The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : IMA to campaign against noise pollution

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Saturday, Oct 04, 2008
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Kerala - Kochi

IMA to campaign against noise pollution

Staff Reporter

Study to be conducted; high decibel sounds can cause hearing loss

KOCHI: The city branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) along with the Association of Otolaryngologists of India (AOI), Kochi chapter and the Pollution Control Board (PCB) will take up a study on the effect of high decibel sound on drivers.

Titled ‘Safe Sound – Safe Ear’, this will be part of IMA’s awareness campaign for the year against the increasing noise pollution in the city.

People are constantly exposed to high decibel sounds because of the increase in traffic on city roads.

This has affected the hearing ability of people.

Bus drivers and traffic policemen are one of the most exposed groups.

Any sound greater than 90 decibels is considered high intensity sound.

Sound of truck and lawn movers have been measured at 90 decibels by the PCB.

Similarly, there are other noises that people are exposed to, like the air compressor which has a sound intensity between 90 and 93 dB (decibels); food processor noise ranges between 93 to 100 dB; air horns between 90 and 110 dB; stereo 100 and 110 dB;

A preliminary study is going on with regard to the level of noise pollution.

The high decibel sounds are being measured in the city by the PCB by using a sound-meter at various junctions, especially near the hospitals. The noise levels are being studied at the Indira Gandhi Cooperative Hospital, Cochin Hospital, PNVM Hospital and other such busy junctions in the city.

The IMA’s campaign will be to create ‘zero sound zones’ in the city where vehicles should not use horns. These are areas surrounding hospitals.

The results of the study combined with the results of earlier studies conducted by organisations like National Institute of Speech and Hearing in Thiruvananthapuram and a study on the effect of sound pollution on 100 policemen by Institute of Speech and Hearing, Bangalore, will be given to the authorities concerned to create silence zones.

Regular exposure to 110 dB sound for more than a minute can cause permanent hearing loss.

More than 100 dB exposure for more than 15 minutes can cause hearing impairment and prolonged exposure to noise above 90 dB can cause gradual hearing loss. The Kochi branch of the IMA will launch the campaign for the year at the installation ceremony of the office-bearers for 2008-09 on Saturday.

The campaign will be to avoid preventable noise pollution — unnecessary sounding of horns, to scare public and smaller vehicles and to make drivers aware that the high decibel sound is damaging to their own ears, the public, especially young children, infants and even unborn babies of pregnant women.

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