The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Noise pollution has a direct impact on policemen: study

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Monday, Oct 06, 2008
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Kerala - Kochi

Noise pollution has a direct impact on policemen: study

Shyama Rajagopal

IMA to give free hearing assessment for them

Tough time: Traffic policemen are among those most affected by noise pollution on the roads.

KOCHI: Noise pollution seems to have become an unfortunate fact of life for people living in the city. But it is the policemen who man the various junctions on the city roads who face the brunt of this pollution every day.

A study conducted by two officials of the Pollution Control Board found that on a typical working day 142 buses pass through Pallimukku junction between 9:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., out of which 104 buses honked the horn. About 319 instances of honking were recorded during this period; most bus drivers honked more than once.

From this data it was deduced that a policeman doing an 8-hour duty is exposed to the sound of horn about 1,200 times.

If a bus horn honks, it creates 92-94 decibels (dB) of sound, and hearing it repeatedly can cause hearing loss.

The Kochi branch of Indian Medical Association, which was instrumental in conducting the study, has decided to give a free assessment for policemen who are exposed to high noise levels. The project called ‘Safe Sound Safe Ear’ was launched during the installation ceremony of the new office bearers on Saturday in which Dr. Abraham Paul became the new president of the branch for the year. Dr. N. Dinesh is the new secretary and Dr. M. Narayanan is the treasurer.

Dr. Paul said that the baseline noise recorded on the road when no vehicles are passing is 75-80 dB. Noises which are below 75 dB are harmless. But constant exposure to noise levels of 80-85 dB can increase the risk of hearing loss.

The magnitude of sound of a two-wheeler horn is between 81 and 85 dB, and that of a car horn is between 83 and 88 dB. The study also recorded that 96 cars out of 203 cars that passed during the two-hour study period at the Pallimukku junction honked the horn .

The four study points for recording noise levels were PNVM Hospital junction, Pallimukku, Cochin Hospital ward and the road in front of Indira Gandhi Hosptial, Kadavanthara.

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