Everyone’s Health
The World Health Organization’s “Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region” recommend reducing road traffic noise to 53dB during the day and 45dB at night.
See link for a discussion of the health outcomes from exposure to road noise:
Environmental Noise Pollution in the United States: Developing an Effective Public Health Response.
Hammer, Monica S. et al.
Environmental Determinants of Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Disorders: Implications for Population Health.
Current Epidemiology Reports volume 5, pages 61-69 (2018).
Is Noise Pollution the Next Big Public-Health Crisis?
The New Yorker, May 13, 2019
Twelve considerations regarding Sirens in Vancouver
In 2011, a resident of downtown Vancouver named Ted Kuntz developed the following list of considerations regarding sirens
Twelve Considerations
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Children’s Health
Nocturnal Road Traffic Noise Exposure and Children’s Sleep Duration and Sleep Problems.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
2017 May; 14(5): 491.
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Ambulance Patients’ Health
The Use of Emergency Lights and Sirens by Ambulances and Their Effect on Patient Outcomes and Public Safety: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine; Cambridge Vol. 32, Iss. 2, (Apr 2017): 209-216.
EMS Lights And Sirens
Does crash risk increase when emergency vehicles are driving with lights and sirens?
Accident Analysis and Prevention. 2018 Apr;113:257-262. [pay-per-view]
Decreasing Usage of Lights and Sirens in an Urban Environment: A Quality Improvement Project.
Pediatr Qual Saf. 2020 Mar-Apr; 5(2): e279.
Acoustic characteristics for effective ambulance sirens.
Acoustics Australia, 08/2011, Volume 39, Issue 2
A simple three-step dispatch rule may reduce lights and sirens responses to motor vehicle crashes.
Emergency Medicine Journal, 2012;29:592-595. [pay-per-view]
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EMS Responders’ Health
Occupational Exposure to Noise From Authorized Emergency Vehicle Sirens.
International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics Volume 20, 2014 – Issue 3. [pay-per-view]
Hazardous decibels: hearing health of firefighters.
American Association of Occupational Health Nursing Journal, 2007 Aug;55(8):313-9. [pay-per-view]
Firefighter noise exposure during training activities and general equipment use.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 10(3):116-21. [pay-per-view]
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