Federal noise research in health effects: 1978–1980

Abstract

This paper will describe the scope of the federally funded research effort between fiscal years 1978–1980 on the effects of noise on the public health and welfare based upon our receipt of over 200 research project abstracts provided by more than 20 federal agencies. General research funding trends have been identified and emerging avenues of research can be seen. The diverse research interests of each agency will be discussed. Overall research funding has increased only 17 percent from a three‐year average of $5.8 million in the 1975–77 period to $6.8 million in the 1978–80 period. Steady growth is seen in the research funding levels for agencies such as DOD, NIOSH, NIEHS, EPA and BOM, whereas, other agencies including NASA, NBS, NINCDS, and DOT report declining funding levels. Noise‐Induced Hearing Loss remains the single largest research category for federal funding support. DOD, NINCDS, and NIOSH are the major sponsoring agencies of this research. The largest increases in research funding is seen in the research category of Individual and Community Response with NASA, EPA, and DOE as the leading sponsors, and the category of Noise Environment Determination, with DOD and MSHA as the principle sponsors of related research. Although the Second Federal Interagency Research Panel in 1978 recommended that the category of Nonauditory Physiologic Effects receive the largest increase in funding support, actual funding levels have increased by less than 50 percent, due mainly to research support by EPA. This paper will also discuss progress being made to meet other Panel recommendations. Increased knowledge of ongoing and planned research will promote better overall research planning and research coordination by federal agencies and the scientific community. Also towards this objective, EPA has recently developed a Health Effects Research Plan which presents an operational research program for meeting priority research objectives over the next five years.