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How deafening was the festival? Scientists study effect on your healthBy Dr arvind, Section Health
Did you face symptoms like nausea, giddiness and vomiting after being exposed to more than two hours of noise on the concluding `immersion' day function of the Ganesh festival? Could you hear your mobile ring during the cacophony and did you raise your voice while talking to a friend standing at arm's length?
These and other questions were asked during a random but scientific survey conducted by doctors from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), environmental science students from Fergusson College and University of Pune. While the initial findings show that noise levels had touched nearly 119 decibels (dB) at Mandai - the annual survey of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) also shows a rise in the noise levels at certain places in the city. While the decibel recordings were taken every 10 minutes at three spots in the city and presently are being analysed, the initial trends show that the noise levels were the highest at Mandai at 119 dB,. According to Indian medical standards the maximum permissible limit of noise in the residential areas during daytime is 55dB and at night is 45dB. Click on "Full Story" for more...
Simultaneously, the annual survey conducted by MPCB during the last five days of the Ganesh festival too showed that there was an increase in the noise levels this year. Results of the survey conducted at 20 places in the city are being analysed, P K Mirashe Regional officer, MPCB said but trends show an increase in the deafening noise levels at various places.
According to Dr Avinash Bhondwe, President of the city unit of the IMA, health effects of noise pollution can range from irritation to even hearing loss. While noise may not seem as harmful as the contamination of air or water, it is a pollution problem that affects human health and can contribute to a general deterioration of environmental quality, he said. Below a sound level of 80 dB hearing loss does not occur at all. However temporary effects are noticed at sound levels between 80 and 130 dB. A sound level of 150 dB or more can physically rupture the human eardrum. The degree of hearing loss depends on the duration as well as the intensity of the noise. Prof Sarika Singh and other team members Rupali Bhosale, Priti Kulkarni, Dr Pallavi Shinde assisted Dr G R Pathade, chief coordinator of the Environmental Science Department at Fergusson College, in the survey. According to Singh, as many as 150 people were given questionnaires pertaining to the deafening levels during the Ganesh festival that saw the participation of nearly 3,000 mandals. Students positioned themselves on September 14- the day of the immersion of Lord Ganesh at three busy points in the city-Laxmi road, Tilak road and Mandai. From: The Indian Express, Sep-19-08
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