Noise pollution Children need better protection

The noise pollution of children is the main focus of this year's Noise Against Noise event, with not only threatening impairments of hearing, but also the negative effects on the ability to concentrate and learn as well as other threatening health consequences.

"Children and adolescents often suffer from noise - sometimes with grave consequences," according to the Federal Environmental Agency's (UBA) announcement on the occasion of the Noise Day on 29 April. In many cases, the noise level in the school is so high that not only the ability to concentrate suffers, but also the hearing can be affected. "Children often seem to find relatively little noise, but even the level in a classroom can be stressful, even more intense is the break room when it is cold or raining," Prof. Dr. med. Brigitte Schulte-Fortkamp, ​​acoustics specialist of the TU Berlin as well as board member of the German society for acoustics (DEGA) and leader of the action day in Germany by the news agency "dpa" quoted.

Poor acoustics in many classrooms
Also due to incorrect construction methods, the noise in schools and break-out halls can turn out to be significantly higher, according to the German Society for Acoustics. Thus, the calls, laughter and screaming, which can reach up to 80 decibels anyway reinforced by unfavorable Raumhall, reports Prof. Schulte-Fortkamp. "There is a lot to improve. We wrote 800 architects for a competition to create a quiet classroom, "said the expert in the dpa message. According to the DEGA, good classroom acoustics are "an essential condition for successful instruction." The requirements for classrooms are clearly defined by DIN 18041 (audibility in small to medium-sized rooms), but "many classrooms in Germany - serious estimates are clear more than 50 percent - these requirements are not enough ". These classrooms are "reverberant" and too long reverberation times make the language difficult to understand.

Noise impairs learning conditions
Due to insufficient classroom acoustics, according to the DEGA, there is often a vicious circle in which the increasing noise level leads to a reduced attention of the students, which in turn causes more disturbances of the lessons, whereby the noise level increases additionally. In the end, there is a significantly reduced work and learning performance. Thus, the acoustic specialist Schulte-Fortkamp reports to the "dpa" of a study in 2005, which had pointed to a deteriorated learning ability and memory function in continuous noise. In addition, a long-term study in 2014 found that children from schools affected by aircraft noise had a lower reading performance than children from schools in a quieter environment. Ten decibels more noise would have been a month behind in reading performance. "This may not seem relevant at first, but what matters is that you take this delay to the next grade, it continues," Schulte-Fortkamp is quoted by the "dpa".

Every eighth child with reduced hearing
Noise can affect not only the language development, reading ability and mental performance of the children, but often also report teenagers in Germany about tinnitus-like ear noises after heavy noise, reports the Federal Environment Agency. About every eighth child also does not perceive at least one tone frequency in the hearing test. Although the causes of this are largely unknown, but too loud listening to music - for example, headphones - made many responsible. The number of adolescents in Germany suffering from tinnitus symptoms is increasing at a worrying rate. "Anyone who regularly listens to loud music via headphones risks incurable hearing damage," warns the UBA. In addition, discos and clubs have a large share of hearing damage among young people.

Workshops with the "Noise Case"
At this year's Day Against Noise, the German Federal Environmental Agency and the German Acoustics Association are addressing children and adolescents under the motto "Noise - annoying!" In order to sensitize them to the noise and its consequences. For example, workshops with the "Noise Case" are offered by the noise workgroup of DEGA at interested schools. The one-day action takes place on-site at the school and it will be taught inter alia, the subjects "hearing, perception of noise, noise, noise effects playful and with the help of the noise suitcase, so the message from the DEGA. Afterwards, the noise suitcase can be borrowed from the school for a few weeks to inform pupils about the consequences of the noise pollution with the help of sound level meters, tuning forks, oversized silicone tubes and other materials. (Fp)

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Picture credits: S. Hofschlaeger