Exposure to environmental noise in day care centers
Keywords:
Acoustic wave interference, Human engineering, Noise abatement, Personnel, Child careAbstract
Noise exposure for children and workers in day care centers is an important issue. Children and childcare workers are not only exposed to noise inside day care centers, but can also be exposed to high noise levels on a regular basis during outside play. Environmental noise measurements occurred at various locations outside a day care center located just a few meters from a busy freeway. Equivalent noise levels (LAeq) measured before the outside play period ranged from 62 to 66 dB(A), while they reached levels greater than 70 dB(A) more than 50% of the time children were out playing. Significant differences (7 to 11 dB) were noted between noise levels measured in the absence of children at this day care center and those recorded at a second day care center not located in the vicinity of a freeway. The recorded noise levels are all higher than the World Health Organization's recommendations regarding the effects of noise most likely to be felt at the day care center: noise interference, sleep disturbance and annoyance. Traffic noise is not only a nuisance during outside play but also for indoor activities, especially when the windows facing the major noise source (the freeway) are opened. Noise reduction solutions that could be applied to the day care center are proposed. This study shows the importance of carefully planning the construction of day care centers since the implementation of corrective measures for reducing noise levels can be somewhat difficult and costly once the day care center has already been established.Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Author Licensing Addendum
This Licensing Addendum ("Addendum") is entered into between the undersigned Author(s) and Canadian Acoustics journal published by the Canadian Acoustical Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Publisher"). The Author(s) and the Publisher agree as follows:
-
Retained Rights: The Author(s) retain(s) the following rights:
- The right to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display the Work on the Author's personal website or the website of the Author's institution.
- The right to use the Work in the Author's teaching activities and presentations.
- The right to include the Work in a compilation for the Author's personal use, not for sale.
-
Grant of License: The Author(s) grant(s) to the Publisher a worldwide exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and display the Work in Canadian Acoustics and any other formats and media deemed appropriate by the Publisher.
-
Attribution: The Publisher agrees to include proper attribution to the Author(s) in all publications and reproductions of the Work.
-
No Conflict: This Addendum is intended to be in harmony with, and not in conflict with, the terms and conditions of the original agreement entered into between the Author(s) and the Publisher.
-
Copyright Clause: Copyright on articles is held by the Author(s). The corresponding Author has the right to grant on behalf of all Authors and does grant on behalf of all Authors, a worldwide exclusive license to the Publisher and its licensees in perpetuity, in all forms, formats, and media (whether known now or created in the future), including but not limited to the rights to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, store, translate, create adaptations, reprints, include within collections, and create summaries, extracts, and/or abstracts of the Contribution.