Study on personal noise exposure in China

Abstract

A survey of personal noise exposure has been in progress in Beijing, China, since 1989 and the data on 221 subjects have been collected so far. In the survey, personal noise exposure measurements over one day and night were carried out. At the same time, personal major activity schedules, questionnaires concerning personal living and working environments, and reactions to environmental noise were investigated. On the basis of these data, personal noise exposure for residents of Beijing has been studied. The main factors that affect the noise exposure of a person are discovered. The L eq24 values of 86% of subjects are higher than 70 dB and the average noise exposure level L eq24 is 75.6 dB for residents of Beijing. The classification of the personal noise exposure patterns depends on age, sex and, especially, occupation. The personal noise exposure pattern varies with time of day, and it depends mainly on the noise levels of personal activities in daily life. The greatest exposure to noise is during work activities. Furthermore, personal noise exposure patterns have been compared with the environmental noise level measured in Beijing in 1986.