EPA Document Collection

Subject Index

About the EPA document collection held by the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse.

Subject Index: A B C E G H I L M O P R S T U W
Title Index: A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T U W

Single page lists: authors subjects titles
Most useful EPA documents

Health Effects

A Basis for Limiting Noise Exposure for Hearing Conservation
July 1, 1973
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A compilation of data is provided, with references to published work, which represents the present state of knowledge concerning the effects of continuous and impulsive noise on hearing. The danger to the ear of both occupational and non-occupational human exposure to noise is considered. Data are included or cited which enable quantitative predictions to be made of the risk to hearing in the American population due to noise exposure in any working or living context. Recommendations are made concerning the need to obtain more definitive data. Relevant aspects of noise measurement, the physiology of hearing, and theories explaining the effects of noise on the ear are discussed in appendices to the main report. This report deals solely with the effects of noise on hearing; other physiological or psychological effects of noise are not considered in the present document.

Behavioral and Physiological Correlates of Varying Noise Environments
June 1, 1977
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Eighty male college juniors and seniors were dichotomized into either High or Low Anxiety groups. Each subject experienced a household noise profile under a quiet (50 dBA), intermittent (84 dBA) and continuous (84 dBA) noise condition, while performing either an easy or difficult pursuit tracking task. Heart rate, electromyographic potentials, and tracking error responses were evaluated. Results indicated significant (P<.01) main effects for task difficulty and noise condition and significant (P<.01) interaction effects for task difficulty, noise condition and anxiety level (as measured by the IPAT Self Analysis Form) of subjects. The significant noise effect occurred for the difficult task condition during the second tracking period (which includes transfer of training effects) indicating that factors such as task difficulty, direction of task transfer effects, duration of noise exposure as well as anxiety level of subjects appear to be important variables affecting human psychometer performance in noise environments below 85 dBA. These findings appear to be consistent with previous research which suggests that task difficulty is the variable determining the direction of stress (noise) effects on psychometer performances and the nature of the interaction between stress and anxiety level. The present findings are therefore seen as supporting the concepts of the response interference hypothesis and the inverted-U function between stress and performance.

Effects of Noise on Wildlife and Other Animals - Review of Research Since 1971
July 1, 1980
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This report represents a survey of the most significant studies since EPA issued its first report concerning noise effects on wildlife in 1971. The report has been divided into three main sections: laboratory animals, domestic animals, and wildlife. Studies within each of the three sections are further arranged by taxonomic groups and/or individual species, depending on the amount of material available. Reports on each species or taxonomic group are presented in four major categories of noise effects: auditory physiological, masking, nonauditory physiological, and behavioral.

Federal Noise Research in Health Effects, 1978-80
December 1, 1980
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This review of federally sponsored research on the effects of noise on health updates a previous survey, and compares present trends in research in each research category and by federal agency. The following categories of research are covered: Nonauditory Physiologic Responses; Noise Effects on Sleep; Individual and Community Response; Behavioral, Social, and Performance Effects; Communication Interference; Noise Environment Determination and Exposure Characterization; and Human Response to Noise Concomitant with Vibration. Over 250 research projects were sponsored by twenty Departments, Institutes, and Agencies during the 1978-80 period. The following information is provided for each project: title; objective; description; summary of findings; where findings are published; period of performance; name and address of investigator; name, address and telephone number of agency contact person; fiscal year funding data. In comparing present research with previous recommendations made by an Interagency Panel, it was determined that overall expenditures had increased by about 15 percent (compared with the previous period) instead of the recommended 40 percent; and that in general, the Panel's recommendations have not been implemented in the priority areas.

Foreign Noise Research in Health Effects
May 1, 1981
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Research from 19 countries, including 168 research projects, is described on the following topics: nonauditory physiologic response to noise; noise effects on sleep; industrial and community response to noise; noise-induced hearing loss and hearing conservation; behavioral, social and performance effects on noise; communication interference, noise environment determination and impact characterization, and effects of noise concomitant with vibration. For each project, an abstract, the name and address of the principle investigation, funding and sponsor data if available, and citations for available publications are given. It is concluded that foreign research efforts in this area have remained fairly constant over the last six years.

Noise, General Stress Responses and Cardiovascular Disease Processes: Review and Reassessment of Hypothesized Relationships
June 1, 1980
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This report contains a limited survey on the existing literature indicating cardiovascular effects of high noise exposure and places that literature in perspective based on the available knowledge of general cardiovascular effects of stressful stimuli. The authors also discuss conceptual obstacles to progress in cardiovascular disease research, key technical or measurement system obstacle, for research, and findings related to noise and suggestions for further research.

Non-Auditory Effects of Noise
June 1, 1971
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This report is a summary and evaluation of research findings that relate to any effects of noise other than to the ear and related structures. For example, included herein are research efforts concerned with physiological effects of noise, effects on task performance, effects on the cardio-vascular system, and on general health. This report also presents areas and types of research studies that may help to provide full answers to wquestions on the degree of noise control desirable with respect to the non-auditory effects of noise normally present in living and working environments.

Proceedings of the International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem
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In 1968, a Conference on Noise as a Public Health Hazard was organized by the American Speech and Hearing Association. At this conference, an attempt was made to bring together a group of speakers who could present summaries of the current state of knowledge ell all aspects of the "noise problem", ranging all tile way from fairly technical treatises to completely non-technical statements of personal opinion. Such a wide-ranging representation was judged to be necessary for the purpose of that conference, which was to present a broad overview of what "noise pollution" was all about, to government personnel and other intelligent laymen who saw that it was probably going to become a hot issue, and give at least a few examples of the scientific evidence underlying arguments about just what effects noise does have. At this time it was realized that as the environmentalist movement gathered momentum, a rapid development of public concern could be expected, and so a permanent Committee of ASHA was established, one of whose charges was to plan another conference when it was judged appropriate. The burgeoning of interest in noise in the intervening 5 years has clearly met, if not surpassed, our expectations at that time. In the developed areas of the world, millions of dollars or their equivalent are being spent on surveys of noise levels and exposures, and increasingly stringent noise regulations are being imposed by all levels of government. And, although the measurement of the effects of noise is nowhere near as simple as the measurement of the noises themselves, many laboratories, mostly with federal support, are engaged in full-time research on the hearing losses, sleep disturbance, speech interference, alteration of physiological state, and annoyance caused by noise. Accordingly, in 1971 we began looking for a sponsor for a second conference-one who would agree, we hoped, to fund attendance by a substantial number of researchers from abroad, so that certain areas of knowledge less intensively studied in the USA could be included in the subject matter. Fortunately, the head of the newly-created Office of Noise Abatement end Control (ONAC) of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Alvin F. Meyer, had need of just such a conference, as a source material for a document summarizing all known criteria that might be used to establish national standards for noise control-that is, provided that the Congress passed the bill, then being duly debated and amended, that would make such a document necessary. Furthermore, certain PL 480 funds (money that must be spent in other countries) were available, which meant that the degree of participation by foreign scientists might be even greater than we had hoped. Not only that, but the particular PL 480 funds in this case were in Jugoslavia, the country that includes one of the garden spots of the world, Dubrovnik. On the assumption that our Congress would pass some form of the bill in question (which it did on October 27, 1972), we forged ahead with plans for our meeting, now upgraded to an International Congress. With the help of Dr. Grujica Zarkovic, the energetic President of the Jugoslavian Medical Association, and Dr. Mario Levi of the University of Sarajevo, a planning meeting was held to which we invited a representative from most of the countries in which noise research was being done (I say "most" because we could not quite afford to pay for attendees from Japan, Australia, and South Africa because of the distance involved, even though considerable research is being done there). At this meeting the formal agenda was decided on, and the list of invited participants prepared. It was agreed that we would try to limit the Congress content strictly to the effects of noise on health, thereby excluding discussions of engineering aspects of noise reduction and control, descriptions of methods for legal control, and presentation of viewpoints of special-interest groups. There was some debate about how much time to allot to public opinion surveys of annoyance, some of as contending that annoyance, as measured in that manner, is not a health hazard at all in the ordinary sense of the term. However, proponents of the WHO definition of "health", in which any deviation from "optimum well-being" is regarded as undesirable, carried the field, and the final day of the Congress was therefore given over to the sociologists. Despite a series of crises precipitated by governmental red tape originating both in Washington and Belgrade, the Congress was held on May 13-18, 1973 at the Libertas Hotel in Dubrovnik. We had two major disappointments: one was the failure of our Russian invitees to appear due to the fact that our official invitations had not been sent early enough. The other was that the Xerox machine at the Libertas was out of commission. However, the general success of the Congress can be gauged by the fact that the audience was as large on the final afternoon as at any other time. A side benefit of the Congress (or so we hope) was the formation of an international organization consisting of 5 "teams" who will try to accumulate and coordinate knowledge about the effects of noise on (1) temporary and permanent bearing loss; (2) extra auditory function; (3) speech; (4) sleep; and (5) community reaction. The parent group, or "basic" team, will attempt to consolidate this knowledge for use by governmental agencies, and will make plans for the next Congress. Although the organization is now alive, its name is still in question. At the moment it is still the "'International Scientific Noise Teams", but the resulting acronym has a negative connotation that pleases few of us. Other names are being considered. I regret that the length of the invited papers made it impracticable to publish at this time any of the short contributed papers that were presented at the Congress, many of which were excellent, or the often-lively discussions that followed each session. It is hoped that these can be included if another printing of the Proceedings is to be made. An enterprise of this scope cannot be a success without hard work on the part of many people. Without doubt the most effort of all wax put forth by Dr. Levi, who managed all the mechanical details of the Congress, with the help of his and Dr. Zarkovic's staff, particularly, Felih Vesna. Official thanks are extended to our sponsoring organizations: The Jugoslavian Medical Association, The American Speech and Hearing Association, the World Health Organization, and of course most of all the Office of Noise Abatement and Control.

The Public Health Effects of Community Noise
May 1, 1987
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Noise is "any loud, discordant or disagreeable sound" according to Webster's Dictionary (15, p.1). Another definition would be "unwanted sound". Nearly everyone is exposed to noise at some time in their lives, yet the control of noise is not a top priority for most environmental control programs. Community noise is a very widespread problem that can cause serious public health problems. It is well-established that noise can cause hearing loss in the workplace, but what are the other effects of noise outside the workplace? The World Health Organization defines health as a state of physical, mental, and social well being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This paper will examine the evidence for the effects of noise on the cardiovascular system, the performance of tasks, the unborn and children, social behavior and mental health, sleep, speech communication and hearing. The majority of the analysis will be spent on the cardiovascular effects because they are both the most controversial and the most potentially health threatening. It is hoped that this examination of the public health effects of community noise will serve as justification for increased priority and effort in noise control at the community, state and federal levels. In addition to noise control programs, this review should also be used to educate the public on the hazards of community noise exposure and how to protect themselves from it.

Sound and Hearing
June 4, 1905
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Scientific enquiry into the sense of hearing is as deeply rooted in engineering and physics as in anatomy, physiology and psychology. Each approach has brought its own terminology and concepts and it is sometimes difficult for the non-specialist to obtain a clear picture of the subject. This book is a survey of several of the avenues of interest concerned with the sense of hearing and is intended to clarify some of the established principles. The book is directed to students of medicine and biology, but I think it will be of interest to engineers and possibly those involved in the creative applications of sound.

Hearing Loss

The Ability of Mildly Hearing-Impaired Individuals to Discriminate Speech in Noise
January 1, 1978
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The purpose of the investigation was to explore the relationship between hearing level at various audiometric frequencies and speech discrimination in different noise backgrounds. The study was designed specifically to test the American Academy of Opthamology and Otolaryngology's (AAOO) selection of a 26-dB average of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz, as the point above which hearing handicap occurs. The AAOO method for computing hearing handicap has lately been brought into question for two primary reasons: that the 26-dB fence is too high, and for the exclusion of frequencies above 2000 Hz. The present study, therefore, attempted to see if there were differences among individuals whose hearing was at or better than the low fence, and if so, what factors caused or affected the differences.

Analysis of Noise-Related Auditory and Associated Health Problems in the U.S. Population (1971-1975) - Volume 2
March 1, 1982
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The First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) was designed to characterize the overall health and nutritional status of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 1-74 years and to permit examination of the prevalence of specific health conditions on a subsample of adults aged 25-74 years. Analyses presented in this report are based on the national probability subsample of 6913 adults aged 25-74 years who were administered an audiometric test as well as detailed questionnaires and physics: examinations dealing with hypertension and a variety of other health conditions. Detailed occupational descriptions were used in the present study to estimate approximate eight-hour noise levels for the sample of 3942 adults aged 25-74 years in the workforce. Among the major findings: 1. Hearing impairment is a widespread health problem in the United States; 2. Occupational noise exposure was identified as a major risk factor associated with the prevalence of hearing impairment among men; 3. Occupational noise exposure was not significantly related to hearing sensitivity among working women; 4. Occupational noise exposure was found to have a weak, but nevertheless significant association with hypertension for both men and women; 5. Among men, occupational noise exposure was associated with overall physical health, whereas among women, it was associated with only overall psychological health; and 6. No conclusive relationships were found between occupational noise exposure and the remaining indicators of specific health conditions.

Annoyance, Loudness, and Measurement of Repetitive Type Impulsive Noise Sources
November 1, 1979
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This study was undertaken to evaluate subjective and objective aspects of moderate levels of noise from impulsive sources. The study excluded evaluation of hearing damage risk or annoyance from building vibration by high level impulsive noise, which were covered by recent recommendations of the National Research Council, Committee on Hearing Bioacoustics and Bomechanics, Working Group 69. While the study included original investigations into some of the objective aspects of impulsive noise, a detailed review of the literature on the subjective aspects was emphasized. Based on this available literature, the annoyance and loudness from a wide variety of repetitive impulse noises were evaluated. These results were applied to the evaluation of impulsive noise from a number of specific noise sources. Based on the most pertinent literature, it is tentatively concluded that a subjective impulse correction factor of +7 dB applied to the A-weighted equivalent sound levels of these types of repetitive impulsive noise sources would better define their effective level in terms of annoyance reactions. No additional correction is identified at this time for crest level or repetition rate. Research on subjective correction factors for helicopter blade slap is also reviewed and potential reasons for the smaller subjective correction factors (i.e. 0 to 6 dB) for annoyance response to this type of sound are discussed. It is recommended that refinements to this subjective correction factor be based on the use of standard loudness calculation methods (Stevens Mark VII or Zwicker) modified to include provision for a shorter time constant to reflect subjective response to short duration impulsive sounds. The study also included a brief experimental evaluation of the measurement of a wide variety of simulated repetitive impulsive-type signals varying in duty cycle, repetition rate, pulse frequency, and ratio of peak impulse signal level to continuous background noise level. When repetitive impulses are measured using maximum values of A-weighted (slow) readings on an Impulse Sound Level Meter, no objective correction is necessary in order to measure, with an accuracy of +/- 1.5 dB, the equivalent level (Leq) of the wide variety of impulsive signals investigated.

Aviation Noise Effects
March 1, 1985
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This report summarizes the effects of aviation noise in many areas, ranging from human annoyance to impact on real estate values. It also synthesizes the findings of literature on several topics. Included in the literature were many original studies carried out under FAA and other Federal funding over the past two decades. Efforts have been made to present the critical findings and conclusions of pertinent research, providing, when possible, a "bottom line" conclusion, criterion or perspective for the reader. Issues related to aviation noise are highlighted, and current policy is presented. Specific areas addresses in the report include the following: Annoyance, Hearing and Hearing Loss, Noise Metrics, Human Response to Noise, Speech Interference, Sleep Interference, Non-Auditory Health Effects of Noise, Effects of Noise on Wild and Domesticated Animals, Low Frequency Acoustical Energy, Impulsive Noise, Time of Day Weightings, Noise Contours, Land Use Compatibility, Real Estate Values. This document is designed for a variety of users, from the individual completely unfamiliar with aviation noise to experts in the field. Summaries are provided at the beginning of each section; references are also included.

A Basis for Limiting Noise Exposure for Hearing Conservation
July 1, 1973
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Effects of Noise on People
December 31, 1971
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It has not been demonstrated that many people have had their lives shortened by noise. While undoubtedly there have been accidental injuries and deaths when auditory warning signals were misunderstood or not heard because of the effects of noise, the prevalence of these has not been evaluated. Perhaps the stress of continued exposure to high levels of noise can produce disease or make one more susceptible to disease, but the evidence is not convincing. There are only hints of relations between exposure to noise and the incidence of disease. In other words, the effects of noise on people have not been successfully measured in terms of "excess deaths" or "shortened lifespan" or "days of incapacitating illness." The only well-established effects of noise on health is that of noise-induced hearing loss. There is clear evidence to support the following statements about the effects on people of exposure to noise of sufficient intensity and duration. Noise can permanently damage the inner ear with resulting permanent hearing loss that can range from slight impairment to nearly total deafness. Noise can result in temporary hearing losses and repeated exposures to noise can lead to chronic hearing losses. Noise can interfere with speech communication and the perception of other auditory signals. Noise can disturb sleep. Noise can be a source of annoyance. Noise can interfere with the performance of complicated tasks and, of course, can especially disturb performance when speech communication or response to auditory signal is demanded. Noise and other acoustical considerations can reduce the opportunity for privacy. Noise can adversely influence mood and disturb relaxation. In all of these ways noise can affect the essential nature of human life - its quality. It is for these reasons that the recitation of facts and hypotheses that follow may be of some importance.

Foreign Noise Research in Health Effects
May 1, 1981
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Hip Talk - The Hearing Is Priceless (HIP) Program
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A set of multimedia educational materials on noise pollution and hearing protection.

Impact of Noise on People
May 1, 1977
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Aviation noise significantly impacts approximately six million people in urban areas. In an effort to explain the impact of noise on these citizens, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presents this brochure. Included are aircraft noise indices, information on human response to noise, and criteria for land use controls. Additionally, hearing damage and occupational health standards for noise are described. FAA presents this information in an effort to enhance public understanding of the impact of noise on people and to answer many questions that typically arise.

Information on Levels of Environmental Noise Requisite to Protect Public Health and Welfare with an Adequate Margin of Safety
March 1, 1974
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This document identifies noise levels consistent with the protection of public health and welfare against hearing loss, annoyance, and activity interference.

Noise - How Much is Too Much?
May 20, 1975
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Henning E. von Gierke contends that enough is known about the effects of noise on people to produce guidelines for maximum noise levels. Adopted by the Environmental Protection Ageny, these guidelines are designed to protect the public with an adequate margin of safety against hearing loss from occupational and environmental noise exposures and against interference with speech or other activities indoors or outdoors in residential areas.

Noise Hazard Evaluation - Sound Level Data of Noise Sources
January 1, 1975
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This technical guide was developed as an aid simplification of the noise hazard assessment element of the installation hearing conservation program. Part I of the technical guide provides the reader with basic information necessary for the conduct of a routine occupational noise hazard evaluation, while part II provides additional information and guidance concerning typical personnel exposures to military noise sources.

Occupational Hearing Conservation
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Pow! - Noise and Hearing Loss - NIH Consensus Development Conference
January 22, 1990
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The National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Noise and Hearing Loss brought together biomedical and behavioral scientists, health care providers, and the public to address the characteristics of noise-induced hearing loss, acoustic parameters of hazardous noise exposure, individual and age-specific susceptibility, and prevention strategies. Following a day and a half of presentations by experts and discussion by the audience, a consensus panel weighed the evidence and prepared a consensus statement. Among their findings, the panel concluded that sounds of sufficient intensity and duration will damage the ear and result in temporary or permanent hearing loss at any age. Sound levels of less than 75 dB(A) are unlikely to cause permanent hearing loss, while sound levels above 85 dB(A) with exposure of 8 hours per day will produce permanent hearing loss after many years. Current scientific knowledge is inadequate to predict that any particular individual will be safe when exposed to a hazardous noise. Strategies to prevent damage from sound exposure should include the use of individual hearing protection devices, education programs beginning with school-age children, consumer guidance, increased product noise labeling, and hearing conservation programs for occupational settings.

Prediction of NIPTS Due to Continuous Noise Exposure
July 1, 1973
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In support of the main document, "A Basis for Limiting Noise Exposure for Hearing Conservation," this report compares the relationship of noise exposure to Noise Induced Permanent Threshold Shift (NIPTS) as predicted by the currently available works of Passchier-Vermeer, Robinson, Baughn and Kryter, and the yet unpublished work of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. The works of Passchier-Vermeer, Robinson, and Baughn are selected since these are the only works that completely predict the relationship between NIPTS and noise exposure for various audiometric frequencies, sound pressure levels and population percentiles. The predictions of these three methodologies are averaged in order to provide one single relationship between continuous noise exposure and NIPTS. This relationship is presented in various ways so that the effect of noise exposure on hearing can be viewed in more than one way. Discussion concerning the type of frequency weighting, the equal energy rule, and long duration exposures is also provided.

Proceedings of the International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem
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The Public Health Effects of Community Noise
May 1, 1987
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Relation Between Daily Noise Exposure and Hearing Loss Based on the Evaluation of 6,835 Industrial Noise Exposure Cases
June 1, 1973
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The present study is designed to display the percent of a population exhibiting greater certain specified audiometric hearing levels as a function of specified exposure levels and duration of exposures to those levels. Audiometric data from 6,835 employees of an industrial plant were taken during the period from 1960 through 1965. The employees were selected only on the criterion that their noise exposures were reasonably well known. Hearing levels for each of three exposure conditions (78, 86 and 92 dBA) were obtained for the speech (0.5, 1, and 2 kHz) and the 4 kHz audiometric frequencies. The data are smoothed and hearing risk tables are presented.

Some Practical Information on Noise and Hearing Protection
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Toward a National Strategy for Noise Control
April 1, 1977
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This document has been developed to continue the dialogue on the overall goals of the noise program, the role of government, the role of consumers, and the role of industry in noise control, along with the selection of specific abatement and enforcement activities for EPA. It establishes a general framework for making decisions on the best strategy that EPA can employ to combat noise pollution. The primary goal of the Agency in the noise pollution area is to promote an environment for all Americans, free from noise that jeopardizes their health or welfare. In order to reach this legislatively mandated objective five specific operational goals have been formulated. These are: (A)To take all practical steps to eliminate hearing loss resulting from noise exposure; (B)To reduce environmental noise exposure to an Ldn value of no more than 75 dB immediately; (C)To reduce noise exposure levels to Ldn 65 dB by vigorous regulatory and planning actions; (D)To strive for an eventual reduction of noise levels to an Ldn of 55 dB; and (E)To encourage and assist other Federal, State and local agencies in the adoption and implementation of long range noise control policies.