Acta Scientific Otolaryngology (ASOL) (ISSN: 2582-5550)

Review Article Volume 4 Issue 8

Low Frequency (LFN) Noise: Effects and Assessment

Alberto Behar*

Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Canada

*Corresponding Author: Alberto Behar, Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Canada.

Received: May 27, 2022; Published: July 08, 2022

Abstract

Low frequency (LFN) noise is a noise that contains most of its energy in the lower portion of the spectrum, bellow the frequency of 200 Hz. It is generated by vibrations of large machineries, such as large power transformers, electric generators, compressors, etc. Energy at those frequencies propagates to large distances with little attenuation, so distances act as a low frequency filters. As a consequence, wide band noise at the origin becomes LFN far away from the source. This type of noise is also difficult to control, since the attenuation of noise control materials is low. Also the diffraction of barriers is largely ineffective. As a consequence, control of LFN requires sophisticated and expensive measures.

LFN is not considered hazardous, since it does not affect the hearing organ. However, it tends to be highly annoying, having also effects such as sleep deprivation, speech interference and others.

There is not, at the present, a uniformly accepted method for LFN assessment as well there are no set limits for acceptable noise levels. The most used method is still the A-C, although there are objections to it. This paper reviews the nature, effects and measurement status of the LFN.

Keywords: Noise; Annoyance; LFN; Noise Hazard; A-C Method

References

  1. Christos Baliatsas., et al. “Health effects from low-frequency noise and infrasound in the general population”. Science of The Total Environment 557-558 (2016): 163-169.
  2. Fletcher H and Munson WA. "Loudness, its definition, measurement and calculation". Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 5 (1933): 82-108.
  3. Robinson DW., et al. “A re-determination of the equal-loudness relations for pure tones". British Journal of Applied Physics 7 (1956): 166-181.
  4. International Standard Association ISO Standard 226:2003. Acoustics_Normal Equal-Loudness-Level Contours (2003).
  5. CSA Z1007:16 (2020): Hearing loss prevention program (HLPP) management. Canadian Standards Assocation.
  6. Berglund B and Lindwall T. (Eds). Community Noise (Archives of the Centre for Sensory Research). Stokholm University, Stockholm, Sweden 2.1 (1995).
  7. HG Leventhall. “Low frequency noise and annoyance”. Noise Health 6 (2004): 59-72.
  8. JD Irwin and ER Graf. “Industrial noise and vibration control”. Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1979)
  9. Energy Resources Conservation Board. Directive 038 (2007): Noise Control. Calgary (Alberta), Canada.
  10. Montano WA. “Low-frequency noise and infrasound are underestimated by dBA measurement. After 80 years it is necessary a LFN descriptor for rating its annoyance”. Noise Theory and Practice1 (2020): 7-29.

Citation

Citation: Alberto Behar. “Low Frequency (LFN) Noise: Effects and Assessment".Acta Scientific Otolaryngology 4.8 (2022): 07-10.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Alberto Behar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.




Metrics

Acceptance rate34%
Acceptance to publication20-30 days
Impact Factor0.871

Indexed In







News and Events


  • Certification for Review
    Acta Scientific certifies the Editors/reviewers for their review done towards the assigned articles of the respective journals.
  • Submission Timeline for Upcoming Issue
    The last date for submission of articles for regular Issues is December 25, 2024.
  • Publication Certificate
    Authors will be issued a "Publication Certificate" as a mark of appreciation for publishing their work.
  • Best Article of the Issue
    The Editors will elect one Best Article after each issue release. The authors of this article will be provided with a certificate of "Best Article of the Issue"

Contact US