An exploratory study of community noise levels in the city of Lima Free

Lima, the capital city of Perú, a metropolis with more than 6 million people, has in the last 30 years had a sudden, explosive, and unsettled growth. Consequently, the city is always attacked by an endless number of noise sources. The absence of requirements for acoustic planning has caused noise producing activities to be mixed in with buildings requiring a quiet sonic environment. This study analyzes the main community noise sources and their levels: traffic and transportation noise, aircraft, and industrial noise. The noise pollution levels obtained, which were calculated through theoretical formulas and empirical methods, are plotted in noise maps of the metropolitan area of Lima. Unfortunately, Perú does not have an acoustical research center, laboratories in acoustics, or professional researchers in acoustics. The results of this research allowed comparison of the average levels calculated, around 92 dB in the downtown area, in regard to requested noise levels. The lack of legislation, acoustic research, and people's knowledge about noise damage will lead to its progressive increase, almost 1 dB per year, in the near future.