About the EPA document collection held by the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse.
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Most useful EPA documents
Economic and Social Impact of Occupational Noise Exposure Regulations
September 1, 1976
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This report elaborates on the costs and benefits associated with alternative occupational noise exposure regulations. The limitations of cost/benefit analysis for social decision-making are enunciated. The impact of various regulatory alternatives for 85 dBA and 90 dBA criteria are analyzed.
The Economic Impact of Noise
December 31, 1971
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A study has been undertaken to survey the economic impact of noise. Data available on the entire subject of noise and its abatement are so rudimentary that they do not lend themselves to even the most primitive economic analysis. It is demonstrated that the number of sources of noise in homes, in industry, on the highways, and in the air. It is growing at a dramatic rate. These noise sources are heterogeneous and transient, and, therefore, a universal solution for abatement of noise at the source is not available. From the economic viewpoint, it has been demonstrated that substantial costs are associated with noise and its abatement. Costs such as those associated with equipment redesign, right-of-way, and receiver insulation are discussed in detail. The most glaring data gaps highlight the need for research into the relationship between noise, its abatement, and its impact on: wages, prices, productivity, production costs, employment, balance of payment, real property values, and health. Research using the principles of economics must identify and analyze the most cost-effective alternative solutions to noise. A discussion of spending for noise research is included in the study.
The Economics of Noise Pollution
November 9, 1971
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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.
Effects of Noise on Wildlife and Other Animals
December 31, 1971
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In recent years the possible effects of noise on wildlife have become a matter of serious concern, for several excellent reasons. Our rapidly growing population and advancing technology result in ever increasing noise levels. Noise is an unwanted and at times a potentially dangerous by-product of virtually every aspect of modern-day life - construction, transportation, power generation, manufacturing, recreation, etc. Today we find that areas previously considered remote, and therefore relatively non-polluted by noise, are now being exposed or are in danger of exposure to various kinds of noise pollution. The effects that increased noise levels will have on wildlife in these areas are virtually unknown. Obviously animals that rely on their auditory systems for courtship and mating behavior, prey location, predator detection, homing, etc., will be more threatened by increased noise than will species that utilize other sensory modalities. However, due to the complex interrelationships that exist among all the organisms in an ecosystem, interference with one species might well affect all the other species.
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.
El Ruido: Un Problema Para La Salud
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The Environmental Frontier: Noise Control
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Environmental Noise Measurement
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Environmental Report - National League of Cities - The President's Noise Initiative
October 1, 1979
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EPA Noise Abatement and Control Program
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The EPA Noise Abatement and Control Program
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EPA Noise Abatement Program Strategy
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This strategy paper describes EPA's plan for noise abatement over the next five years, as well as in the longer term. The background of this strategy is described and the selection of goals and priorities is explained. The step-by-step plans for implementing the goals are then detailed and the assessment of progress is discussed.
An Evaluation of Hearing Test Program Brochures and Sounds Alive - Two Elements of the Quiet School Program
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An Evaluation of Strategies to Control Noise From Refuse Collection Vehicles
October 1, 1981
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This report investigated four potential noise control approaches to the control of noise from refuse collection vehicles. These included: (1) the potential impact of a legislative alternative requiring stationary compactors for all new high-rise developments; (2) the effect of a collection curfew; (3) the incorporation of noise into an annual inspection program and (4) the impact of taking no local action and allowing federal regulations to serve as the only control. It provides a mechanism for routine monitoring and isolation of particularly noise vehicles. As this study was performed in Prince George's County, Maryland, where high-rise development is minimal, further consideration for the first alternative was not given.