Chapter Eight (Noise Pollution Control) Assit. Prof.Dr.

Nabaa Shakir Hadi

B.Sc. Course(Second Semester)

University of Babylon-College of Engineering
Environmental Engineering Department

Chapter Eight (Noise Pollution Control)

Noise Criteria
1. Noise Criteria
2. Occupational Noise Measures
 A-weighted equivalent continuous noise level , LAeq
 A-weighted Sound Exposure, EAT
 A-weighted Sound Exposure Level, EAE or SEL
 Equivalent Continuous Noise Level, EAeq.8h

Noise Criteria
An important part of any noise control program is the establishment of appropriate criteria
for the determination of an acceptable solution to noise problem. Thus , where the total
elimination of noise is impossible, appropriate criteria provide a guide for determining how
much noise is acceptable and or how much reduction is required . the required reduction in turn
provides the means for determining the feasibility of alternative proposals for control, and
finally the means for estimating the cost of meeting the relevant criteria.

Occupational and environmental noise measures are used to determine/ define acceptable
noise levels. These criteria include:
 Hearing loss and hearing damage risk criteria
 Speech interference criteria
 Psychological effects of noise
 Ambient noise level specification
 Environmental noise criteria

The following criteria are based on:

 ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard 1999 (1990).
 OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, UAS).
 Many other standards exist, but will not be covered in this course.

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Chapter Eight (Noise Pollution Control) Assit. Prof.Dr. Nabaa Shakir Hadi

Occupational Noise Measures

 A-weighted equivalent continuous noise level , LAeq
The A-weighted equivalent continuous noise level is obtained by first A-weighting the noise
and then averaging the sound pressure level over a period of time.
This type of averaging is often referred to as energy averaging and is used as a descriptor of
both occupational and environmental noise.

( )⁄
[ ∫ ]

For occupational noise, the most common descriptor is , which implies a

normalization to 8 hours, even though the contributing noises may be experienced for more or
less than 8hours.
Thus, for sound experienced over T hours:

( )⁄
[ ∫ ]

If the sound pressure level is measured using a sound level meter at m different locations
where an employee may spend some time, then the previous equation becomes:
⁄ ⁄ ⁄
[ ]

Where are the measured equivalent A-weighted sound pressure levels and are the
times in hours which an employee spends at the m locations.
Note that the sum of does not have to equal 8 hours.

 A-weighted Sound Exposure, EA,T

Industrial sound exposure may be quantified using the A-weighted Sound Exposure, EA,T ,
defined as the time integral of the squared, instantaneous A-weighted sound pressure, ( )
over a particular time period (hours). The units are Pascal-squared-hours ( ) and the
defining equation is:

The relationship between the A-weighted Sound Exposure and the A-weighted Equivalent
Continuous Noise Level, , is:

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Chapter Eight (Noise Pollution Control) Assit. Prof.Dr. Nabaa Shakir Hadi

 A-weighted Sound Exposure Level, EAE or SEL

The A-weighted Sound Exposure Level is

[∫ ]

[ ]

Where the times and dt are in seconds (not hours as for A-weighted sound exposure)
and

 Equivalent Continuous Noise Level, EAeq.8h

The Equivalent Continuous Noise Level for a nominal 8 hour day may be calculated from
EA.8h or LAE using:

( )

( )

Example:
For the following data:
Location Time (minute)
1 74.5 10
2 77.3 11
3 79.1 21
4 76.8 13
5 80.1 9
6 78.1 8
7 82.7 32
8 83.3 15
9 81.0 6
10 77.8 4
11 81.2 22
12 79.1 19