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Evaluation of Low Frequency Noise, Infrasound, and Health Symptoms at an Administrative Building and Men’s Shelter
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2019/10/01
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Source: Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 2019-0119-3362, 2019 Oct
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Description:The Health Hazard Evaluation Program received a request from employer representatives of a nonprofit organization, a mobile health services provider, and county health department officials. The requesters were concerned that sound and vibrations originating from an inactive landfill with methane flares could be associated with health effects among employees who work at the nonprofit organization's campus. Two events caused particular concern because of the perceived noise intensity and symptoms among some employees led to the campus being vacated. Our evaluation included (1) measuring sound levels and noise frequency (one-third octave band noise measurements), and (2) interviewing employees about unusual sounds or vibrations, personal health, and their perceptions of the nonprofit organization and the county's response. Sound level and noise frequency measurements during the site visit were well below levels likely to cause adverse health effects. However, the relatively greater noise levels in low frequencies compared to levels in higher frequencies resulted in a spectrum imbalance that exceeded some European guidelines. Many employees reported symptoms they thought were related to unusual sounds and vibrations at the workplace, but different explanations for symptoms among different employees were likely. Employees were concerned about communication issues surrounding the incidents, and over half of the employees reported that they were uncomfortable returning to work at the vacated campus. We recommended reducing low frequency noise by decreasing turbulence generated by the methane flares, improving communication to all nonprofit organization and mobile clinic employees, taking employees' perceptions of risk and willingness to return to work at the vacated campus into consideration, and encouraging employees to report health concerns they think are work-related to their supervisor.
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Pages in Document:36 pdf pages
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Contributor:Booher, Donald E.;Echt, Hannah;Hamilton, Cheryl;Moore, Kevin;Tyrawski, Jennifer;
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NIOSHTIC Number:nn:20057719
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NTIS Accession Number:PB2020-100127
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Citation:NIOSH [2019]. Evaluation of low frequency noise, infrasound, and health symptoms at an;administrative building and men’s shelter. By Chiu S, Brueck SE, Wiegand DM, Free H. Cincinnati,;OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,;National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2019-0119-3362;
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Federal Fiscal Year:2020
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Peer Reviewed:False
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[PDF-645.95 KB]