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

Lima, the capitol city of Perú, a metropolis with more than 6 million people, has had in the last 30 years a sudden, explosive, and unsettled growth. Consequently, the city is always attacked by an endless number of noise sources. The nonacception of requirements for acoustic planning has caused noise producer 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 noise, 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, in Peru there are no acoustical research centers or laboratories in acoustics; nor are there professional researchers in acoustics. The results of this research allowed comparison of the average levels calculated, around 88 dB in downtown, in regard to requested noise levels. The lack of legislation, acoustic research, and people’s knowledge about noise damage indicates the progressive increase in the noise levels, almost 1 dB per year, in the near future.