EFFECTS OF ROAD TRAFFIC NOISE ON INHABITANTS OF TOKYO

A questionnaire-based study was performed in an area of about 16 ha ne ar a main road in Tokyo to elucidate any relations between road traffi c noise and the effects of this noise among women living on both sides of the road. Questions concerned annoyance, sleep disturbance, interf erence with daily activities, health-related symptoms and disease hist ories. 366 inhabitants were analyzed. Dose-response relationships were found in high reported responses to noisiness, annoyance, dissatisfac tion with the nearby environment and interference with listening to TV , conversation and reading. It was also found that the number of high responses to questions increased clearly at noise levels above 70 dB(A ), L-eq(24h), with regard to interference with thinking and sleep dist urbance (waking during the night), fatigue, headache, gastroenteric di sorders, loss of appetite, depression and irritation. Furthermore, the re was an increase in reports of disease histories with noise above 70 dB(A) for climacteric disturbance, and at noise above 65 dB(A) for de afness, heart disease and hypercholesterolemia. These all suggest that noise may be related to the health status of inhabitants living in ar eas with heavy road traffic. A noise level of 65 dB(A) or 70 dB(A) in L-eq(24h) was the critical point above which respondents indicated inc reased effects on health and reports of disease increased. (C) 1997 Ac ademic Press Limited.