Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Journal of Young Scientist", Vol. 10
Written by Alexandru PETRUȘ, Patric BUTNARIU, Paul BOCU
Important sources for environmental noise exposure are road, railway and air traffic, or building sites. Noise exposure can also occur through other sources such as wind turbines, and leisure activities such as listening to loud music or other audio content including participation in e-sports (video and computer game competitions). Excessive noise can cause annoyance; in addition, research shows it increases the risk for hypertension, sleep disturbance, hearing impairment, tinnitus and cognitive impairment, with increasing evidence for other health impacts such as adverse birth outcomes and mental health problems. Today, noise pollution is a major environmental problem, cited as a top environmental risk to health across all age and social groups and an addition to the public health burden. Prolonged exposure to high levels of noise impairs human health and well-being, which is a growing concern. Traffic and other urban noises affect not only human well-being, but also disturb and endanger the survival of species crucial to the urban environment. The mental health benefits from natural sounds and general quietness are considered psychological ecosystem services provided by nature. Urban green space and vegetation produce positive psychological effects. Public parks, gardens and other small green areas provide pleasant sounds from nature, such as rustling leaves, swaying tree branches and chirping birds. Quiet urban areas offer acoustic relief to city inhabitants from noisy surroundings, a prerequisite for mental restoration and well-being. In this paper, we present the results of the questionnaire for the survey of public opinion regarding the perception of the level of noise in the urban ecosystems. The questionnaire contains ten questions and was addressed to various social categories, of age and with different levels of education. The questionnaire, the statistical interpretation and the graphics were made with the help of Google forms.
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