Noise pollution in Maltese schools

Abstract

Noise pollution refers to regular exposure to high sound pressure levels that can harm humans or other living organisms. Children are particularly vulnerable to noise pollution and in schools it can also affect their learning. Indeed, the World Health Organisation (WHO) considers schools as noise sensitive buildings and it set guidelines at 55 dB LAeq for outdoor playgrounds and 35 dB LAeq for indoor classrooms. The aim of this dissertation is to measure the degree of noise exposure from traffic in eight Maltese schools. An i437L Class 2 omni directional microphone was used to take these measurements at the façade of the schools most exposed to the nearby major road. For each school, measurements were taken during school hours, generally over a whole week. The following noise indices were considered for this study: LA10, LAeq, LA90. The results derived from this study show that the measured noise levels in all the schools exceeded the 55 dB LAeq outdoor WHO guideline. The highest noise pollution levels were in the National Sport School, Pembroke, which is situated close to a very busy major road, whilst the lowest were in Savio College, Dingli. Indeed, a significant difference was found between the mean noise values for schools in urban and rural areas. Meanwhile, the results do not indicate a clear pattern of weekday variation in noise levels, but the measured peak levels were between 08:00 and 9:00, with a slightly smaller rise in the early afternoon, which were consistent with the diurnal traffic pattern on the Maltese roads. Using Pearson correlation coefficients, a significant relationship was found between the normalised noise values (to compensate for different distances from the major roads) and 2020 traffic counts. Indeed, the traffic flows in major roads near schools influenced both the measured road traffic noise LA10 and background noise LA90. Moreover, the high correlation exhibited between the noise indices and an Environmental Justice index shows that schools situated in disadvantaged areas are more susceptible to traffic noise. Given the high measured noise levels, mitigation measures were proposed. In particular, double glazing would be sufficient to reduce noise pollution levels below the WHO guidelines in all the selected schools. Other options include noise barriers and low noise asphalt. Since there is a lack of studies regarding noise pollution in Malta, especially in schools, this dissertation makes a relevant contribution to this research area and can serve as a useful foundation for further studies.