Noise perception of the population living in the neighbourhood of the bay of Pasaia (Gipuzkoa)

Abstract

Background: Noise is an environmental pollution agent to which a high percentage of the urban population, as well as residents living around important sources of noise, are exposed.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out to measure the perception of noise of the residents living in the area of the bay of Pasaia (Guipuzkoa, Spain). 351 dwellings were randomly selected. A structured questionnaire was used to gather information about the respondent self-perception of annoyance and sensitivity to noise. The sound pressure levels were estimated using a model that took into account the main characteristics of the different sources of noise.

Results: 37.5% of the sample reported to be annoyed by noise. The interviewees declared that the main sourceof annoyance was the traffic (60%) followed by the activity in the harbour (24%). The annoyance attributed tonoise was not correlated with the estimated sound level, but with the level of sensitivity to this physical agent(r=0.36; p<0.01). The percentage of the population that showed that the noise levels interfered with activities like getting to sleep was not high (9.5%). Nevertheless, half of the interviewees had already installed in their houses some kind of protection against noise.

Conclusions: The relationship among the degree of annoyance caused by noise, the sensitivity to noise, the sound levels and other social and demographic variables show a very interrelated and complex phenomenon. The fact that half of the population had taken any measure to protect them from noise could have mitigated the percentage of people that declare to be annoyed by noise.