Until recently, most of us have not been aware that noise, which can be a form of pollution, has an impact on health. Noise pollution is measured in decibels. According to WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines, the noise threshold for cardiovascular problems is chronic night-time exposure to 50 decibels or above, the noise of light traffic. For sleep disturbance, the threshold is 42 decibels and for general annoyance, it is 35 decibels, the sound of a whisper. Experts agree that, continued exposure to noise above 85 decibels, will eventually harm hearing.
Loud noise assaults the delicate hair cells of the inner ear. Noise-induced hearing loss happens gradually and without any pain. After repeated exposure to loud noise, a person may experience ringing in the ears or even difficulty in hearing. This is called a “temporary threshold shift.” With repeated exposure, this temporary shift in hearing, can become permanent and once permanent hearing damage has occurred, it is not possible to restore hearing. Often, by the time a person realizes that there is hearing loss, it is too late. But there are certain warning signs to suggest that there may be a problem. If you experience a ringing or buzzing (tinnitus) in the ears, immediately after exposure to noise, or a slight muffling of sounds after exposure making it difficult to understand people when you leave a noisy area, and if, you cannot really follow a speech, that is you can hear all the words, but you cannot understand all of them, you should immediately have your ears examined by an ear specialist.
Noise pollution comes mainly from aircraft, railroads, industry and construction; furthermore, people living in apartments are often bothered by noise in their homes. Improperly insulated walls and ceilings can fail to hide the sound of amplified music, voices and external noises. However, experts agree that hearing loss is mainly caused by a high level of noise in the workplace.
In a study conducted in Jeddah, M. Noweir and A. Jamil found that textile, publishing and paper products industries were the noisiest industries. These findings confirm the conclusions of a previous report organized by the national Occupational Hazard Survey which revealed that the top seven industries with the greatest percentage of workers exposed to 85 decibels or more, were lumber and wood textiles, petroleum utilities, metals, printing and paper products industries.
Some of the leading contractors in the Kingdom, admit that they only use thermal insulation, albeit in large amounts: “This however does virtually nothing when it comes to sound isolation; sometimes it can actually make the symptoms worse. More is not necessarily better when using thermal insulation for sound isolation. These are two distinctively different challenges and have to be treated differently,” says Shawn Saathoff.
Current construction techniques and materials do not lend themselves to noise reduction. The materials used are fiberglass, foam insulation, sound board, or extra layers of drywall. These do little to stop noise transmission. Even a concrete block wall is a poor barrier for sound as solid rigid materials actually vibrate themselves producing sound on the other side.
A major breakthrough, in the fight against noise pollution, took place when Acoustiblok, a new sound isolation material won the International Technology First Place Award for Sound Abatement. It was hailed by award judges as a revolutionary step in noise reduction for both the workplace and at home. This innovative material unlike other sound reduction materials, has such tremendous density and mass and yet takes up such minimal space, a crucial factor in the design and construction industry. Furthermore, it can be applied to existing buildings as well as during construction.
This revolutionary sound reduction system works like a curtain of lead. It is extremely flexible and very heavy. As sound waves cause it to move, it changes the sound energy into mechanical movement and trace amounts of heat thus expanding the energy. This is a far superior method to using solid rigid items which transfer energy from one side to the other.
According to Saathoff there is a need for sound isolation materials in Saudi Arabia: “After over a year of feeling out the region and interviewing architectural, and development firms, they all agree that the level of privacy is compromised in current buildings, and will be in future ones as well, if construction changes are not adopted and implemented. Hotels, office buildings, and private residence towers are the main places where levels of privacy and confidentiality are needed. People generally agreed that hotels in the Kingdom were number one in noise problems.”
There is a need to create an awareness in Saudi Arabia about the effects of noise pollution. Although building codes are improving, they are still too low. People tend to live much louder lifestyles than formerly and use less absorbent materials, such as tiles, in living areas. Moreover, a growing number of towers are being built as private residences, offices and hotels in which occupants will be looking for a quiet atmosphere and privacy. “A revolutionary sound reduction system such as Acoustiblok not only raises the quality of everyday life, but it also help maintains the cultural aspects of Saudi society taking the challenges out of close living arrangements and allowing for a more harmonious relationship with one’s neighbors,” concludes Shawn Saathoff.
For more information: www.acoustiblok.com
