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Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau

National Guidelines for Environmental National Guidelines for Environmental Assessment: Health Impacts of NoiseAssessment: Health Impacts of Noise

Stephen Bly

Canada


Environmental Assessment:Health Impacts of Noise

• Under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act certain projects with Federal Government involvement e.g., highway and rail, must undergo an environmental assessment.

• A project may not proceed if it is likely to cause significant adverse health effects from project-related noise, after mitigation is accounted for.

• Transport Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Transportation Agency have requested expert input from the Acoustics Division on this judgment.

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Why do we need National Guidelines?

INCREASE EFFICIENCY • number of requests has increased considerably

INCREASE TRANSPARENCY • wide variation in information and analyses used to assess health

impacts of project-related noise

STATE-OF-THE-ART• Federal-Provincial document, National Guidelines for

Environmental Noise Control, doesn’t address these problems and parts are out of date.

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How should health impacts be assessed?

GENERAL• direct and cumulative effects on human health, i.e.,

physical, mental and social well-being;

• health effects: (i) adverse, (ii) significant and (iii) likely;

• significance of effects determined by their: (i) severity, (ii) duration, (iii) frequency, (iv) reversibility of effects

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Assessment of Health Impacts of Noise

COMPARE QUALITY OF NOISE ENVIRONMENTS: EXISTING TO PROJECT – Characterize noise environments

• Noise measurement and/or modeling.

– Estimate changes in health due to project noise• Noise levels

• Changes in noise levels

• Dose response relationships

• Existing criteria

• Community consultations

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What is the basis for health impact assessment for project operation?

Average values of percentage highly annoyed (%ha) with and without the project:

%ha = 100

1 + exp[10.4 -1.32*log(100.1*Leq24+3.375*100.1*Ln)]

Leq24 - 24 hour time average sound level

Ln - night time average sound level

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Estimating the %ha (continued)

Sound levels are adjusted for noise environment and/or source.

based on CAN/CSA-ISO 1996-1:05 (ISO 1996-1:2003) Description, measurement and assessment of environmental noise

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Source or environment specific adjustments

Noise source or environmentLeq24 and Ln adjustments

Quiet rural environment +10

Highway or Road Traffic 0

Rail (excluding electric and shunting) 0

Electric Rail - 3 to - 6

Audible Rail Yard Shunting +12

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100

80

60

40

20

0

%hi

ghly

ann

oyed

35 45 55 65 75 85Leq24

Adapted from ISO 1996-1:2003 Assumes Ln = Leq24 – 2 dBA0 dB adjustment

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Draft criteria to assess health impacts

SEVERE IMPACT– Change in %ha 6.5%– Leq 24 > 70 dBA (assumes Ln = Leq24 - 2 dBA)

U.S. References– FTA Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment

Guidance Manual (DOT-T-95-16; 1995)– FRA High-Speed Ground Transportation Noise and

Vibration Impact Assessment– HUD Standard (noise)

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Severe impact project Leq24 noise levels Major Highway project: Ln = Leq24 –2 dBA

Existing Leq24 Existing Ln Project Leq24

38 (quiet rural) 30 46

55 (road) 49 58

65 (heavy road) 59 63

70 (highway) 68 70+

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WHO Guidelines – Susceptible populations

Site LAeq

(dB)

indoor

Time base hours LAmax,

Fast (dB)

Pre-School or School

35 during class N/A

Hospital room or ward

30 8 hr, 11 pm – 7 am

16 hr, 7 am – 11 pm

40

Day Care or Pre-School sleep areas

30 nap time 45

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Monitoring and prediction- Methodology issues

• Representative sites – (locations, contours)

• Representative durations – (hours, days, seasons)

• Complex environments – (multiple noise sources)

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Special Assessment Issues

• Noise and sleep

• Noise and communication/learning

• No guidelines for noise impacts on cultural and ceremonial activities of First Nations people

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How should mitigation be addressed?

• COMMUNITY CONSULTATION

• ENGINEERING CONTROLS AT SOURCE

– Noise emission declarations for construction machinery

– Noise emission specs (limits) for locomotives

– “Quiet pavement” for Highways

• ENGINEERING CONTROLS

– Path (barriers)

• POST PROJECT MONITORING

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WORKING GROUP - March 30, 2005 21 people - HC Secretariat and Chair

• SUFFICIENT NOISE EXPERTISE• Consultants – QC, ON, AB, BC

Provinces – QC, ON, ABFederal – HC, CTA, TCProponent - CN

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7 Subcommittees - tasks and deadlines

TASKS

• Consolidation of Provincial noise guidelines • Preamble • Annex(es) of rationales to explain the health effects criteria• Recommendations of threshold sound levels, acceptable

changes in sound levels and sound level limits• School classroom sound level data• Recommendations for assessment of construction noise

DEADLINESSubcommittee Input for new draft November 15, 2005Working Group Meeting January 19, 2006

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Summary

Draft Fact Sheet for Noise Issues

– Helps Health Canada respond efficiently and transparently to requests for expert information on environmental assessments

– Difficult issues remain

– Broad based Working Group and stakeholder comment will be used to further develop the draft

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