Policy, personal dispositions and the evaluation of aircraft noise

In this paper, we hypothesize and test the ideas that (1) people’s subjectivity in relation to aircraft noise is shaped by the policy discourse, (2) this results in a limited number of frames towards aircraft noise, (3) the frames inform people how to think and feel about aircraft noise and (4) the distribution of the frames in the population is dependent on structural variables related to the individual. To reveal subjects’ frames of aircraft noise a latent class model is estimated based on survey data gathered among a sample of 250 residents living near Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, a major international airport in the Netherlands. In line with expectations, the results show that there are four evaluative frames of aircraft noise, three of which are strongly linked to the policy discourse. The frames are associated with fitting levels of annoyance response. In turn, frame membership is influenced by two structural variables, namely aircraft noise exposure and noise sensitivity. The results indicate that social factors operate discursively in the explanation of subjective reaction to noise, while psychological factors operate within a traditional cause-and-effect model. The paper concludes with several policy implications.     

Objective exposure to road traffic noise,noise annoyance and self-rated poor health – framing the relationship between noise and health as a matter of multiple stressors and resources in urban neighbourhoods

Borrowing from concepts of socio-environmental epidemiology and psychology, we conceived self-rated health as a function of multiple physical and psychosocial stressors and resources at the residential neighbourhood and individual level. In this model of multiple stressors, objective exposure to road traffic noise was specified as a physical stressor whose effect on health may be mediated and modified by residents’ subjective response to noise (serious noise annoyance). Self-reported hearing disability, recreational coping in green areas and residential neighbourhood satisfaction were examined as additional psychosocial stressors or resources, independently of socio-demographic and -economic factors. Results from our empirical analysis based on two studies and multivariable logistic regressions might support the idea that environmental planning should overcome sectoral boundaries and adopt an integrative approach including objective exposures, residents’ subjective responses, and perceived resources.     

公路经营企业交通噪声污染损害民事责任探析

公路经营企业应对道路交通噪声污染损害承担环境侵权责任。污染损害可归责的程度应以医学观察的可证明性为界限,在违法性和损害事实考量中,环境标准均非所问。公路经营企业的责任形式主要包括排除危害和赔偿损失。基于环境侵权的利益衡量原则,一般不宜直接判令采取公路关闭或改道等形式排除危害,而应适用设置隔声屏障、种植绿化林带、进行交通管制等调和性的"部分排除侵害"责任形式。在"先有路后有房"情景下,公路经营企业是否承担责任因受害人迁入公害时主观方面的不同而不同。受害人明知或已经预见到有遭受噪声污染的危险,且无正当理由而自愿、故意承受危险致害者,公路经营企业得根据自甘冒险原则请求拒绝排除危害、免除赔偿或减少赔偿额。     

Noise annoyance from industrial and road traffic combined noises: A survey and a total annoyance model comparison

The literature on noise annoyance emphasizes that acoustical factors cannot totally explain the annoyance felt by a population exposed to community noises, and that some non-acoustical factors have an effect on annoyance. This research paper deals with the annoyance caused by combined noises coming from road traffic and an industrial site. This type of combination has been very little studied to date. An in situ study was conducted in an area of a French town exposed to these two noise sources. To investigate the annoyance caused by these combined noises, the work involved both a mapping of the industrial and road traffic noises present in the survey area and a questionnaire designed to evaluate the noise annoyance experienced by residents and to identify the factors that probably influence noise annoyance. The results highlight the link between the noise levels measured and the annoyance felt by the respondents. They also show that certain non-acoustical factors have an impact on annoyance felt. Indeed, the results highlight a positive correlation between fear of industrial sites and the annoyance expressed. They also show correlations between some items to evaluate noise sensitivity and the annoyance expressed. No significant correlation has been found between annoyance and the other non-acoustical factors such as age, sex and length of residence. Finally, several total annoyance models were tested for this noise combination. Two of them, namely the strongest component model and a proposed perceptual version of the mixed model, were able to better predict total annoyance than the other tested models.     

Preliminary assessment of indoor industrial noise pollution in Kuwait

Sound is considered as a pollutant when it exceeds undesirable limits for the recipient. One of the significant environmental problems associated with industries is noise pollution generated by machinery. The main objectives of this study were to measure noise levels generated by machinery that the workers were exposed to at five industrial facilities in the State of Kuwait. Also, to assess if these levels were within acceptable standards, for Kuwait lacks environmental standards for such a pollutant. To achieve the objectives of the study two food manufacturing companies, a cement-brick making plant, a furniture factory and a car washing facility were selected for the purpose of the research.The study showed that workers operating machinery at the five facilities were exposed to high noise levels without any kind of ear protection. Noise levels recorded during the study were very high and exceeded the British Noise at Work Regulations of 1989. In Kuwait there are no regulations to abate noise in the working environment and workers are not required to wear ear protective muffs. The results of the study indicate that, the concerned environmental and health organisations in Kuwait should be compelled to establish noise level standards and controls to safeguard the health of workers and the public at large.     

城市建筑工地环境监察管理存在的问题与对策探析

随着老工业基地的振兴,建筑施工引发的一系列环境管理问题日益突出。尤其是人们的环境意识越来越强,对生活环境质量的要求越来越高,噪声扰民问题成为环境热线投诉的一大热点。在分析建筑工地环境管理存在的噪声扰民、不按规定缴纳排污费等问题的基础上,提出建筑工地防控噪声扰民和征缴排污费的建议和对策。     

油田区域交通噪声污染现状分析

通过对油田中心区域主要交通干线昼间交通噪声及环境噪声的监测分析,找出噪声的污染现状,及对人们生活、学习产生的影响,为改善中心区域的交通噪声污染,提高人们的生活质量提供了监测依据。     

Environmental Equity and the Role of Public Policy: Experiences in the Rijnmond Region

This Φ Ψ study of environmental equity uses secondary quantitative data to analyze socioeconomic disparities in environmental conditions in the Rijnmond region of the Netherlands. The disparities of selected environmental indicators—exposure to traffic noise (road, rail, and air), NO₂, external safety risks, and the availability of public green space—are analyzed both separately and in combination. Not only exposures to environmental burdens (“bads”) were investigated, but also access to environmental benefits (“goods”). Additionally, we held interviews and reviewed documents to grasp the mechanisms underlying the environmental equity situation, with an emphasis on the role of public policy. Environmental equity is not a priority in public policy for the greater Rotterdam region known as the Rijnmond region, yet environmental standards have been established to provide a minimum environmental quality to all local residents. In general, environmental quality has improved in this region, and the accumulation of negative environmental outcomes (“bads”) has been limited. However, environmental standards for road traffic noise and NO₂ are being exceeded, probably because of the pressure on space and the traffic intensity. We found an association of environmental “bads” with income for rail traffic noise and availability of public green space. In the absence of regulation, positive environmental outcomes (“goods”) are mainly left up to market forces. Consequently, higher-income groups generally have more access to environmental “goods” than lower-income groups.     

Perception of Forest Values in the Alpine Community of Trentino Region (Italy)

Values are generally defined as social facts that orientate individual and collective actions, and consequently influence political, economic and social systems. The evaluation of natural resource values is considered an important instrument to support decision making in environmental policy. The forest is an important renewable resource that provides a mix of social, economic and environmental values for society. The paper presents a survey method to collect and analyse individual preferences relating to three macro-categories of forest values. The survey method was tested in the Trentino region (north-east of the Italian Alps) and will soon be extended to other areas. The results of the questionnaires provided evidence that the forest economic value is perceived as least important, while the environmental values were appreciated the most. Regarding the principle social variables, males tended to give higher scores to all three macro-categories compared to females. Moreover, people with a low education also gave higher scores to all three categories in comparison to the more educated individuals.     

Correlation of indoor radon concentration to commonly available geologic data

Over the last several years, the inhalation of decay products coming from radon-222 has become a national health concern. It is estimated that somewhere between 16,000 and 20,000 people die annually in the United States from lung cancer due to exposure to these decay products. Nationwide, 95% of all homes have not been tested for radon, and so it would seem that any methodology that could give a general idea of indoor radon concentrations (without actually testing the house itself) might be useful. While not intended to replace a radon test, which is both simple and inexpensive, our project attempts to predict indoor radon concentrations based on easily obtainable information from Soil Conservation Service county soil surveys and US Geological Survey surficial geology maps. We have chosen four parameters: soil permeability, surficial geology, soil shrink-swell potential, and distance to the nearest geologic fault. Of these four variables, surficial geology and distance to fault correlated well to winter indoor radon concentrations as measured by short-term (48-h) tests. While it is understood that there are limits to this methodology, primarily because of map scale problems, the correlations mentioned above were very strong and suggest further study would be useful.     

唐山市环境噪声状况及防治对策

以唐山市2003—2008年的噪声监测数据及调查资料为依据,通过对环境噪声现状、变化趋势的分析,发现唐山市环境噪声源主要为社会生活噪声、工业噪声、交通噪声和建筑施工噪声等,提出了相关防治对策,主要有加大宣传教育力度,提高环境法制意识;严格执行环保审批制度;加强交通噪声的管理;做好合理的规划。     

Environmental equity in the vicinity of Amsterdam Airport: The interplay between market forces and government policy

This paper examines the impact of the interplay between market forces and government policy on environmental equity in the vicinity of Amsterdam Airport in the Netherlands. Despite pressure on space and the presence of the international airport, exposure to the higher levels of traffic noise, NO₂ and external safety risks, and accumulation of traffic noise and NO₂ (‘bads’) was rather limited and generally distributed fairly equally among income categories, probably as a result of environmental regulations. However, lower-income categories had less access to lower levels of traffic noise, NO₂ and public green space (‘goods’) than higher-income categories, which may be explained by both historical processes and market forces. Policy makers seem to accept a higher environmental burden on the regional population because of the benefits for the national economy generated by Amsterdam Airport.     

A Review of the Effects of Aircraft Noise on Wildlife and Humans,Current Control Mechanisms,and the Need for Further Study

Military and civilian aircraft overflights are an issue that may impact the quality of life for millions of United States residents. Aircraft noise annoys many people worldwide and is generally thought to adversely affect some wildlife species. In light of increasing demands being placed on airspace, and because of technological improvements in acoustical testing, there is a need to reexamine the effects of aircraft noise exposure on humans and wildlife. This paper reviews past research, current laws and legislation, and presents an argument for the need to revisit the effects of aircraft noise on humans and wildlife. Some evidence suggests that noise may adversely impact wildlife and humans, however, many of the past studies were inconclusive and based on relatively small sample sizes. Given that aircraft noise abatement legislation has been enacted and because of the recent promulgation of community-based noise awareness programs, future studies should be conducted to resolve public policy problems and debates associated with aircraft noise. The need to further study the effects of aircraft noise on humans and wildlife is critical for creating sustainable land use policies near aircraft installations. Data derived from these studies will be used to create sound public policies that enhance the operational capacity of military and civilian aircraft while reducing the opportunity for human and wildlife exposure to aircraft noise.     

WATER AND HEALTH - ARE WE CONCERNED ENOUGH?1

From a historical point of view, man's concern about the health and protection of water supply is the history of the dramatic reduction in acute communicable diseases due to water-borne micro-organisms. Now that these have been essentially eliminated, there has been a great reduction in concern by scientists and the medical profession with the health aspects of contaminated water. This, in spite of the fact that many concerned people and national advisory groups have reminded us that an increasing number of possible chemical and other hazards find their way into our water supplies and expose human populations to contaminants at low concentration levels without reliable knowledge as to their health effects. Too little research is being done on the health effects of chemicals, pesticides, and viruses. The fact that large populations are being exposed to these possible hazards raises legal and public policy questions. Persons who are largely ignorant of the possible harm of these substances are being exposed to them without consent. Often low level exposure to environmental contaminants is not known or not discovered until considerable time has passed. This raises the question concerning the burden which should be imposed on industry and others who introduce new substances in the environment. The best approach in solving this problem is to prohibit the new substance from being introduced into the environment until it has been shown by reliable studies that even low level exposure is not likely to harm human health.     

开封市声环境质量状况及对策

以开封市近年来对环境噪声的监测资料,分析了声环境质量状况,并结合污染现状提出了防治对策。     

黄岩城区交通噪声监测与分析

对黄岩城区主要交通干线的昼间交通噪声进行了监测和分析。结果表明:黄岩城区主要交通干线的昼间交通噪声水平全部超过国家标准;小轿车是黄岩城区交通噪声的主要来源。     

Environmental Justice,Local Knowledge,and Risk: The Discourse of a Community-Based Cumulative Exposure Assessment

While risk assessment continues to drive most environmental management decision-making, its methods and assumptions have been criticized for, among other things, perpetuating environmental injustice. The justice challenges to risk assessment claim that the process ignores the unique and multiple hazards facing low-income and people of color communities and simultaneously excludes the local, non-expert knowledge which could help capture these unique hazards from the assessment discourse. This paper highlights some of these challenges to conventional risk assessment and suggests that traditional models of risk characterization will continue to ignore the environmental justice challenges until cumulative hazards and local knowledge are meaningfully brought into the assessment process. We ask whether a shift from risk to exposure assessment might enable environmental managers to respond to the environmental justice critiques. We review the US EPA's first community-based Cumulative Exposure Project, piloted in Brooklyn, NY, and highlight to what extent this process addressed the risk assessment critiques raised by environmental justice advocates. We suggest that a shift from risk to exposure assessment can provide an opportunity for local knowledge to both improve the technical assessment and its democratic nature and may ultimately allow environmental managers to better address environmental justice concerns in decision-making.     

Solar and Tidal Modulations of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Coastal Waters at Huntington Beach,California

The coastal waters at many beaches in California and the United States are afflicted with fecal pollution, which poses a health risk for people exposed to the water through recreational activities such as swimming, surfing, and diving. Identifying sources of pollution is complicated by oceanographic transport/mixing processes and the nonconservative behavior of microorganisms exposed to sunlight and hostile marine conditions. This article investigates the variation of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations in the surf zone and the adjacent coastal marsh by applying autocorrelation and cross-correlation analyses that illustrate solar and tidal modulations. A steady state bioreactor model was developed to explain solar inactivation in the surf zone, whereas a dynamic model was applied to explain tidally influenced disturbances in the coastal marsh. These models applied to intensive monitoring datasets on FIB and environmental variables have provided insights into the biologic and physical processes controlling coastal water quality, specifically the influence of sunlight and tides on bacterial levels.     

A cross-national perspective on youth environmental attitudes

The environmental attitudes of young people are a growing topic of interest for social scientists. Most research that aims to explain differences in (youth) environmental attitudes focuses on the individual as the level of measurement. There is, however, a growing body of evidence that illustrates that the context within which that individual operates can contribute to their environmental attitudes. Based on the PISA 2006 data, and while controlling for individual characteristics, we tested Inglehart’s ‘objective problems, subjective values’ hypothesis. This hypothesis divides the contextual influences on environmental attitudes into (1) objective problems in the individual’s natural environment and (2) subjective values linked to post-materialistic goals in life. We analyzed both the individual and the country level simultaneously, controlling for compositional effects, by performing a multilevel analysis on the 2006 PISA data for youth environmental attitudes (398,750 15 year olds from 56 countries). At the individual level, the results are generally consistent with the literature; at the contextual level, the stage of development of a country (as a proxy for post-materialistic values) is shown to be unrelated to environmental attitudes. Both natural riches of a country and its environmental problems are shown to positively influence the environmental attitudes of that country’s youth. These results are discussed in relation to the ‘objective problems, subjective values’ hypothesis. The results also point towards the necessity of simultaneously assessing the effect of individual- and contextual-level characteristics on environmental attitudes.     

城市噪声污染控制实例

XX城市噪声污染控制立足于《XX城市近、中、远期总体规划》和《XX市环境保护“十一五”规划》,有利于城市环境噪声的综合整治和科学管理,与城市环境功能区划相协调,结合城市特征和噪声污染现状,提出控制目标、控制方案、可行性分析及保障措施。力求科学、合理、实用、可行。