| Vol 31 No 1 | CONTENTS |
April 2003 |
Overview of Environmental Noise Policies in Australia
M. Burgess and W. Renew
Road Traffic Noise Exposure in Australian Capital Cities
A. L. Brown and R.B. Bullen
The Effects of Environmental Noise on Child Health and Learning A Review of International Research
M.M. Haines and S.A. Stansfield
Long-term Environmental Monitoring and Noise Source Identification
R.B. Bullen
ACOUSTICS FORUM: Australian Environmental Noise Issues
ACOUSTICS FORUM: The 'A' Frequency Weighting
K. Scannell
Book Reviews
New Members
New Products
Letters
Meeting Reports
Future Meetings
News
Diary
FASTS
Acoustics Australia Information
Australian Acoustical Society Information
Advertisers Index
Vol. 31, No. 1 pp 5-9 (2003)
Abstract: Across Australia, legislation for environmental noise is largely the
respon8ibiiity of each of the six States and two Territories. The Federal government
has the responsibility for national issues such as aircraft noise and also to
encourage harmonisation of the legislation and regulations among the States
and Territories. Even though there has been an Australian Standard(AS 1055)
on environmental noise for some decades, the assessment methods in this Standard
are not necessarily followed in each jurisdiction. In some cases the assessment
of the noise is on a different basis, such as comparison with background noise
level or with a zone noise standard. In other cases the differences are minor,
such as differences in the times for day and night. This paper will summarise
and discuss the implications of the differences in the legislation and regulations.
Vol. 31, No. 1 pp 11-16 (2003)
ABSTRACT: This paper reports the exposure of dwellings, in Australian mainland capital cities, to road traffic noise. The exposure of Australian dwellings has been reported previously, but the current study, based on a sample of 200 dwellings per city, provides estimates of exposure in each city. Estimates were based on rigorous sample selection and on predicted levels using measured traffic and geometric data. Some 8-20% of dwellings are exposed to L~41o,18h levels above 63dB, and 5-1 1% above 68 dB. The results suggest that efforts to date to ensure that Australian urban populations are not exposed to high levels of road traffic noise have had little success. An analysis of jurisdictional responsibility for the roadway sources confirms that management of this problem must be accepted by both local and State authorities.
Vol. 31, No. 1 pp 17-22 (2003)
Abstract: Impairments of early childhood development and education by environmental
pollutants such as noise, may have life long effects on achieving academic potential
and health. In this article the non-auditory health effects of noise on children
will be reviewed with a focus on current research evidence from international
studies. In studies examining the effects of chronic aircraft, rail and road
traffic noise on children there is consistent evidence that noise exposure adversely
affects child cognitive performance. Noise exposure has also been consistently
associated with noise annoyance ~impaired well-being. There is moderate evidence
that chronic noise exposure affects motivation, blood pressure and catecholamine
hormone secretion. There is equivocal evidence that chronic noise exposure affects
child mental health and sleep disturbance. Intervention studies should be a
research priority area, because they can provide an evidence base to inform
policies and measures to protect children from the adverse effects of noise.
In addition, future studies are required to provide a more precise insight into
the mechanisms that underlie child noise effects and the identification of vulnerable
subgroups.
Vol. 31, No. 1 pp 23-27 (2003)
Abstract: To control noise emission from any source, regulating bodies can adopt
one of two strategies - physical controls specifying equipment types, silencers,
barriers, etc. or performance-based controls specifying noise levels to be met
at sensitive locations. The performance-based approach is generally preferred
by both noise-makers (because it allows flexibility in designing noise controls)
and affected communities (because it guarantees a noise level outcome). A major
problem, however, is monitoring compliance confidently. The performance-based
strategy generally requires accurate detection of the noise level due to a particular
source, automatic monitoring of this level over a long period (often months
or years), and fast (preferably real-time) access to monitored data. Techniques
are becoming available to perform all these tasks, making performance-based
noise conditions practical for a much larger class of noise sources. This article
describes some recent developments in this field, and demonstrates the capabilities
of a large noise monitoring system with source-detection capabilities.
Vol. 31, No. 1 pp 28-30 (2003)
Vol. 31, No. 1 pp 31-32 (2003)