Quick Guide To Sound Isolation And Noise Control

Quick Guide To Sound Isolation And Noise Control
By Thomas Heins

It starts with a simple question, "How can I stop noise from going through this wall?" We have the answer, and it usually involves patching noise leaks in the floor, ceiling joists, windows, and vibrating structures that carry sound waves through solid material.

Noise leaks are air borne or structure borne. And contrary to what most people think, structure borne leaks carry more noise, because sound travels faster through dense material than air. So the problem of reducing noise is solved two ways, by constructing interweaving layers of mass and space. Mass contains the air borne sound, and space stops structural sound from traveling very far. So the basic principle behind sound isolation booths is to create a high mass wall, air gaps, more walls inside the wall, thus reducing noise transmission.

This sounds simple enough, in theory; however the details add up to a considerable amount of time and effort spent pinpointing leaks and problem spots. This is especially difficult to achieve with existing walls and structures, which necessitates custom built sound proof rooms, windows, and walls. In the medical and educational fields the latter route is usually required to meet the high quality and noise reduction standards.

If you plan on constructing a sound isolation booth or room, keep in mind any environmental problems. Don't build near train tracks or heavy traffic areas. Sound vibrations from heavy equipment and cars can travel through walls, and a plan of action must be taken to avoid these pitfalls. Each scenario presents a unique solution, so discuss your options with a sound isolation specialist.

Also, remember windows and doors are equally important to the sound proof seal. They are a common source of sound leaks, so noise lock windows and doors are usually recommended. Laminated glass with multiple panes helps reduce noise, and they are safer and priced competitively to standard glass. Doors need to be sealed and cored, similarly to a bank vault door, with a sound lock.

Once you've covered all the details, like ceilings, walls, floor, windows and doors, make sure your lighting and electrical needs are evaluated as well. Make sure wiring doesn't add any unwanted interference. By considering all potential problem areas, and discussing a plan of action, you'll be well on your way to virtually sound proof room for residential or business use.
Copyright © Integrity Enterprises

About the Author: http://www.integrityenterprisesus.com
Integrity Acoustic Solutions builds, installs, and repairs sound isolation booths, noise reductions rooms, and audiometry booths, for medical and educational institutions
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Listen Up! Exposure To Loud Noise May Cause Tumor & Other Health

Listen Up! Exposure To Loud Noise May Cause Tumor & Other Health Risks
By B. SixWise

Bob Seger, Jeff Beck, Sting, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton and Bob Dylan all have something in common. Their years of hard rocking have left a mark on more than just their fans -- after years of exposure to loud noise, they all now have hearing impairments.

But these hard rockers are not alone. Exposure to excessive noise is, in fact, the most common cause of hearing loss and the most common work-related disease.

Some 10 million Americans already have permanently damaged hearing from loud noise. Another 30 million are at risk right now in their homes, workplace and recreational settings, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).

Surprisingly, though, hearing loss is only one health risk that arises from loud noise exposure. There are several other, serious, risks as well.

According to Eddie Chandler, a stress management specialist, " ... Sounds can literally make you sick. Noise pollution can increase your stress levels and create severe tension in your daily life. It can increase your heart rate, raise your blood pressure and even result in insomnia."

Acoustic Neuroma Tumor

A study to be published in the February 2006 Journal of Epidemiology found that several years of repeated exposure to loud noise increases the risk of developing a non-cancerous tumor that could cause hearing loss.

People exposed to loud noise were 1.5 times more likely to develop the tumor, called acoustic neuroma, than people who weren't exposed to loud noise on a regular basis.

The slow-growing tumor gradually presses the cranial nerve that senses sound and helps with balance. Symptoms, which typically become noticeable at age 50 or older, include hearing loss and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

Noise Increases Heart Attack Risk

Prolonged exposure to high noise levels also increases the risk of a heart attack, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal.

The study involved 4,000 people who had been admitted to Berlin hospitals from 1998 to 2001. When it came to environmental noise (heavy traffic, machines like lawn mowers, yelling kids and barking dogs), it was found that:

Men who were exposed for a prolonged length of time had a 50 percent higher risk of heart attack than those not exposed.

Women who had been exposed to noise had a three times higher risk.

"We feel that, if you have a higher and longer exposure to noise, either environmental or workplace noise, you are at a higher risk for a heart attack," said lead investigator Dr. Stefan Willich.

Risk of High Blood Pressure Goes Up

Another study by University of Michigan researchers, published in the Archives of Environmental Health, found that working in a loud environment raises blood pressure levels.

They outfitted workers at a Midwest auto-assembly plant with monitors to take blood pressure readings and record noise levels throughout the day.

It was found that while blood pressure was affected by overall noise exposure, peaks in noise affected heart rate. Also, an increase of 10 decibels in average noise exposure resulted in a systolic blood pressure increase of 2 millimeters.

To put things in perspective, reducing systolic blood pressure by 6 millimeters (for the long-term) has been associated with a 35 percent to 40 percent reduction in strokes and a 20 percent to 25 percent drop in coronary disease.

Where is All This Loud Noise Coming From?

Noise from all over -- work, traffic, music, TVs, industry, people and more -- exists like never before. As a result, much of the population is now experiencing related hearing loss and other problems.

"There's no question that baby boomers have been exposed to different sources of noise than any generation before them," says Dr. James F. Battey Jr., director of NIDCD. "We're certainly seeing people in their 40s and 50s who notice their hearing is not as good as it used to be."

Younger people are also at risk of future problems, as exposure to noise via earbuds or headphones attached to MP3 players and other media devices is common.

Many people may not even realize that they are listening to music at harmful levels. An April 2005 study by National Acoustics Laboratories in Australia, published in the International Journal of Audiology, found that 25 percent of people wearing headphones who were stopped on city streets were listening at damaging volumes.

"Safe" Noise Levels

A safe average of noise for a 24-hour day is 70 dB, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Any noise that reaches 85 dB or more can damage your hearing, but even a softer noise can harm your health if it keeps you up at night (a 45-dB noise is loud enough to keep the average person awake) or irritates you.

To put things into perspective, here's a list of some common noise measurements:

Quiet home: 20 dB

Normal talking: 40 dB

Ringing telephone: 60 dB

Air conditioner: 75 dB

Heavy traffic: 90 dB

Subway train, honking horns, jack hammers: About 100 dB

Typical nightclub: 110 dB

Ears register pain: 120 dB

Loud music, jet take-off: About 120 dB

Noise-Reducing Tips

To keep noise to a minimum in your home, or to protect your hearing if you must be in a noisy environment, try these tips from the previous Sixwise.com article "Noise Pollution: How Bad is it, How Bad Could it Get, What are the Effects?":

Wear earplugs in noisy places

Turn down the volume on radios, personal headsets and TVs

Try muting your TV during the commercials, or leaving it off all together and reading a book instead.

Sound-treat your home by putting heavy curtains on windows, rugs on the floors and sealing all air leaks.

Consider adding acoustical tile to your ceilings and walls.

Put on some light music, like the Pure Relaxation CD, to buffer outside noise that you can't control.

Use sound-blocking headphones to listen to music/TV without the disturbance of outside noises, and without disturbing those around you.

Look for quieter home appliances.

Take a drive in a rural area to escape city noise for a day.

About the Author: This article was provided by the world's #1 most popular and trusted holistic living e-newsletter -- FREE to you right now at http://www.SixWise.com! The old way of thinking: "holistic living" pertains only to personal health. The new way of thinking: "holistic living" means prevention of the negative and adherence to the positive in all SIX practical areas of life: relationships, finances, career, home environment, safety and health. With the http://SixWise.com e-newsletter, you will get holistic wisdom from the world's top experts in all six of these areas -- completely FREE with a simple sign-up (and a guaranteed no-spam policy!) at http://www.SixWise.com.

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Eliminate The Ringing Noise In Ears In 5 Steps.

Eliminate The Ringing Noise In Ears In 5 Steps.
By John Currie

A ringing noise in ears is known in medical terms as tinnitus & there is no apparent outside source for this loud noise. The ringing noise in ears you hear comes from within and may be soft or loud. It can be a sizzling, roaring, buzzing, whistling, humming, hissing, blowing, or ringing noise. Some people have even reported hearing water running, air escaping, the inside of a seashell, and musical notes. Alternative terminology is noises or buzzing in the ears, hissing noise in ears, and ringing in the ears. Almost everyone experiences a mild form of tinnitus when you hear sounds in your ears for short periods.

Stop the ringing noise in your ears:
It is a very stressful condition when it is constant or repeated and it can intrude with your capability to concentrate or sleep. Studies has not been able to produce an exact cause for why people hear a ringing. Nevertheless, there are many theories floating around among the professionals and non professionals. This ringing can be a symptom of almost any ear condition including wax, ear infections, and injury from loud noises. Antibiotics, aspirin, alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs can lead to buzzing noises. Many times tinnitus is a symptom of high blood pressure, an allergy, or anemia.

A simple tinnitus fact:
Exposure to loud noise is the main cause of ringing ears in today's noisy world.

When one has been around loud levels of noise for a long period of time it is very possible that hearing loss and tinnitus may occur. The levels of the ear ringing will get louder in quite places where there is very little background noise. The sounds can not be heard by anyone else and can worsen if your stress levels are not in control. Stress can be a big factor in dealing with tinnitus and the ringing noise in ears, which is the reason why exercise is recommended.

At home there are some things you can do to lessen the ringing noise in ears such as avoiding coffee (caffeine), alcohol, and smoking (nicotine); get plenty of rest and sleep with head propped up to lessen head congestion; at night use competing sounds, such as low-level music, ticking clocks, or other noises.

A humidifier, white noise machine, or nearby running dishwasher, can help to drown out the noises and make it less irritating. A device worn like a hearing aid offers relief in some cases. Even a hearing aid may help lessen ringing noise in ears and amplify outside sounds. Learn how to relax the body because feeling stressed out and anxiousness can worsen the ringing noise in ears. Counseling has helped some to learn to tolerate tinnitus.

About the Author: Ellen and John Currie have been advising tinnitus sufferers from the tinnitus website http://www.t-gone.com since 1999, we offer both email and telephonic support for sufferers to overcome their battle with ringing noises in the ear.

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Noise Pollution – Complaint of the Day! - Cell Phone Ringtones.

Noise Pollution – Complaint of the Day! - Cell Phone Ringtones.

Okay, every day there seems to be something that is the BIG irritation of the day, so I’m guessing that I’m not alone in this one. I work in a good size office and it seems like every few minutes there’s a cell phone ringing. And everyone thinks it’s so cute to have their ‘special’ little ringtone blasting away. Hasn’t anyone figured out that there’s a volume control on their phone, or better yet use the vibration setting. They are obviously oblivious to the fact that they are annoying their co-workers, who are actually trying to do their job instead of taking personal calls on company time. It’s just amazing to me that more employers don’t require cell phones to be shut off during work hours. Then there’s the people who set their phone on their desk and leave for hours while the phone plays a short ringtone few seconds indicating that it has a message. Talk about inconsiderate! I’d love to take a hammer to their cell phone and let them return to a pile of little pieces on their desk. Okay, I feel better now … think I’ll go download a new ringtone for my phone now and turn the volume way up … lol

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Finding The Right Noise Cancelling Headphones

Finding The Right Noise Cancelling Headphones
By Ronald Rougeaux

Think all noise cancelling headphones are alike? Think there's basically just one use for head phones? Well, actually there are many, many uses for head phones and - more specifically - for noise canceling headphones. The major brand names for this style are Shure, SkullCandy, Etymotic Research, Ultimate Ears, Sennheiser and others.

There are basically a couple different ones to choose from...active and passive.

Active uses electronic circuitry to sense the incoming sounds to lower the amount you hear. These are the type that are over the ears. One of their disadvantages is they require batteries to operate. Passive needs no power and are the type that go in
the ears to block outside sounds....earphones, and to a lesser degree the type that come with the Ipod...earbuds.

1. Use these while you're on the airplane. Listen to music at a low volume and the circuitry in the headphone will reduce any background sound. That way, if you need to have some quiet or to get a good sleep, this is the ideal way to do it. They make
perfect for the business traveler who wants a little quiet on a loud airplane (piercing voice?) or wants to get a good night sleep in a hotel (why do they always seem to put YOU beside the party room?).

2. Use when you have to listen to training and seminars at work when you want the world to yourself, or the ringing phones or the sound of the fax machine.

3. Use when you want to hear music or watch your favorite movie and you don't want to subject others to your entertainment while at the same time you don't want to have to hear other sounds, which will diminish the potential of your entertainment.

4. Use when you want to play video or computer games and you want to truly become a part of the experience. Many sporting events become better when the sound is made to be an integral part of the game. This occurs when you forget that you're in a busy college dorm or a loud apartment building and you actually feel that you are in the race car or the dungeon or the basketball game (or wherever else your game happens to take place.

5. They are also great if you are a passenger in a car on a long trip and have trouble sleeping in the car. The head phones will cancel out the road noise, the rustling of the map, the sound of the car radio, etc. and you'll be able to sleep
peacefully.

6. Use when your child is learning to play an instrument. If they are learning an electric instrument, like guitar, bass, or piano, you can give them these headphones so they don't hear other noises (and so no one else can hear them!). You'll have a
happy son or daughter with a good musical ear and you'll also
have peace and quiet in your house!

7. Remember, to make a great gift for everyone and
particularly to make a great gift for the individual who has
everything, these are ideal. For that hard to buy for person on
your list this year, give them a pair of noise cancelling
headphones. And if they listen to music you don't like, you can
consider it a gift to yourself, too!

About the Author: If you're looking for quality, convenient and
something you'll use over and over again...try a pair of noise
cancelling headphones from
http://www.headphonewarehouse.com/Noise-Cancelling-Headphones.html
There are the passive and active types and they both work very
well for reducing noise.

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