ABSTRACT
Noise affects a wide array of human behaviors that have implications for health and wellbeing. This chapter briefly describes these impacts, focusing on methods of assessment. Noise impacts can be divided into auditory and nonauditory effects. Auditory impacts refer to impacts of noise that directly interfere with hearing and are caused primarily by the energy level (i.e., decibels) of the stimulus. Because of widespread, detailed information on audiometry and the need for training, persons desiring to assess hearing damage from noise are advised to retain a certified audiologist. Thus we will not cover audiology herein but touch on two other auditory impacts of noise: sleep disturbance and speech interference. Nonauditory impacts are outcomes of noise exposure that are independent of auditory effects. They occur at sound intensity levels below those necessary to produce hearing damage and appear to have nothing to do with auditory interference with listening, such as masking of sounds.
