Assessment of ambient noise levels in the urban residential streets of Eastern Alexandria,Egypt

Background street of alexandria have numerous unplanned,mixed,and noisy activities that may interfere with public health and comfort. objectives the aim of this study was to assess a-weighted ambient noise levels in urban residential streets of eastern alexandria,egypt,from september 2010 to january 2011,with the objective of recommending corrective actions to minimize high noise levels. materials and methods a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out,in which a-weighted ambient noise levels were measured on the basis of 24-h periods,using ono sokki la-5120 - precision integrating sound level meter,from september 2010 to january 2011. the measurements were taken on three streets,which were selected using stratified random sampling. seven measurement sites,along the three streets under study,were selected by site visits according to predetermined criteria. results a-weighted ambient noise levels (laeq) were the highest [70.7 (24.2) db] on hightraffic- density and high-human-activity streets followed by streets with moderate and low traffic density and human activity [67.5 (31.3) and 62.8 (38.2) db],respectively. it varied significantly depending on means of transportation (road traffic,train,and/or tram) and human activities (parking lots,shops,and/or street merchants). conclusion the a-weighted ambient noise levels on urban residential streets of eastern alexandria,egypt,exceeded the egyptian national standards during the three periods of the day (daytime,evening,and night),except in some relatively quiet locations during the night. consequently,remedial actions to reduce noise levels were recommended. © 2012 egyptian public health association.