NOISE ANNOYANCE IN ADULT URBAN POPULATION – A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE

Abstract

Noise annoyance in adult urban population has not been well-studied in Serbia. The aim of this paper is to assess the proportion of noise annoyance in urban population. Furthermore, the objective was to compare empirical results with theoretical estimations computed from the formulas from the Ordinance on noise indicators of the Republic of Serbia 75/2010. The study was undertaken in Belgrade, the Municipality of Stari Grad, from 2006 to 2010. The sample consisted of 3.093 persons (1.214 men and 1.879 women), aged 42.19±17.88 years. Noise levels were measured in all the streets, and day-evening-night equivalent noise level was calculated (Lden). Noise annoyance was assessed in the population (epidemiological results) using a verbal scale, and calculated using formulas from the Ordinance 75/2010 (theoretical results). In total, 1.134 persons (36.7% of the investigated population) were highly annoyed by road-traffic noise. The proportion of highly annoyed persons estimated in the epidemiological research was by 10-20% higher than the proportion obtained from theoretical estimations, for a given Lden range from below 50 dB(A) to above 75 dB(A). The study reveals a discrepancy between epidemiological and theoretical estimations of noise annoyance in the population of Stari Grad Municipality in Belgrade. Future research should attend to harmonize theoretical models with empirical data, taking into account all the factors influencing the occurrence of noise annoyance in the population. Acta Medica Medianae 2013;52(3):12-17.