Characterization of environmental noise based on noise measurements, noise mapping and interviews: A case study at a university campus in Brazil Paulo Henrique Trombetta Zannin ⇑ , Margret Sibylle Engel, Paulo Eduardo Kirrian Fiedler, Fernando Bunn Laboratory of Environmental and Industrial Acoustics and Acoustic Comfort, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil article info Article history: Received 9 April 2012 Received in revised form 23 August 2012 Accepted 30 September 2012 Available online 11 November 2012 Keywords: Traffic noise Noise pollution Sound perception Environmental noise University campus Noise mapping abstract The purpose of this research was to characterize the environmental noise on the campus of the Polytech- nic Center of the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil. This research was divided into two parts: (1) Objec- tive – in situ measurements of the equivalent continuous sound pressure level L Aeq followed by noise mapping of the whole campus area, using B&K Predictor 7810 software; (2) Subjective – involving the preparation and application of a questionnaire to a sample of 389 people from the campus population to gather information about their reactions to noise. The L Aeq data were compared with the noise immis- sion limits for outdoor environments in educational areas recommended by WHO – L Aeq = 55 dB(A). The results indicated that 89.65% of the 58 evaluated points exceeded the 55 dB(A) limit. Concentration dif- ficulties and irritation were the most cited effects in all educational sectors evaluated. Together, these two effects were cited by 61% of the interviewed people in the Biological Science Sector, 81% in the Exact Science Sector, 69% in the Earth Science Sector and 74% in the Technological Sector. Further, there were strong positive correlations between measured noise levels and reports of annoyance from noise levels perceived by the interviewed campus population. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Noise pollution today is one of the main forms of urban envi- ronmental pollution and is responsible for negative impacts that are harmful to the environment and the quality of life of the pop- ulation (WHO, 2003). The increase in noise pollution is related, among other factors, to urban population growth and the resulting increase in the number of noise sources, such as civil construction activities and increasing numbers of vehicles in circulation (Mohammadi, 2009). In noise perception surveys carried out by Zannin, Calixto, Diniz, Ferreira, and Schuhli (2002), most of the interviewees sta- ted that the types of noise that were the most irksome came from vehicle traffic, civil construction, nightclubs, sirens and fireworks. In the learning context, noise affects the behavior and under- standing of students, and very noisy places are unfavorable for learning and make teaching exhaustive (Hagen, Huber, & Kahlert, 2002). High sound levels not only affect the verbal quality of com- munication but also contribute to serious problems in the intellec- tual development of students, such as impaired learning, writing and speaking difficulties, limitations in reading comprehension and development of vocabulary (Berglund, Lindvall, & Schwela, 1990). Studies in several countries have broached the problem of environmental noise in urban and or educational areas (Astolfi & Pellerey, 2008; Calixto, Diniz, & Zannin, 2003; da Paz, Ferreira & Zannin, 2005; da Paz & Zannin, 2010; Dockrell & Shield, 2004; Golmohammadi, Ghorbani, Mahjub, & Deneshmehr, 2010; Goswami, 2011; Hétu, Truchon-Gagnon, & Bilodeau, 1990; Kennedy, Hodgson, Edgett, Lamb, & Rempel, 2006; Otutu, 2011; Pheng, Yean, Lye, Ismail, & Kassim, 2006; Thakur, 2006; Zannin & Marcon, 2007; Zannin & Zwirtes, 2009). However, these studies did not use noise mapping as a tool to diagnose the situation of environmental noise. Noise mapping is an important tool for sup- plying relevant information for global and local action plans (Guedes, Bertoli, & Zannin, 2011; Klæboe, Engelien, & Steinnes, 2006; WG-AEN, 2006). This tool has been used to assess environ- mental noise in Brazilian cities such as Rio de Janeiro Aracaju and Curitiba (Guedes et al., 2011; Pinto & Mardones, 2009; Zannin & Sant’Ana, 2011). This paper describes the characterization of noise pollution on a university campus by means of sound level measurements, noise mapping and interviews. The largest concentration of teaching staff of this university works in the area under study, thus justify- ing the concern with their psychophysiological wellbeing with regard to noise. 0264-2751/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2012.09.008 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +55 41 3361 3433. E-mail addresses: paulo.zannin@pesquisador.cnpq.br, paulo.zannin@gmail.com (P.H.T. Zannin). Cities 31 (2013) 317–327 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Cities journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cities