Noise Levels in Twenty Selected Cinema Theatres in Visakhapatnam City, Andhra Pradesh, India

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Cinema is the most important media for entertainment and relaxation in India. Noise is an important pollutant in cinema theaters. People are ignorant of the ill effects of noise. Frequent exposure to loud music can lead to selective hearing loss at some frequencies depending on age and gender and the common ear disorders are tinnitus and hyperacousis. The noise levels in twenty selected cinema theatres playing different types of movies in Visakhapatnam city, Andhra Pradesh, India were measured using CYGNET 2001 and a questionnaire survey was done to determine the effect of noise on the audience. The LAeq levels ranged from 78 to 93 dB (A) in the twenty selected cinema theatres and the corresponding the 8-hour daily exposure LAeq8h levels are in the range 73 to 87 dB (A). The LAeq levels in eleven theatres (55%) are above 85 dB (A), in eight theatres (40%) the levels are between 80–85 dB (A) and one theatre (5%) the level is less than 80 dB (A). At eight theatres, about 65% of audience in the age group of 40 years and above expressed mild to severe headache and tinnitus whereas 10% of audience above age of 30 years expressed slight uneasiness.