Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the relationships among the particle number concentration (PNC), noise, and traffic conditions. Field measurements were conducted to measure the temporal variabilities of the noise levels and PNC over 24 h in a location adjacent to three main traffic roads in Seoul, Korea. The PNC was measured in the range of 0.3 to 10 µm. The noise data was measured by utilizing both the overall levels and spectral characteristics. Traffic data including volumes and speeds of vehicles on the roads were also collected. The results showed that the correlations among the three key parameters varied depending on changes in the noise frequency and particle size. The noise levels at 100–200 Hz were positively correlated with traffic volume and submicron particles. In contrast, they exhibited inverse correlations with the traffic speed and the number of larger particles (>2.5 µm). Compared to noise levels at 100–200 Hz, noise levels at 1–2 kHz exhibited reverse relationships between the traffic and PNC. Submicron particles (0.3–1.0 µm) tended to be more strongly associated with noise levels during the daytime, while those greater than 2.5 µm maintained relatively stable correlations with the noise throughout the day. The findings address the importance of temporal and spectral-specific monitoring of air and noise pollutants for a better understanding of the exposure of the community to air and noise pollution.
Highlights
Urban dwellers are exposed to multiple pollutants such as noise, light, and air pollutants; the exposure to combined environmental pollutants could increase the risk of adverse effects on human health and well-being [1]
The divided time periods correspond to the daytime, evening, and night according to the European Environmental Agency (EEA)
It was observed that the temporal patterns of noise, traffic, and particle number concentration (PNC) varied depending on the time of day or night
Summary
Urban dwellers are exposed to multiple pollutants such as noise, light, and air pollutants; the exposure to combined environmental pollutants could increase the risk of adverse effects on human health and well-being [1]. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated convincing associations between particulate air pollution and human health problems including cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases [4,5,6,7,8]. Environmental noises are known to potentially cause noise-induced hearing impairment [3,15], and non-auditory health problems [16]. Apart from hearing impairment, noise exposures have physiological effects such as mental stress, cardiovascular problems, and effect over the sense of balance [17,18]. WHO Regional Office of Europe provides recommendations for protecting human health from exposure to environmental noise from various sources: transportation, wind turbine, and recreation [2]
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