Urban ambient outdoor and indoor noise exposure at home: A population-based study on schoolchildren

To investigate residential exposure to environmental noise among children in an urban area, a noise measurement campaign was performed at the residences of 44 schoolchildren. Outdoor and indoor noise levels were simultaneously recorded during one week inside and outside each child's bedroom and in the other room where each child spent most of his or her time, called the main room. Associations between equivalent noise levels and familial or environmental characteristics were explored. The recorded equivalent continuous sound levels (L-Aeq) were prone to large variability between dwellings regardless of the measurement location and time of day. Factors linked to outdoor noise level differed from those associated with indoor noise level. Indoor noise levels were associated with the number of children present and noise sources present in the dwelling, whereas outdoor L-Aeq depended significantly on the socio-economic status (SES) of the household. An association was found between the type of view from the window and outdoor L-Aeq, but no significant association was observed between view from the window and indoor L-Aeq. These results support a complex link between noise exposure and the characteristics of the dwelling and of the family, and highlight the contribution of the indoor noise sources to the ambient noise level. Considering the observed acoustic levels and their variability, the sensitivity of children to noise, and the length of time they spend at home, research efforts are needed to better quantify noise exposure at home if the actual burden of noise on child health is to be identified. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.