Ecology of noise. Environmental noise
Lesson Objectives
1. General education
Strengthening the ecological orientation of biological knowledge; informing students about noise pollution environment and its impact on humans.
The acquisition by students of knowledge of an ethical, humanitarian nature, which form the basis of the worldview.
Teaching students to independently acquire knowledge in a group form of organization cognitive activities.
Mastering by students of the basics of the methodology of scientific knowledge.
2. Developing
Development of cognitive interest.
Development logical thinking (analysis, comparison, generalization, definition and explanation of concepts).
Versatile personality development: training memory, observation, stimulation of cognitive interest, creativity, problem analysis skills and ways to solve them.
Development of skills in the application of biological knowledge in practice.
3. Educational tasks
Education of environmental literacy, a sense of collectivism, the formation and development of the moral qualities of schoolchildren.
Teaching methods
Partial search (performing independent research, business game).
Verbal (heuristic conversation with elements of independent work).
Visual-figurative (tables, illustrations, listening to recordings of noise, excerpts from literary works).
Lesson type:assimilation of new material.
Forms of organizing cognitive activity: individual and group.
Equipment:audio tape recorder, audio cassette with recording of E. Grieg's work "Morning", with noises of natural and anthropogenic origin; information sheets for individual student work; tables, posters and pictures on the topic of the lesson; mechanical watch and ruler.
In the previous lesson, two pupils were given the task to conduct a survey of ninth grade students to find out their attitude to natural noise (question: "What feelings do natural noise make you feel?"). Before the start of the lesson, the class is divided into four groups; on each student's desk there is an information sheet, a mechanical clock and a ruler.
DURING THE CLASSES
1. Introductory speech of the teacher
Quiet music sounds. The teacher reads excerpts from poems about the Earth - the planet of animals, plants and people, a planet of which man is an integral part and the main enemy.
We are small children of one big nature,
We share with her luck and adversity,
We have the same destiny.My planet is a human home
But how can she live under a smoky hood,
Where the gutter is the ocean
Where is all nature caught in a trap?
Where there is no place for a stork or a lion.
Where the grasses moan: "I can't take it anymore!"
(Conversation with students about the relevance of the problem of environmental protection.)
What are these passages about?
The problem of environmental pollution is too complex and multifaceted to try to study it in the classroom. Therefore, we will confine ourselves to a small part of it and get acquainted with one of the types of environmental pollutants. But with what, try to determine by listening to an excerpt from the story of B. Vasiliev "Do not shoot white swans." ( Listening to an excerpt against the background of music by E. Grieg. Student responses.)
In funds mass media noise usually receives little attention and is not considered by many to be an air pollutant. But is it really so? We will find out in today's lesson. ( Statement of the tasks of the lesson. Students propose lesson objectives, and the teacher posts the appropriate banners.)
1. Study noise as one of the environmental pollutants.
2. To reveal the effect of noise on the human body.
3. Establish a link between environmental protection and health protection.
Let our motto today be the words of the writer B. Vasiliev: "I need to figure it out myself, but to figure it out myself, I have to think together."
The motto is written on the chalkboard. The teacher explains the rules for working with the information sheet. The information sheet is pasted into a workbook, on it students write the topic of the lesson, the basic concepts of the topic, fill out the table, write down their homework.
2. Learning new material
Types of noise and their effect on human senses
In the course of a frontal conversation with students, on the basis of their previous knowledge from a physics course, the concept of noise as a random mixture of sounds of different heights (frequencies) is concretized, and a classification of noises (natural and anthropogenic) is given. When listening to noises and during a frontal conversation, the effect of noise on the human body (on mental processes) is revealed.
In the course of work, the columns of the table of the working page of the information sheet are filled in.
INFORMATION SHEET
Lesson topic. Effect of noise on the human body
New term: ___________________________
The field of ecology at the junction of bioacoustics and human ecology, which deals with natural and man-made sounds that affect the psyche and human healthand the state and sustainability of ecosystems.
The teacher summarizes the data obtained and brings the class to the conclusion that, in general, the effect of natural noise on the human body is favorable.
What sounds do you think make up the background noise in a modern city?
An audio recording of city noise is heard, the following issues are discussed:
- did you like this noise symphony;
- how do you explain your attitude to these noises;
- what noise in the recording is more and why?
The teacher leads the class to the conclusion that noises act on a person in different ways: their effect depends on the origin of the noise, the volume level, the person's age and state of health, and the surrounding conditions.
The noise loudness level depends on the source and is measured in relative units - decibels: 1 dB \u003d 10 lg (P1 / P2), where the decimal logarithm sign is the ratio of the acoustic power of the noise. Noise can range in volume from 0 dB (the quietest audible sound) to over 160 dB. Sounds with a volume of more than 120 dB, i.e. one trillion times louder than the quietest audible sounds are painful. The perception of sound also depends on the pitch. The greatest harm to the hearing organs is caused (and causes the greatest stress) by loud high-frequency sounds. The table shows the typical or maximum loudness of noise from various sources.
Students use the chart posted on the board to answer the following questions:
- why whispering and leafing through newspapers are harmless to humans;
- how would you rate the noise level during the school day (lessons and breaks) in terms of impact on the body;
- what conclusions can be drawn based on the data in the table?
Table. Sound volume levels from different sources
Changes in the hearing aid due to loud noises
I suggest you answer the question: "Which organ reacts to excessive noise first of all?"
According to statistics, today 20 out of 150 million Russians suffer from hearing loss. A group of scientists surveyed young people who often listen to loud modern music. In 20% of boys and girls who were excessively fond of rock music, hearing was reduced in the same way as in 85-year-olds.
In groups, a test is carried out to determine the acuity of hearing (task from the information sheet). The teacher preliminarily identifies, as a result of a survey, those who like to listen to loud music with headphones, calm music, who like silence, and their hearing acuity is determined.
Determination of hearing acuity
Hearing acuityIs the minimum sound volume that can be perceived by the test subject's ear.
Equipment:mechanical watch, ruler.
Operating procedure
1. Bring the watch closer to you until you hear a sound. Measure the distance from your ear to your watch in centimeters.
2. Place the watch firmly on your ear and move it away from you until the sound disappears. Determine the distance to the clock again.
3. If the data matches, it will be approximately the correct distance.
4. If the data do not coincide, then to estimate the distance of hearing it is necessary to take the arithmetic mean of two measurements.
Assessment of test results
A normal hearing will be one in which the ticking of a medium-sized wristwatch is heard at a distance of 10-15 cm.
The numbers are written on the board, analyzed, after which the students answer the question: "What changes occur in the hearing aid under the influence of loud sounds?"
Using the table "Hearing analyzer", students talk about the conversion of sound signals into electrical ones, indicate the changes that occur in the hearing aid during prolonged exposure to loud sounds:
- with constant stretching of the tympanic membrane, its elasticity decreases, therefore, a high volume of sound is required for it to begin to vibrate, i.e. the sensitivity of the auditory analyzer decreases;
- the auditory receptors are damaged.
Effect of noise on the human body
But is it only the hearing organs that suffer from noise?
Students are encouraged to find out by reviewing the following statements made by prominent scientists about noise.
1. Noise causes premature aging. In thirty cases out of a hundred, noise shortens the life expectancy of people in large cities for 8-12 years.
2. Every third woman and every fourth man suffer from neuroses caused by increased level noise.
3. A sufficiently strong noise within 1 min can cause changes in the electrical activity of the brain, which becomes similar to the electrical activity of the brain in patients with epilepsy.
4. Diseases such as gastritis, stomach and intestinal ulcers are most common in people living and working in noisy environments. Pop musicians have stomach ulcers - an occupational disease.
5. Noise depresses the nervous system, especially with repetitive action.
6. Under the influence of noise, there is a persistent decrease in the frequency and depth of breathing. Sometimes there is arrhythmia of the heart, hypertension.
7. Under the influence of noise, carbohydrate, fat, protein, salt metabolism changes, which manifests itself in a change in the biochemical composition of the blood (the level of sugar in the blood decreases).
Brief conclusion from the discussion: from excessive noise (above 80 dB), not only hearing organs suffer, but also other organs and systems (circulatory, digestive, nervous, etc.), vital processes are disrupted, energy metabolism begins to prevail over plastic, which leads to premature aging of the body.
Discussion of sociological survey data
Two female students in your class conducted a survey in the form of a sociological survey to identify the effect of long-term noise on the mental processes of ninth grade students. I give them the floor.
The first student presents survey data, from which it follows that long-term noise leads to complaints of rapid fatigue, weakening of memory, decreased attention, loss of working capacity, increased irritability, sleep disturbance, and general weakness. The story is accompanied by a demonstration of a colorful pie chart, where all data is presented as a percentage.
According to the second student, the effects of noise can gradually lead to mental illness. As an illustration, a "ladder" is hung on the board, folded into an accordion, which gradually unfolds in the course of the story.
Measures to protect a person from noise exposure
So noise is harmful. “Noise is a slow killer,” American experts say. But is it possible to reduce its impact on living organisms, including humans? What can each of us do?
Work in groups (organizational activity game) - development of projects to protect a person from noise exposure at different social levels.
Group I. I am a philistine (memo to the philistine).
Group II. I am the mayor of the city.
III group. I am an architect.
IV group. I am the director of a large plant.
Groups draw up projects on Whatman paper, hang them on the board and defend.
3. Conclusion
More than once in our lessons we will talk and think about the consequences of human activity for nature and ourselves. I would like to hope that today's conversation did not pass without leaving a trace for you. We have hardly touched on the problem of the impact of noise on the environment, and this problem is as complex and multifaceted as the problem we discussed of the impact of noise on humans. Only by protecting nature from the harmful consequences of our activities can we save ourselves.
If we are destined to breathe the air alone,
Let us all unite forever,
Let's keep our souls
Then we on Earth will survive ourselves.
N.Starshinov
What conclusions have you made for yourself after today's conversation? ( Students' answers are heard.)
4. Checking the assimilation of new material by means of introspection
In the lesson, we thought together, but at the same time each worked individually. And now you have to evaluate your activities in the lesson.
The teacher explains how to complete the student self-assessment sheet, then turns on the audio recording of the sounds of nature, and the students evaluate their work.
STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENT SHEET
The sound from a jet plane creates a noise intensity exceeding that of a crowd of 50 million people, writes the famous French ecologist Philippe Saint-Marc. Noise has become a side effect of scientific and technological progress. It interferes with work and rest, lowers productivity, and negatively affects the central nervous system. The symphony of city noise is made up of many factors: the rattle and banging of vehicles, the sound of construction machinery, the noise of machinery in factories, and even micro-engineering in the household. But road transport is the main source of noise in cities; it accounts for up to 80% of all types of pollution.
Due to mechanical vibrations of particles of various physical nature. From a physiological point of view, low, medium and high sounds are distinguished. Oscillations cover a huge frequency range: from 1 to 16 Hz - inaudible sounds (infrasound); from 16 to 20 thousand Hz - audible sounds and over 20 thousand Hz - ultrasound. The area of \u200b\u200bperceived sounds, that is, the border of the greatest sensitivity of the human ear, is between the threshold of sensitivity and the threshold of pain and is 130 dB. The sound pressure in this case is so great that it is perceived not as sound, but as pain.
The unit for measuring the intensity of sound is bel (b) and decibel (db), equal to 0.1 bel, but they give a relative value, which is the logarithmic ratio of two of the same name physical quantities with a logarithmic base equal to 10. For a person, noise becomes dangerous as soon as the sound crosses the border of 80 dB (in modern cities vehicles cause noise exceeding 100 dB).
Physiologically, it has been established that the amplification of sound depends not only on its strength, but also on its frequency. It has been experimentally found that sounds of the same strength, but of different frequencies, are perceived as sounds of different strengths. Therefore, a new physiological value was introduced - the unit of sound loudness - background. Background and decibel are equal when the sound is at 1000 hertz.
By intensity, noise is distinguished: first degree - from 30 to 65 backgrounds, second degree - from 65 to 90 backgrounds, third degree - from 90 to 110 backgrounds, fourth degree - from 110 to 130 backgrounds.
In terms of frequency, noise is also divided into four groups: very low frequency - from 40 to 63 Hz, low frequency - from 80 to 125 Hz, medium frequency - from 160 to 500 Hz, high frequency - from 6030 to 10,000 Hz.
Noise has become a pathological phenomenon in large cities. Professor F. Saint-Marc writes that, depending on the strength and frequency, the noise causes a headache, buzzing in the ears, insomnia, increased heart rate, serious brain, nervous and cardiac disorders.
Functional changes in the body under the influence of noise were recorded: increased blood pressure, dysfunction of the thyroid gland and adrenal cortex, changes in the activity of the brain and central nervous system. So, according to data published in the UK, because of noise, every fourth man and third woman suffer from nervous diseases. One in five patients in psychiatric hospitals in France is a victim of noise, and mental and physical developmental delays are recorded in the noisy neighborhoods of New York. According to French sources, before 1971, 341 people committed suicide as a result of nervous depression caused by loud music and noise in general, the intensity of which in Paris reached last years monstrous strength.
Martens were exposed to noise above 102 db, and within 10 weeks they received an increase in blood cholesterol levels, a developed form of atherosclerosis in comparison with animals that ate the same way as they did, but were not exposed to noise. Experts say that noise has a negative effect even on the embryo.
People react to noise in different ways. It often depends on age, temperament, health, living conditions and other reasons. With the same noise intensity, people over the age of 70 wake up in 72% of cases, and children 7-8 years old - only in 1%. Children wake up from a noise of 50 dB, and teenagers - 30 dB. According to data from the US Federal Council of Science and Technology, about 16 million workers suffer from industrial noise, which causes significant damage to American industry, reaching $ 4 billion a year.
The main source of noise in cities is cars. Recently, designers have been looking for effective types of mufflers that would neutralize the noise generated by moving vehicles. In cities, the noise effect can be reduced by widening the carriageway; when the streets are expanded by 20-40 m, the street noise is reduced by 4-6 dB. An important role is played by the very construction of the tracks, and the organization of transport, and the area of \u200b\u200bgreen spaces. Soviet experts consider it expedient to create a green belt 10-50 m wide (depending on the width of the street) from perennial plantations between the roadway and the sidewalk. Trees should be hardwood and have a dense crown. It has been proven that green spaces reduce the level of street noise by 8-10 dB. Residential buildings should be "moved" from the sidewalks by 15-20 m, and the area around them must be greened. The orientation of the premises inside the apartments is very important: the dining room and the bedroom should be located in the quietest part of the apartment. A number of studies have shown the dependence of health status on street noise. For example, the Belgrade-Zagreb highway, built without taking into account the environmental situation, along which residential buildings are located, worsens the environmental situation in these cities.
In many cities of the country, all or only part of the highways are transferred underground, thereby saving hundreds of hectares free landand people get rid of the noise. The proposal to build a Belgrade underground railway station was extremely timely.
An interesting find by a group of Romanian engineers, who, in order to reduce noise, created a design of windows with double glazing, while the inner glass is several times thicker than the outer one. With such glazing, the noise intensity is halved. It is clear that in order to create acoustic comfort, coordination is required in the development of architectural, transport and other projects.
The problem of environmental pollution is too complex and multifaceted to try to study it quickly.
Noise is usually given little attention in the media and is not considered by many to be an air pollutant. But actually it is not? Until now, a huge part of people are not aware of the danger of noise pollution. This is due to the fact that the problems of noise pollution of the urban environment have been recognized at the scientific level relatively recently and have become urgent only in recent decades. We have not chosen the solution by chance. Currently, the problem of health is very acute, the rapid pace of life leads not only to the growth of cities, urban agglomerations and megalopolises, industry, but also, in connection with the following, to the deterioration of the environment, disruption of the geographical human environment, and, as a rule, worsens health. population
Study noise as one of the environmental pollutants;
Reveal the effect of noise on the human body;
Identify measures to protect a person from noise exposure
1. Types of noises and their effect on human senses.
What is noise? Based on previously acquired knowledge from the physics course, students can give
Noise is a random mixture of sounds of different heights (frequencies). Measurement unit 1 dB \u003d 10 Lg.
Man has always lived in a world of sounds and noise. Such mechanical vibrations are called sound. external environment, which are perceived by the human hearing aid (from 16 to 20,000 vibrations per second). Oscillations of a higher frequency are called ultrasound, a lower one - infrasound. Noise - Loud sounds blended into a discordant sound.
Noise level is measured in units expressing the degree of sound pressure - decibels. This pressure is not perceived indefinitely. A noise level of 20-30 decibels (dB) is practically harmless to humans, it is a natural background noise. As for loud sounds, here the permissible limit is approximately 80 decibels. A sound of 130 decibels already causes a painful sensation in a person, and 150 becomes unbearable for him.
For all living organisms, including humans, sound is one of the effects of the environment.
In nature, loud sounds are rare, the noise is relatively weak and short-lived. The combination of sound stimuli gives animals and humans time to assess their nature and form a response. Sounds and noises of high power affect the hearing aid, nerve centers, and can cause pain and shock. This is how noise pollution works.
The level of industrial noise is very high. In many jobs and noisy industries, it reaches 90-100 decibels or more. It is not much quieter in our house, where new sources of noise appear - the so-called household appliances.
Thus, there are two types of noise:
1. Noises of natural origin.
2. Noises of anthropogenic origin.
2. Changes in the hearing aid caused by loud noises
Which organ is the first to react to excessive noise? Of course, this is an organ of hearing.
The quiet rustle of foliage, the murmur of a stream, bird voices, a light splash of water and the sound of the surf are always pleasant to a person. They calm him down, relieve stress. It is used in medical institutions, in psychological relief rooms. But the natural sounds of the voices of nature are becoming more rare, disappear altogether or are drowned out by industrial, traffic and other noises.
Prolonged noise adversely affects the hearing organ, reducing the sensitivity to sound. It leads to a breakdown in the activity of the heart, liver, exhaustion and overstrain of nerve cells. Weakened cells of the nervous system cannot coordinate the work of various body systems clearly enough. Hence, there are violations of their activities.
For a long time, the effect of noise on the human body has not been specially studied, although already in ancient times they knew about its harm.
Currently, scientists in many countries of the world are conducting various studies in order to find out the effect of noise on human health. Their studies have shown that noise causes significant harm to human health, but absolute silence also scares and depresses him. Also, scientists have found that sounds of a certain strength stimulate the thinking process, especially the counting process.
Each person perceives noise differently. Much depends on age, temperament, health status, environmental conditions.
Some people lose hearing even after short exposure to noise of relatively low intensity.
Constant exposure to high noise can not only negatively affect hearing, but also cause other harmful effects - ringing in the ears, dizziness, headache, increased fatigue.
Noise has an accumulative effect, that is, acoustic stimuli, accumulating in the body, depress the nervous system more and more. Therefore, before hearing loss from exposure to noise, a functional disorder of the central nervous system occurs. Noise has a particularly harmful effect on the neuropsychological activity of the body.
Noise is insidious, its harmful effect on the body is carried out invisibly, imperceptibly. Violations in the body are not immediately detected. In addition, the human body is practically defenseless against noise.
Table. Sound volume levels from different sources
Sound Source Level (dB)
Calm breathing is not perceived
Rustle of Leaves in Calm Weather 17
Leafing through newspapers 20
Normal House Noise 40
Surf on the shore 40
Medium conversation 50
Loud Talk 70
Working vacuum cleaner 80
Metro train 80
Rock Music Concert 100
Thunderclap 110
Jet engine 110
Shot from a gun 120
Pain threshold 120
Practical part
1. Determination of hearing acuity in students
Hearing acuity is the minimum volume of a sound that can be perceived by the subject's ear.
In order to determine the hearing acuity of the students, we took a mechanical watch and a ruler.
Equipment:
Mechanical Watch Ruler
Operating procedure:
1. Bring the watch closer to you until you hear a sound. Measure the distance from your ear to your watch in centimeters.
2. Place the watch firmly on your ear and move it away from you until the sound disappears. Determine the distance to the clock again
3. If the data matches, it will be approximately the correct distance.
4. If the data do not match, then to estimate the hearing distance, you need to take the arithmetic mean of two measurements.
The experiment involved (50 students) of them:
1. lovers of listening to loud music with headphones;
2. calm music;
3. lovers of silence
Assessment of test results:
1. lovers of listening to loud music with headphones - 8-9 cm;
2. calm music - 12-13cm;
3.Fans of silence - 15-16 cm.
■ With constant stretching of the tympanic membrane, its elasticity decreases, so a high volume of sound is required for it to begin to vibrate, that is, the sensitivity of the auditory analyzer decreases;
■ The auditory receptors are damaged.
Sociological survey to identify the effect of noise on the mental processes of 8th grade students
How does noise affect you?
■ Fast fatigability;
■ Weakening of memory;
■ Decreased attention;
■ Loss of performance;
■ Sleep disturbance;
■ General weakness
Effects of noise on teachers
(20 people)
How does noise affect you?
■ Annoyance;
■ Decreased functional performance;
■ Difficulties in the family;
■ Loss of performance;
■ Increased irritability;
■ Loss of sleep;
Conclusions: long-term noise leads to rapid fatigue, weakening of memory, decreased attention, loss of performance, increased irritability, sleep disturbance, general weakness. Exposure to noise can gradually lead to mental illness.
Effects of noise leading to mental illness
Noise action
Difficulties in understanding
Diffusion of attention
Weak focus
Loss of sleep
Irritability
Decreased functional performance
Dissatisfaction
Family difficulties
Mental illness
Conclusion
Measures to protect a person from noise exposure.
So noise is harmful. “Noise is a slow killer,” American experts say. But is it possible to reduce its impact on living organisms, including humans? What can each of us do?
Like all other types of anthropogenic impacts, the problem of noise pollution is of an international nature. The World Health Organization, given the global nature of environmental noise pollution, has developed a long-term program to reduce noise in cities and settlements the world.
In Russia, protection against noise exposure is regulated by the Law Russian Federation "On environmental protection" (2002) (Art. 55), as well as government decrees on measures to reduce noise at industrial enterprises, in cities and other settlements.
Protection from noise exposure is a very complex problem and a set of measures is required to solve it: legislative, technical and technological, urban planning, architectural and planning, organizational, etc. To protect the population from the harmful effects of noise, regulatory and legislative acts regulate its intensity, duration and other parameters. The State Standard established uniform sanitary and hygienic norms and rules for limiting noise at enterprises, in cities and other settlements. The norms are based on such levels of noise exposure, the action of which does not cause adverse changes in the human body for a long time, namely: 40 dB during the day and 30 at night. The admissible levels of traffic noise are set in the range of 84-92 dB and will decrease over time.
Technical and technological measures are reduced to noise protection, which is understood as complex technical measures to reduce noise in production (installation of sound-insulating casings of machine tools, sound absorption, etc.), in transport (exhaust mufflers, replacement of shoe brakes with disc brakes, noise-absorbing asphalt, etc.).
At the urban planning level, noise protection can be achieved by the following measures:
Zoning with the removal of noise sources outside the building;
Organization of a transport network, excluding the passage of noisy highways through residential areas;
Removal of noise sources and the establishment of protective zones around and along the sources of noise exposure and the organization of green spaces;
Laying of highways in tunnels, construction of noise-barrier embankments and other noise-absorbing obstacles along the paths of noise propagation (screens, excavations, forging);
Architectural and planning measures provide for the creation of soundproof buildings, that is, buildings that provide the premises with a normal acoustic regime using structural, engineering and other measures (sealing windows, double doors with a vestibule, wall cladding with sound-absorbing materials, etc.).
A certain contribution to the protection of the environment from noise impact is made by the prohibition of sound signals of vehicles, aerial flights over the city, restriction (or prohibition) of take-offs and landings of aircraft at night and other organizational measures.
However, these measures are unlikely to give the desired environmental effect if the main thing is not understood: protection from noise exposure is not only a technical problem, but also a social one. It is necessary to educate sound culture and deliberately avoid actions that would contribute to an increase in noise pollution of the environment.
Noise pollution- this is one of the most pressing problems of the ecology of modern megalopolises. Every year the noise level in big cities is growing inexorably. First of all, this is due to the increase in the number of vehicles. It is no secret that the impact of noise on human health is very strong. Today, over 60% of people living in megalopolises are exposed to excessive sound, infrasound and ultrasonic influences on a daily basis. Noise at night is especially harmful. Noise pollution can lead to the development of many diseases.
To protect the population from noise, WHO proposes to introduce a number of measures. Among them:
a ban on the implementation of repair and construction work from 23.00 to 7.00;
a ban on the increased volume of televisions, music centers, radios and other sound-reproducing and sound-amplifying devices (This rule applies not only to private dwellings, but also to cars and open public institutions located near residential buildings).
Most of all, noise protection is needed for hospitals, hospitals, dispensaries, sanatoriums, rest homes, boarding houses, boarding schools for children, homes for the elderly and disabled, for hotels, hostels, as well as preschool, school and other educational institutions.
Noise standards.In 2010, the WHO Regional Office for Europe issued a Guide to Nighttime Noise in Europe. This document provides the latest information on the health effects of noise (particularly night noise) and recommendations for noise levels. A group of researchers, consisting of 35 scientists: doctors, acoustics and members of the European Commission, found that at present at least one in five Europeans suffers from an increased influence of noise at night.
According to the standards approved by the WHO, the norms for noise at night are no more than 40 decibels. This noise level is usually observed in residential areas in quiet areas. At the slightest excess of this noise standard, residents may experience minor health problems: for example, insomnia.
The noise level on a busy city street is usually over 55 decibels. If a person stays in conditions of such a strong noise pollution for a long time, it is possible that his blood pressure will rise, cardiac activity will be disrupted. Unfortunately, the WHO commission found that one in five Europeans is exposed to noise of more than 55 decibels every day.
Effect of noise.Living or staying for a long time in conditions of increased noise pollution is almost guaranteed to lead to problems with hearing and sleep. It is known that nervous system the sleeping person continues to respond to sounds. As a result, high levels of noise (especially at night) can over time provoke mental disorders. The first symptoms of the negative effect of noise on the psyche are irritability and sleep disturbance.
Noise pollution can not only cause a person to develop some kind of disease, but even provoke premature death. For example, the noise of an airplane at night always leads to surges in blood pressure, and it is unlikely that the human heart will be able to adapt to such extreme conditions and will last for many years. The most dangerous is the influence of noise in those moments when a person falls asleep and wakes up. For example, scientists have shown that the increased noise level from airplanes is extremely dangerous in the early morning: at this time of day, it causes an acceleration of the heart rate in humans.
At-risk groups. The degree of influence of noise on people is not the same: it affects the health of some more, while it affects the well-being of others weaker. The most vulnerable in the conditions of noise pollution are such groups of the population as children; people with chronic diseases; elderly people; people working alternately night and day shifts; residents of houses without soundproofing in busy areas around the clock.
Noise protection.The World Health Organization has come to the conclusion that it is necessary to deal with noise pollution in a comprehensive manner: by reducing the number of noise sources and at the same time reducing the noise level of the remaining objects.
To improve the efficiency of noise abatement, the European Union invited countries to draw up maps of the places with the highest degree of noise pollution and to focus the main efforts on noise abatement at these points. The method of dividing into zones will allow you to choose the optimal method of protection against noise in a particular area and will show which areas need emergency assistance to combat sound pollution.
One of the modern methods of noise protection is the installation of noise-absorbing screens along the roads, as well as the distance of transport routes from the buildings of schools, kindergartens and medical institutions.
In areas with a high level of noise, it is allowed to place only office premises, as they are empty at night.
Another method of dealing with the harmful effects of noise is to lay out the apartments so that the bedroom windows face the courtyard. In addition, improved sound insulation of windows and doors contributes to noise protection. Make sure that this soundproofing does not affect the ventilation of the room.
CONCEPT RELATIVE Noise is a relative concept. Any sound can simultaneously carry useful information and, at the same time, be noise. It's all about the people who perceive this sound. A person listening to loud music may enjoy it, but for people in the neighborhood, this music may only be inconvenient.
INFLUENCE OF NOISE ON PLANTS Plants, like people, react sharply to various kinds of noises, and perceive them as an integral living organism. After many studies, scientists have proven the effect of noise on plant organisms. For example, plants near an airfield, from which various jet planes continuously take off, grow very poorly, and some species even disappear. Therefore, you should not plant trees and, especially, flowers where there is constantly noisy work - they still will not grow. Exists whole line scientific workswhich reveal the effect of noise on tobacco plants. He was found to have a significant decrease in the intensity of leaf growth. This primarily applies to young plants.
The influence of rhythmic sounds on plants has also attracted the attention of scientists. The American singer and musician conducted research on corn, pumpkin, petunia, zinnia and calendula plants which showed that plants respond positively to Indian musical melodies and Bach's music. Interestingly, their stems were straight out towards the source of the sounds. But green plants do not like continuous drum rhythms and rock music. From it, the size of leaves and roots decreases, the mass decreases, and the plants deviate from the source of sounds, as if they want to get away from their destructive influence.
INFLUENCE OF NOISE ON ANIMALS The ocean is filled with many different sounds... This, for example, the splash of water on coral reefs, the sound of waves crashing onto the shore, raindrops knocking on the surface of the water. But these are natural noises that aquatic inhabitants have long been accustomed to. But the extraneous noise produced by a person causes them a lot of inconvenience. It is known that in dolphins and whales - mammals, whose life depends largely on sound signals, noise pollution leads to errors in the operation of the echolocation system. And some species of fish generally die from the sounds of the piles driven during the construction of the piles.
EFFECTS OF NOISE ON ANIMALS Rats, after being exposed to road noise and environmental sounds for a long time, were more vulnerable to rattlesnakes than those living in an area separated from city noise. Bulls become more aggressive if they are harassed for a long time by passing cars or flying planes. The behavior of forest dwellers is changing due to noise on the roads. Foxes, martens, moose behave in a strange way. They are trying to cross the track from one side to the other. Scientists assume that all this is due to stress: this is a strong stress that occurs when the body of an animal, a person, is exposed.
INFLUENCE OF NOISE ON THE HUMAN ORGANISM Its harmful effect on the body occurs invisibly, imperceptibly. Violations in the body are not immediately detected. In addition, the human body is practically defenseless against noise. Doctors talk about noise sickness, which develops as a result of exposure to noise, with predominant damage to the hearing and nervous system.
INFLUENCE OF NOISE ON HUMAN Specific effects of noise The effect of noise on the auditory analyzer is manifested in aural effects, which mainly consist in a slowly progressive hearing loss of the type of acoustic neuritis (cochlear neuritis). In this case, pathological changes affect in the same degree both ears. Occupational hearing loss develops with more or less lengthy work experience in conditions high levels noise. The timing of the onset of hearing loss depends on many factors, for example, on the individual sensitivity of the hearing analyzer, the duration of exposure to noise during the work shift, the intensity of occupational noise, as well as its frequency and time characteristics.
INFLUENCE OF NOISE ON THE HUMAN ORGANISM Non-specific effect of noise The non-specific effect of noise is manifested in the form of extra-aural effects. People exposed to noise most often complain of headaches, which can have different intensity and localization, dizziness when changing body position, memory loss, increased fatigue, drowsiness, sleep disturbances, emotional instability, loss of appetite, sweating, pain in the heart. The effect of noise can manifest itself in the form of dysfunction of the cardiovascular system, for example, broadband noise with a level above 90 d. BA, in which high frequencies prevail, can provoke the development of arterial hypertension; in addition, broadband noise is the cause of significant changes in the peripheral circulation.
NOISE IN CITIES Noise, as an environmental factor, is one of the significant environmental pollutants in cities, which has a very adverse effect on human health and working capacity. The sources of noise are industrial enterprises, ground and air transport facilities, intra-neighborhood and communication utilities sources. Studies carried out in recent years in a number of Russian cities have shown that 25-40% of the urban population already lives in areas where noise levels significantly exceed sanitary standards. Air transport creates especially high noise loads.
NOISE IN CITIES Low-frequency sound waves are capable of scattering and settling dust. This property is used, in particular, for air purification in factories.
CONCLUSION More than once in our classes we will talk and think about the consequences of human activity for nature and ourselves. I would like to hope that today's conversation did not pass without leaving a trace for you. Only by protecting nature from the harmful consequences of our activities can we save ourselves. If we are destined to breathe the same air, Let us all unite for the ages, Let us preserve our souls, Then we on Earth will preserve ourselves.
