Download Noise Pollution

2/14/2013
Pennsylvania References for Eco-Healthy Child Care©
Noise Pollution
Reference Contents:
Noise Pollution
Description
1
PA DPW
Regulations
1
Caring for Our 2
Children:
National Health
& Safety Standards (3rd Edition, 2011)
Model Child
Care Health
Policies
2
OCDEL has launched
the PA ECE Healthy &
Green Initiative. One
of our top priorities of
this initiative is to promote and improve the
environmental health of
Pennsylvania’s early
learning programs for
the sake of children and
staff. This reference
page outlines Pennsylvania regulations and
also defines what is encouraged beyond licensing requirements related
to the topic area. For
more information about
the PA ECE Healthy &
Green Initiative, please
visit www.pakeys.org.
Eco-Healthy Child Care© explains that The World Health Organization (WHO) and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognize the harmful health effects of noise
pollution. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noise pollution is
“an increasing public health problem” that can lead to variety of adverse health effects,
including hearing loss, stress, high blood pressure, interference with speech, headaches,
disturbance of rest and sleep, productivity and mental health effects, and a general reduction in one’s quality of life.
What is Noise Pollution?
Noise pollution is unpleasant noise created by people or machines that can be annoying,
distracting, intrusive, and/or physically painful. Noise pollution may come from outdoor
sources, such as road traffic, jet planes, garbage trucks, construction equipment, manufacturing processes, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and indoor sources, including: boom
boxes, heating and air conditioning units, and metal chairs scraping on floors.
http://www.cehn.org/ehcc
http://www.cehn.org/files/Noise_Pollution_7_12.pdf
Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare
Child Care Licensing Regulations
None Applicable
Pennsylvania Recommendations
Pennsylvania does not address noise pollution in its regulations for early learning programs. OCDEL encourages early learning programs to reduce children’s exposure to
noise pollution by implementing the recommendations of Eco-Healthy Child Care©.
OCDEL also encourages you to reference the following Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards (3rd Edition, 2011) that relate to this
topic area.
2/14/2013
Page 2
Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards
(3rd Edition, 2011)
Standard 5.2.3.1
Noise Levels
Measures should be taken in all rooms or areas
accommodating children to maintain the decibel
(db) level at or below thirty-five decibels for at
least 80% of the time as measured by an acoustical engineer or, more practically, by the ability
to be clearly heard and understood in a normal
conversation without raising one’s voice. These
measures include noncombustible acoustical
ceiling, rugs, wall covering, partitions, or draperies, or a combination thereof.
RATIONALE: Excessive sound levels can be
damaging to hearing, reduce effective communication, and reduce psychosocial well-being. The
level of noise that causes hearing loss commonly experienced by children with fluid in their
middle ear space is thirty-five decibels (1). This
level of hearing loss correlates with decreased
understanding of language. By inference, this
level of ambient noise may interfere with the
ability of children to hear well enough to develop
language normally (2,3).
Research on the effects of ambient noise levels
in child care settings has focused on a) concern
with damage to the child’s auditory system and
b) non-auditory effects such as physiological
effects (e.g., elevated blood pressure levels),
motivational effects, and cognitive effects (3).
Although noise sources may be located outside
the child care facility, sometimes the noise
source is related to the design of the child care
spaces within the facility. In the article “Design
of Child Care Centers and Effects of Noise on
Young Children,” Maxwell states “spaces must
allow for the fact that children need to make
noise but the subsequent noise levels should
not be harmful to them or others in the center” (3).
COMMENTS: When there is new construction or renovation of a facility, consideration
should be given to a design that will reduce
noise from outside. High ceiling heights may
contribute to noise levels. Installing acoustical tile ceilings reduce noise levels as well as
curtains or other soft window treatments over
windows and wall-mounted cork boards (4).
While carpets can help reduce the level of
noise, they can absorb moisture and serve
as a place for microorganisms to grow. Area
rugs should be considered instead of carpet
because they can be taken up and washed
often. Area rugs should be secured with a
non-slip mat or other method to prevent tripping hazards.
Caregivers/teachers who need extensive
help with sound abatement should consult a
child care health consultant for additional
ideas or with an acoustical engineer to measure noise levels within the facility. For further
assistance on finding an acoustical engineer,
contact the Acoustical Society of America.
TYPE OF FACILITY: Center; Large Family
Child Care Home; Small Family Child Care
Home
http://nrckids.org/CFOC3/HTMLVersion/
Model Child Care Health Policies: ECELS/Healthy Child Care Pennsylvania, PA Chapter of the American
Academy of Pediatrics, is accessible on the ECELS website at:
www.ecels-healthychildcarepa.org