The Influence of Low-Frequency Noise Pollution on the Quality of Life and Place in Sustainable Cities: A Case Study from Northern Portugal

Abstract

Discussing urban planning requires rethinking sustainability in cities and building healthy environments. Historically, some aspects of advancing the urban way of life have not been considered important in city planning. This is particularly the case where technological advances have led to conflicting land use, as with the installation of power poles and building electrical substations near residential areas. This research aims to discuss and rethink sustainability in cities, focusing on the environmental impact of low-frequency noise and electromagnetic radiation on human health. It presents data from a case study in an urban space in northern Portugal, and focuses on four guiding questions: Can power poles and power lines cause noise? Do power poles and power lines cause discomfort? Do power poles and power lines cause discomfort due to noise? Can power poles and power lines affect human health? To answer these questions, we undertook research between 2014 and 2015 that was comprised of two approaches. The first approach consisted of evaluating the noise of nine points divided into two groups "near the source" (e.g., up to 50 m from power poles) and "away from the source" (e.g., more than 250 m away from the source). In the second approach, noise levels were measured for 72 h in houses located up to 20 m from the source. The groups consist of residents living within the distance range specified for each group. The measurement values were compared with OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 13921 the proposed criteria for assessing low-frequency noise using the DEFRA Guidance (University of Salford). In the first approach, the noise caused discomfort, regardless of the group. In the second approach, the noise had fluctuating characteristics, which led us to conclude that the noise caused discomfort.

Maintenance of a High-Voltage Overhead Transmission Line: Sustainability and Noise Impact Assessment

“…Below the hearing threshold, the measured sound pressure levels are 57, 57, 54 and 48 dB in the one-third octave bands from 10 to 20 Hz, which are low values if compared to DEFRA guideline recommendations [19]. This result agrees with other available literature findings [18]. Therefore, only the audible frequency range will be considered in the following.…”

Power Transformer Spatial Acoustic Radiation Characteristics Analysis under Multiple Operating Conditions

“…After introducing a new algorithm based on the reverse calculation method [17] or the corrections made of both ambient noise and sound wall reflections per the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) Standards [18], the accuracy of transformer noise measurements improves significantly. Moreover, from the manufacturer point of view, considering the low-frequency noise of electrical substation was always presented and noticed in daily lives of residents near the source [19], the structural optimization and low-or ultra-low-noise power transformers design by means of acoustic radiation model arouses designer's attention gradually [20], to meet the increasingly stringent environmental standards, the improved core assembling form [21], and even optimized cooling system arrangement form [22] are taken into account by manufacturers.…”

Low Frequency Sound Absorption by Optimal Combination Structure of Porous Metal and Microperforated Panel

“…The structural parameters of the porous metal were its thickness D and the corresponding cavity length 1 D , and those of the microperforated panel were the thickness of the panel t , the diameter of the microhole d , the distance of the neighboring microholes b (distribution of the microholes was in a square arrangement), and the corresponding cavity length 2 D , which were consistent with the labels of these structural parameters in Figure 1. Theoretical models of the sound absorption coefficients of these sound absorbing structures were constructed through the transfer matrix method [21], as shown in Equation (1). Here, α is the sound absorption coefficient; 11 TT and 21 TT are two components of the total transfer matrix of the sound absorber, which can be calculated through Equations (2)-(5) for the corresponding sound Theoretical models of the sound absorption coefficients of these sound absorbing structures were constructed through the transfer matrix method [21], as shown in Equation (1).…”

“…Theoretical models of the sound absorption coefficients of these sound absorbing structures were constructed through the transfer matrix method [21], as shown in Equation (1). Here, α is the sound absorption coefficient; 11 TT and 21 TT are two components of the total transfer matrix of the sound absorber, which can be calculated through Equations (2)-(5) for the corresponding sound Theoretical models of the sound absorption coefficients of these sound absorbing structures were constructed through the transfer matrix method [21], as shown in Equation (1). Here, α is the sound absorption coefficient; TT 11 and TT 21 are two components of the total transfer matrix of the sound absorber, which can be calculated through Equations (2)-(5) for the corresponding sound absorbing structures in Figure 1a-d; ρ is the density of the air, 1.21 kg/m 3 ; c is the acoustic velocity in air, 340 m/s; Re( ) and Im( ) represent the real part and imaginary part of one complex number, respectively.…”

“…Noise is considered an environmental and social problem arising from consumption patterns and lifestyles in the accelerated urbanization process, which is generated by machines, railways, airplanes, loudspeakers, and so on [1]. Increasing noise has been treated as one of the four major environmental pollutants [2].…”