Exposure of educational institutions to traffic-induced noise at Chittagong City, Bangladesh

The amplitude and intensity of traffic-induced noise at the environmental setup of the educational institutions in Chittagong City, Bangladesh were investigated. Average maximum and minimum sound levels in the study area ranged from 65.46 to 82.24 dB and 60.63 to 70.89 dB, respectively. Noise at all the studied educational institutions exceeded the safe limit (45 dB) as prescribed by the Department of Environment, Bangladesh and World Health Organization. Sound levels showed a significant (P = 0.000) declining trend with increase in the distance from the source of noise. Among the noise-induced physical health problems, headache (69%) and among the mental health problems, lack of concentration in study (78%) was expressed by the maximum number of students. The findings of the study can be considered as baseline data for the decision makers in formulating policies and guidelines regarding the control of noise pollution in the context of educational institutions.