of hearing;
• 2) the impact of noise on the functions of individual organs and systems (cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, muscular systems, vestibular apparatus, metabolic processes, hematopoiesis, etc.);
• 3) the impact of noise on the body as a whole and, in particular, on higher nervous activity and autonomic reactivity.

Prolonged exposure to intense noise on a person's hearing leads to partial or complete loss of hearing. Depending on the duration and intensity of exposure, a greater or lesser decrease in the sensitivity of the hearing organs occurs, expressed as a temporary shift in the hearing threshold, which disappears after the end of exposure to noise, and with a long duration and/or intensity of noise, irreversible hearing loss (hearing loss) occurs, characterized by a permanent change hearing threshold. The degree of damage to the hearing organs depends on parameters such as the sound level, its duration, as well as the individual sensitivity of the person.

There are the following degrees of hearing loss: I degree (mild hearing loss) - hearing loss in the region of speech frequencies is 10-20 dB, at a frequency of 4000 Hz - 20-60 dB; II degree (moderate hearing loss) - hearing loss in the region of speech frequencies is 21-30 dB, at a frequency of 4000 Hz - 20-65 dB; III degree (significant hearing loss) - hearing loss in the region of speech frequencies is 31 dB or more, at a frequency of 4000 Hz - 20-78 dB.

The effect of noise on the human body is not limited to the effect on the organ of hearing. Through the fibers of the auditory nerves, noise irritation is transmitted to the central and autonomic nervous systems, and through them it affects the internal organs, leading to significant changes in the functional state of the body, affecting the mental state of the body, causing a feeling of anxiety and irritation. A person exposed to intense noise expends on average 10-20% more physical and mental effort to maintain the performance achieved at sound levels below 70 dB (A).

The impact of noise on the autonomic nervous system occurs even at low sound levels (from 40 dB (A)) and does not depend on the subjective perception of noise by a person. Of the autonomic reactions, the most pronounced is the disturbance of peripheral circulation due to the narrowing of the capillaries of the skin and mucous membranes, as well as an increase in blood pressure. For the autonomic nervous system, a clear correspondence has been established between noise and reaction; in the field of the psyche, such a correspondence is absent. It has been established that pronounced mental reactions appear starting from sound levels equal to 30 dB (A). Psychological effects increase with increasing noise frequency and level, and with decreasing noise bandwidth. At the same time, a person’s personal attitude towards this noise plays a decisive role in the mental assessment of the unpleasantness of noise.

A significant place in the study of the functional state of the nervous system was given to the recording of biopotentials of the cerebral cortex (electroencephalography) (N. M. Aspisov, I. Dimov, K. Kiryakov, I. Machev, A. M. Volkov, M. G. Babajanyan, E. I. Kostina, Ya. A. Altman, A. M. Volkov, L. E. Milkov, D. A. Ginzburg, M. N. Livanov, A. G. Kopylov, N. P. Bekhtereva, etc.). The impact of noise on the central nervous system causes an increase in the latent (hidden) period of the visual-motor reaction, leads to disruption of the mobility of nervous processes, changes in electroencephalophatic indicators, disrupts the bioelectric activity of the brain with the manifestation of general functional changes in the body (at a noise of 50-60 dB (A )), significantly changes the biopotentials of the brain, their dynamics, causes biochemical changes in the structures of the brain. With pulsed and irregular noise, the degree of negative impact of noise increases. Changes in the functional state of the central and autonomic systems occur much earlier and at lower noise levels. Table 2 shows the burdensomeness of sound properties in rank order according to the degree of impact. Burdensomeness is a central concept in studies that examine individuals' attitudes toward noise; it includes: distraction, disturbance of peace, feelings of irritation, discomfort, distress, frustration, resentment, insult.

Table 2. Burdensomeness of sound properties in rank order by degree of impact

	Characteristic
	A level background noise that is slightly overlapped by a louder noise can be considered an initial stage
	Noise with a high-frequency composition is more severe than noise with a predominantly low-frequency composition
	Tonal noise is more unpleasant than broadband noise
	Impulse noise is more harmful than ranks 1-3
	Noise operating with pulses in a slow sequence is more harmful than the same with a faster sequence (fade in with about a 1 second sequence in the middle)
	Irregular impulses are even more unpleasant (this is why train noise is perceived more pleasantly than street traffic noise)
	To the changing frequency of the tone and pulses, changes in amplitude are added
	Unexpected noise or explosions cause fear and most harmful effects are achieved

Numerous examples of the negative effects of sound can be found in various areas where noise intensity is low. Due to exposure to noise, the following autonomic reactions occur: the blood circulation process changes, which can be determined, for example, by a reduction in minute volume of blood and an increase in the resistance of the peripheral walls of blood vessels and a reduction in blood flow to the skin.

Dilation of the pupils leads to a decrease in visual acuity, and this is harmful during certain types of activities. Prolonged noise inhibits the activity of the salivary and gastric glands; acceleration of metabolism, changes in the electrical activity of the brain, increased muscle potential, disruption of the depth of sleep until awakening.

Exposure to noise also causes an increased secretion of the adrenal hormone - adrenaline, which, together with changes in a number of other indicators, represents a typical picture of a stress reaction. This autonomic response to noise exposure corresponds to a general activation of the body.

For a person, under certain circumstances, such activation is undesirable; it disturbs not only during sleep, but also represents for people who are overly busy at work and at home with the need to fulfill the high demands of modern society, additional stress, which, accumulating, can lead to pathological changes in the body or to an emotional outburst.

1 According to researchers, “noise pollution”, which is now characteristic of large cities, reduces the life expectancy of their residents by 10-12 years. The negative impact on a person from the noise of a metropolis is 36% more significant than from smoking tobacco, which shortens a person’s life by an average of 6-8 years.

Noise is random vibrations of various physical natures, characterized by the complexity of their temporal and spectral structure. From a physiological point of view, any unwanted sound (simple or complex) that interferes with the perception of useful sounds (human speech, signals, etc.), disrupts silence and has a harmful effect on a person, can be called noise.

The human body reacts differently to different levels of noise. Noise level 70-90 dB with prolonged exposure lead to diseases of the nervous system, and more 100 dB- to hearing loss, up to deafness.

Noise creates a significant load on the human nervous system, having a psychological impact on him. Noise can increase the levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine in the blood - even during sleep. The longer these hormones are present in the circulatory system, the more likely they are to lead to life-threatening physiological problems.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases can occur if a person is constantly exposed to loud noise at night 50 dB or higher - this is the noise produced by a street with light traffic. To cause insomnia, enough noise in 42 dB; to just become irritable - 35 dB(sound of whispering). Thousands of people in the UK and around the world are dying prematurely from heart problems caused by long-term exposure to noise levels, according to WHO.

Under the influence of noise from 85 - 90 dB hearing sensitivity at high frequencies decreases. A person complains of feeling unwell for a long time. Symptoms: headache, dizziness, nausea, excessive irritability. All this is the result of working in noisy conditions. Under the influence of strong noise, especially high-frequency noise, irreversible changes occur in the organ of hearing. At high noise levels, hearing sensitivity drops within 1 - 2 years, at medium levels it is detected much later, after 5 - 10 years, that is, hearing loss occurs slowly, the disease develops gradually. It is therefore especially important to take appropriate noise protection measures in advance. Today, almost everyone exposed to noise at work is at risk of becoming deaf.

Irkutsk is too noisy - today more than 1/3 of the city's population lives in the zone of acoustic discomfort. The urban noise of Irkutsk is determined mainly by traffic noise. Calculations of the level of transport noise in the city carried out by IGMU made it possible to identify vulnerable highway residential areas, where the noise level exceeds the permissible level by 6.5 dBA, and the noise in residential buildings by 4-13 dBA. The population living in highway areas notes a deterioration in health, headaches, sleep disturbances, and disturbances in the functions of the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract.

An effective way to solve the noise problem is to reduce its level at the source through changes in technology and machine design. Measures of this type include replacing noisy processes with silent ones, impact processes with non-impact ones, for example, replacing riveting with soldering, forging and stamping with pressure processing; replacement of metal in some parts with silent materials, use of vibration insulation, mufflers, damping, soundproofing casings, etc.

Noise protection involves the following activities.

1)Sound absorption. Sound absorption is the process of transferring part of the energy of a sound wave into thermal energy of the medium in which sound propagates. For sound absorption, porous (the pores must be open on the side of the sound incidence and connected to each other) and loose fibrous materials (felt, mineral wool, cork, etc.) are used.

Sound-absorbing materials or structures made from them are mounted on the enclosing structures of the room without an air gap or at some distance from them.

2) Soundproofing. Sound insulation refers to the process of reducing the level of noise penetrating through the fence into the room.

The main parameter for assessing the sound insulation of any structure is the Rw index. It shows by how many decibels the noise level is reduced when using a soundproof structure. To achieve a noise level that is comfortable for a person (no more than 30 dB), interior partitions must have an Rw index of at least 50 dB.

Bibliographic link

Shishelova T.I., Malygina Yu.S., Nguyen Xuan Dat INFLUENCE OF NOISE ON THE HUMAN BODY // Advances in modern natural science. – 2009. – No. 8. – P. 14-15;
URL: http://natural-sciences.ru/ru/article/view?id=14048 (access date: 03/02/2020). We bring to your attention magazines published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural Sciences" Anna Osnova

Today's lifestyle forces people to constantly live in noisy conditions. Working in factories and offices, living in crowded cities with the hum of constantly moving cars and people. Many people do not attach serious importance to this, and then wonder why fatigue sets in so quickly, attention wanders, performance decreases and insomnia plagues them. Everyone has heard about the negative impact of noise on the human body, but few know how unfavorable the consequences can be.

Noise refers to a chaotic system of sound waves of different strengths and amplitudes, randomly changing over time. For a comfortable existence, people need natural sounds: the rustling of leaves, the murmur of water, the singing of birds. This helps a person not to feel isolated from the world around him. However, the development of industry and the increase in the number of vehicles have led to an increase in noise levels in the domestic environment.

Impact of noise on human health

People constantly hear sounds: alarm clocks in the morning, traffic noise, telephones, televisions, household appliances. A person does not pay attention to most of them, but their impact does not pass without leaving a trace on the body. Today, the impact of noise on human health is being actively studied, as it has become a serious problem.

The researchers concluded that increased noise levels cause the following:

It is worth paying attention to the effect of noise pollution on human hearing. At an elevated level, hearing sensitivity deteriorates within a year and a half, at an average level - after 4-5 years. This happens slowly and imperceptibly. The first indicator is when a person, being in a company, ceases to distinguish voices and does not understand what causes the laughter of his colleagues. It happens that such diseases lead to social isolation, and sometimes cause the development of persecution mania. Workers in factories and industrial enterprises are susceptible to this, despite the fact that by law such places must take measures to limit noise pollution.

It is no less harmful to regularly spend time in nightclubs and discos; as a rule, such places have increased noise levels. With constant exposure to high-power sound, there is a high probability of hearing loss and disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system. Teenagers are most susceptible to the negative effects of noise and loud music on the body, since due to their age they are not aware of the possible consequences.

Noise Pollution: What Level is Safe?

Noise with a power of 20-30 dB is considered comfortable and harmless - a natural background sound. An increase in this indicator has an adverse effect on people's health. For example: the risk of heart disease is caused by a noise level of 50 dB or more - a street with not too much traffic. For a person to become irritable and even aggressive, a volume of 32 dB is enough - a whisper.

In this case, the individual characteristics of people should be taken into account. Some people are immediately irritated by the slightest quiet sound, while others can stay in noisy places for a long time without any problems. Despite this, it has been proven that living in an urban environment for more than 10 years increases the likelihood of cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases.

Noise level constantly audible to a person:

office work - 50 dB;
human speech - 45-65 dB, scream - 80 dB;
highway - 55-85 dB;
vacuum cleaner - 65-70 dB;
metro - 100 dB and so on.

It is worth noting that the “tipping point” of noise pollution is 80 dB; anything exceeding this figure causes serious harm to the human body. Today the noise level in cities greatly exceeds permissible standards. Although in developed countries there are serious sanctions for non-compliance with the rules of silence. In Russia, the same law has also been adopted: you cannot make noise from 22.00 to 06.00. However, this does not prevent some people from regularly organizing night discos at home.

In other states, such violators are dealt with more decisively. Thus, in Spain, the owner of a nightclub received a prison sentence for regularly disturbing the peace of his neighbors. The lawsuit was filed by residents of nearby buildings in which noise pollution exceeded 30 dB. In England, the owner of an amusement park was fined a large amount. A family living 100 meters from the establishment wrote a statement, claiming that the constant noise and screams had turned them...

The influence of noise on human performance

In addition to the harmful effects on the human body, the harmful effects of noise on performance have been proven. This issue has become most acute in recent decades. Therefore, standards have been developed for organizations for the level of noise pollution from equipment and devices, since working in such places implies a health hazard. Researchers studying this area concluded that increased background noise reduces performance by 15%, and, on the contrary, increases the incidence of illness by almost 40%. This makes you wonder what is better: creating comfortable, healthy working conditions or regularly paying sick leave.

Since noise affects the cerebral cortex, a person becomes too excited or inhibited. In both cases, this interferes with full-fledged work, distracts attention and causes rapid fatigue. The work becomes overwhelming and the quality of its performance decreases. However, it has been proven that not all sounds have the same effect on work ability. According to neurologists, being calm and quiet also promotes productivity.

How to protect yourself from the influence of noise and loud sounds?

Today, modern technologies make it possible to reduce the adverse effects of loud sound and noise on the human body. So, you can install soundproofing and double-glazed windows in your apartment - this will save you from noisy neighbors and a busy roadway. Earplugs are useful as a handy tool; you can sleep peacefully in them without being irritated by extraneous sounds. Noise-cancelling headphones will help you concentrate while working or by blocking extraneous noise.

At the same time, it is worth knowing that complete silence has no less depressing effect on a person: it causes anxiety, causes irritating thoughts, and sometimes becomes... Therefore, you should protect yourself from noise in moderation.

The main thing is to constantly monitor your well-being and try to listen to pleasant sounds more often: your favorite music, the crackling of a fire, the melody of the sea and rain. It is worth assessing the noise level around you and thinking about how to protect yourself from it. Let useful information and recommendations help you stay productive, healthy and healthy for as long as possible.

According to researchers,<шумовое загрязнение>, typical for large cities, reduces the life expectancy of their residents by 10-12 years. The negative impact on a person from the noise of a metropolis is 36% more significant than from smoking tobacco, which shortens life by an average of 6-8 years.

Noise is random vibrations of various physical natures, characterized by false temporal and spectral structure. From a physiological point of view, noise can be called any unwanted sound (simple or complex) that interferes with the perception of useful sounds (human speech, signals, etc.), disrupts silence and has a harmful effect on a person.

Exposure to noise

Noise has an adverse effect on the human body: it increases energy consumption with the same physical activity, significantly weakens attention, increases the number of errors during work, slows down the speed of mental reactions, as a result of which labor productivity decreases and the quality of work deteriorates. Noise makes it difficult for those working in factories or construction sites to react in a timely manner, which contributes to the occurrence of accidents.

Noise has a harmful effect on a person’s physical condition: it depresses the central nervous system; causes changes in breathing rate and heart rate; contributes to metabolic disorders, the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension; may lead to occupational diseases.

Research in recent years has established that under the influence of noise, changes occur in the human visual organ (the stability of clear vision and visual acuity decreases, sensitivity to various colors changes, etc.) and the vestibular apparatus; the functions of the gastrointestinal tract are disrupted; intracranial pressure increases; disturbances occur in the body's metabolic processes, etc.

Noise, especially intermittent and pulsed noise, impairs the accuracy of work operations and makes it difficult to receive and perceive information. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that activities such as tracking, information gathering, and thinking are most sensitive to noise.

Noise with a sound pressure level of 30 ... 35 dB is familiar to a person and does not bother him. An increase in sound pressure level to 40 ... 70 dB creates a significant load on the nervous system, causing a deterioration in well-being, a decrease in mental productivity, and with prolonged exposure can cause neurosis, peptic ulcers and hypertension.

Long-term exposure to noise above 75 dB can lead to severe hearing loss - hearing loss or occupational deafness. However, earlier disorders are observed in the nervous and cardiovascular systems and other internal organs.

Areas with sound levels above 85 dB must be marked with safety signs. Workers in these areas are required to carry personal hearing protection. Even short-term stay in areas with octave sound pressure levels above 135 dB in any octave band is prohibited.

Permissible noise levels for the population.

To protect people from the harmful effects of urban noise, it is necessary to regulate its intensity, spectral composition, duration of action and other parameters. During hygienic standardization, a noise level is set as acceptable, the influence of which for a long time does not cause changes in the entire complex of physiological indicators, reflecting the reactions of the body systems most sensitive to noise.

Hygienically acceptable noise levels for the population are based on fundamental physiological research to determine the effective and threshold noise levels. Currently, noise for urban development conditions is standardized in accordance with the Sanitary Standards for Permissible Noise in Residential and Public Buildings and on Residential Development Territories (No. 3077-84) and Building Codes II.12-77 “Protection from Noise.” Sanitary standards are mandatory for all ministries, departments and organizations designing, constructing and operating housing and public buildings, developing planning and development projects for cities, microdistricts, residential buildings, neighborhoods, communications, etc., as well as for organizations designing, manufacturing and operating vehicles, technological and engineering equipment of buildings and household appliances. These organizations are obliged to provide and implement the necessary measures to reduce noise to the levels established by the standards.

One of the areas in the fight against noise is the development of state standards for vehicles, engineering equipment, and household appliances, which are based on hygienic requirements to ensure acoustic comfort.

GOST 19358-85 “External and internal noise of vehicles. Permissible levels and measurement methods" establishes noise characteristics, methods of their measurement and permissible noise levels of cars (motorcycles) of all samples accepted for state, interdepartmental, departmental and periodic control tests. The main characteristic of external noise is the sound level, which should not exceed 85-92 dB for cars and buses, and 80-86 dB for motorcycles. For internal noise, the approximate values ​​of permissible sound pressure levels in octave frequency bands are given: sound levels for passenger cars are 80 dB, cabins or workplaces of drivers of trucks, buses - 85 dB, passenger rooms of buses - 75-80 dB.

Sanitary standards for permissible noise necessitate the development of technical, architectural, planning and administrative measures aimed at creating a noise regime that meets hygienic requirements, both in urban areas and in buildings for various purposes, and helps preserve the health and working capacity of the population.