Characterization of environmental noise on a university campus based on noise measurements and interviews. Margret Sibylle Engel 1 , Fernanda Hariane Ferraz 2 , Paulo Henrique Trombetta Zannin 3 1 Federal University of Paraná, Post Graduation Program in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Curitiba, Brazil. E-Mail:margretengel@yahoo.com 2 Federal University of Paraná, Environmental Engineering Graduation. E-mail: fehafer@gmail.com 3 Federal University of Paraná, Laboratory of Environmental and Industrial Acoustics and Acoustic Comfort, Curitiba, Brazil. E-Mail: zannin@ufpr.br Introduction Preventive medicine recommends an equivalent continuous sound pressure level of Leq = 65 dB(A) as the limit of exposure to traffic noise for urban populations [1], [2]. Leq sound levels of 66 to 70 dB(A) should be considered as the threshold for the appearance of noise-related health problems, according to epidemiological researches [2]. Authors [3], [4], [1] affirm that sensitivity to noise triggers various psychological reactions. In the learning context, noise affects the behavior and understanding of students, and very noisy places are unfavorable for learning and make teaching exhaustive [5]. High sound levels not only affect the verbal quality of communication but also contribute to serious problems in the intellectual development of students, such as impaired learning, writing and speaking difficulties, limitations in reading comprehension and development of vocabulary [3]. This paper describes the characterization of noise pollution on the campus of the Polytechnic Center of the Federal University of Paraná by means of sound level readings and interviews. The largest concentration of teaching staff of this university works in the area under study, thus justifying the concern with their psychophysiological wellbeing with regard to noise. In view of this fact, the present study aimed to ascertain if the noise generated on campus falls within the limit suggested [2] and to determine whether or not the population involved is sensitive to the existence of noise pollution. Material and Methods The characterization of environmental noise around campus was subdivided into two distinct parts: a subjective part, which consisted of assessing the sound perception of the population that frequents the university campus, and an objective part, which involved taking sound pressure levels (SPL) measurements. Subjective Part The subjective part of this research required the preparation of a questionnaire about noise perception, which was applied to the four main concentrations of people in the study area, i.e., the Biological Sciences, Exact Sciences, Earth Sciences and Technology blocks. This required a survey of the population to be studied, definition of the sampling error and calculation of the size of the sample. The population was surveyed based on data supplied by the campus administrative office and the dean of students office [6]. Based on the universe of 13,523 people and on the pre- established sampling error (5%), the necessary size of the sample was determined to be 389 people. Objective Part Fifty-eight points on the campus were selected. The noise measurements taken at each point lasted for 3 minutes, and were always taken between 1:30 and 5:00 p.m. Acoustic descriptors such as A-weighted equivalent sound pressure levels (L eq ) were used and were expressed in dB [7], [8]. The results of the noise measurements were compared with the maximum SPL of 65 dB(A)[2]. The following devices and software programs were used for the noise measurements: B&K 2238, B&K 2250 and B&K 2260 sound level meters, B&K 4231 sound level calibrator and B&K 7815 Noise Explorer software. To evaluate the SPLs on campus, 58 points were selected to cover its entire area. The 58 measured points are: points 1 13, 52 53 (government-related research and technology institutes), points 14 26 (Physical Education blocks and courts), points 27 38 and 54 (Biological Sciences blocks), points 39 43 and 57 58 (Earth Sciences, Exact Sciences blocks and internal walkways and gardens) and points 38 37, 44 51, 55 56 (Technology blocks). Results and Discussion Subjective Part The population of the Polytechnic Center campus is comprised 49% of women and 51% of men. This male predominance is explained by the fields of study concentrated on this campus, most of which are areas of Engineering, which have historically attracted predominantly men. Most of the interviewees (90%) fall in the age group of 16 to 27 years. Among these 90%, 66% are 16 to 21 years old, representing undergraduate students, while 24% are 22 to 27 years old, corresponding to postgraduate students. The DAGA 2012 - Darmstadt 117