Vulnerability of school children exposed to traffic noise

Aims: The aim of this study was to find out the vulnerability of school children affected by roadside vehicle noise. Materials and Methods: The noise levels were measured in three time zones: 10.45 and 11.45 am, 12 and 1 pm, and 2 and 3 pm. A self-made interview schedule was constructed for getting feedback from the teachers and students about the problems associated with the teaching - learning process. The different percentile values L 10, L 50 , L 90 were used for the evaluation of noise climate (NC), equivalent noise level (Leq), transport noise index, and noise pollution level (L NP ). Results: The results revealed that the average distance of the roadside school situated in urban area (9.4 feet) was much less than in rural area (14.4 feet). The average number of vehicles in rural areas was much less than in urban areas. The study also demonstrated that out of five varieties of vehicles, only heavy vehicles like bus and trucks produce intense noise (85-90 dB). Although air siren of train has a very high noise, which range from 90 to 115 dB, other varieties of light vehicles also produced noise ranges from 76 to 90 dB. The average noise meter reading clearly indicates that lesser the distance from the roadside, higher is the noise intensity. Conclusion: Results revealed that not all schools, particularly those schools that are very close to the roadside, are intensely affected by such high pitch noise and subsequently teaching - learning process were also greatly affected by such activities. Therefore, it is highly recommended that village committee and municipality authority should coordinate with the school authority for taking measures for such irreversible damaged.