ABSTRACT
In order to protect people from being exposed to excessive noise, different communities have
implemented different types of legislative control. While the controls vary in scope, control
mechanisms, and technical requirements, and are based on different control philosophies, they are
intended to achieve a balance between the demand for a tranquil environment and the need for
maintaining economic and social activities. In general, the noise standards vary according to the
time of day and the use of the land concerned, with the more stringent standards applied to rest
periods and areas where the noise sensitivity is high, such as those with schools and hospitals, and
exclusive residential areas. Different countries have adopted different noise standards and regulations
to meet their local situations and requirements. This chapter cannot describe all major control
criteria and regulations in the world, or even in the major industrialized countries. Only the main
issues of legislation on noise emission and reception are briefly introduced in the chapter. More
details in the on-going noise control issues are found in Refs. [2,3].
