EVALUATION OF HEALTH RISK LEVELS ASSOCIATED WITH TYPES OF RESIDENTIAL NOISE IN NIGER-DELTA, NIGERIA: USING URBAN AREAS OF AKWA IBOM STATE AS CASE STUDY

Abstract

Residential noise, which is among the main public health issues, should be professionally evaluated in order to produce the real picture of the health problem associated with each type. This research therefore presents the evaluation of health risk levels associated with types of residential noise in Niger-Delta, Nigeria: using urban areas of Akwa Ibom State as case study. Selected locations which included TC, HI and SH, among others were considered for the noise level measurements and the data obtained were compared with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other standard values. The selected locations were further assessed through administering of copies of a risk evaluation questionnaire to relevant respondents and the data were statistically analysed. The results revealed that TC had the highest average noise level of 115.01 dBA, but it was not located in residential areas. It was observed that HI and SH had respective average environmental noise levels of 47.28 dBA and 61.40 dBA, which means that with good acoustic materials, the insides of HI and SH were safe. The health risk level evaluation indicated that people in the areas were exposed to many sources of noise, where CA and LR top the list.