Noise as a Stress Factor on Humans in Urban Environments in Summer and Winter
Regular paper
Institute of Technical Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University
Wednesday 3 june, 2015, 14:20 - 14:40
0.6 Madrid (49)
Abstract:
With an increasing population in urban areas an increase of man-made
influences on the environment like noise, particular matter or temperature
fluctuation can be expected. As a consequence, negative effects on the health
of humans can be anticipated due to the rise of stress factors. To examine the
influence of different stressors, an interdisciplinary research group has been
formed to conduct meteorological and acoustic measurements at certain
positions in the city of Aachen, while interviews have been performed
simultaneously to assess the perceived influence by the public. Intermediate
results from measurement and interviews of two campaigns, one in winter and
the other in summer 2014, will be presented and compared with respect to
acoustics. The compliance of classical A-weighted equivalent noise level and
psychoacoustic time-variant loudness at sensitive receiver positions with the
actual perception of the interview partners will be discussed.