Evaluation of Noise in the Vicinity of a Hospital and a Gated Community

Abstract

An evaluation was made of the acoustic environment of the Green Line North (GLN) by noise mapping calculations. In addition, the equivalent sound pressure levels, L eq , that reach the facades of a residential building and a hospital located along the GLN, were simulated to determine the noise levels to which they are subjected. The simulated noise levels were compared with the maximum allowable noise levels established by Curitiba Municipal Law and by the Brazilian standard on Noise Assessment in Populated Areas. It was concluded unequivocally that, in the current situation, noise pollution affects the hospital and the gated community. A simulation of heavy vehicle traffic reduction was performed, aiming at evaluating the impact of this mitigation measure. Even the reduction of number of heavy vehicle to 10% of the original number proved to be insufficient to attend values established by the municipal law and the Brazilian standard.

Environmental noise in hospitals: a systematic review

“…In hospitals, these measurements are even more important, given the physical and emotional vulnerability of patients and the stress to which hospital staff are subjected daily. Hence, working in extreme situations while subjected to noise levels exceeding those established by laws, standards, or agencies such as the WHO can delay the recovery of patients and impair the performance of healthcare professionals (Zannin and Ferraz 2016 ; Zannin et al 2019 ; Busch-Vishniac and Ryherd 2019 ; Loupa 2020 ).…”

“…There is even a greater concern in areas considered sensitive to noise, such as hospitals, where noise affects the well-being of patients, slowing their recovery, reducing the productivity of professionals, and increasing the occurrence of medical errors (Hsu et al 2012 ; Loupa et al 2019 ; Montes-González et al 2019 ; Loupa 2020 ). Moreover, noise can also have a negative effect on visitors and the hospital as a whole (Zannin et al 2019 ) and can increase the incidence of rehospitalization (Hagerman et al 2005 ). The main factors involved in noise audible inside hospitals may originate outdoors, e.g., vehicle traffic, or indoors, e.g., conversations among employees and/or patients (Ravindra et al 2016 ).…”

Assessment of Noise Pollution along Two Main Avenues in Curitiba, Brazil

“…The noise around hospitals in the city of Curitiba and other urban areas was also studied by [20] [21]. In both studies, sound levels outside hospitals were measured above those recommended by Law 10.625 [6].…”

Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the external environmental noise of a public hospital in Sorocaba, Brazil

“…Áreas hospitalares, que são considerados ambientes ainda mais sensíveis a poluição sonora, são afetados, principalmente, pelo ruído gerado por tráfego de veículos (MONTEZ-GONZÁLEZ et al, 2019). O ruído atrapalha significativamente o sono dos pacientes, retardando seu descanso e sua recuperação (LOUPA, 2020), além de aumentar a chance de erros médicos e causar aborrecimento aos visitantes e ao hospital como um todo (MONTEZ-GONZÁLEZ et al, 2019;ZANNIN et al, 2019). Segundo a Agência de Proteção Ambiental dos Estados Unidos, o valor máximo admissível de ruído em áreas ao redor de hospitais é de 55 dB(A) durante o dia e a noite (EPA, 1974).…”

“…Diversos estudos avaliaram os níveis de ruído no entorno de hospitais (ZANNIN e FERRAZ, 2016;RAVINDRA et al, 2016;ZANNIN et al, 2019), no entanto estes estudos se mostram na forma de diagnóstico. Medidas mitigadoras de ruído e comparação antes versus depois, por exemplo, são complexas por diversos fatores, como número de veículos em circulação, número de veículos pesados em circulação, dinâmica da área, entre outros.…”