Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau National Guidelines for Environmental Assessment: Health Impacts of Noise Stephen Bly

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau Environmental Assessment: Health Impacts of Noise Under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act certain projects with Federal Government involvement e.g., highway and rail, must undergo an environmental assessment. A project may not proceed if it is likely to cause significant adverse health effects from project-related noise, after mitigation is accounted for. Transport Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Transportation Agency have requested expert input from the Acoustics Division on this judgment.

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau Why do we need National Guidelines? INCREASE EFFICIENCY number of requests has increased considerably INCREASE TRANSPARENCY wide variation in information and analyses used to assess health impacts of project-related noise STATE-OF-THE-ART Federal-Provincial document, National Guidelines for Environmental Noise Control, doesn’t address these problems and parts are out of date.

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau How should health impacts be assessed? GENERAL direct and cumulative effects on human health, i.e., physical, mental and social well-being; health effects: (i) adverse, (ii) significant and (iii) likely; significance of effects determined by their: (i) severity, (ii) duration, (iii) frequency, (iv) reversibility of effects

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau Assessment of Health Impacts of Noise COMPARE QUALITY OF NOISE ENVIRONMENTS: EXISTING TO PROJECT –Characterize noise environments Noise measurement and/or modeling. –Estimate changes in health due to project noise Noise levels Changes in noise levels Dose response relationships Existing criteria Community consultations

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau What is the basis for health impact assessment for project operation? Average values of percentage highly annoyed (%ha) with and without the project: %ha = exp[ *log(10 0.1*Leq *10 0.1*Ln )] Leq hour time average sound level Ln - night time average sound level

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau Estimating the %ha (continued) Sound levels are adjusted for noise environment and/or source. based on CAN/CSA-ISO :05 (ISO :2003) Description, measurement and assessment of environmental noise

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau Source or environment specific adjustments Noise source or environment Leq24 and Ln adjustments Quiet rural environment+10 Highway or Road Traffic0 Rail (excluding electric and shunting)0 Electric Rail- 3 to - 6 Audible Rail Yard Shunting+12

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau %highly annoyed Leq24 Adapted from ISO :2003 Assumes Ln = Leq24 – 2 dBA 0 dB adjustment

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau Draft criteria to assess health impacts SEVERE IMPACT –Change in %ha  6.5% –Leq 24 > 70 dBA (assumes Ln = Leq dBA) U.S. References –FTA Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Guidance Manual (DOT-T-95-16; 1995) –FRA High-Speed Ground Transportation Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment –HUD Standard (noise)

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau Severe impact project Leq24 noise levels Major Highway project: Ln = Leq24 –2 dBA Existing Leq24Existing LnProject Leq24 38 (quiet rural) (road) (heavy road) (highway)68 70+

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau WHO Guidelines – Susceptible populations SiteLAeq (dB) indoor Time base hoursLAmax, Fast (dB) Pre-School or School 35during classN/A Hospital room or ward 308 hr, 11 pm – 7 am 16 hr, 7 am – 11 pm 40 Day Care or Pre- School sleep areas 30nap time45

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau Monitoring and prediction- Methodology issues Representative sites –(locations, contours) Representative durations –(hours, days, seasons) Complex environments –(multiple noise sources)

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau Special Assessment Issues Noise and sleep Noise and communication/learning No guidelines for noise impacts on cultural and ceremonial activities of First Nations people

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau How should mitigation be addressed? COMMUNITY CONSULTATION ENGINEERING CONTROLS AT SOURCE –Noise emission declarations for construction machinery –Noise emission specs (limits) for locomotives –“Quiet pavement” for Highways ENGINEERING CONTROLS –Path (barriers) POST PROJECT MONITORING

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau WORKING GROUP - March 30, people - HC Secretariat and Chair SUFFICIENT NOISE EXPERTISE Consultants – QC, ON, AB, BC Provinces – QC, ON, AB Federal – HC, CTA, TC Proponent - CN

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau 7 Subcommittees - tasks and deadlines TASKS Consolidation of Provincial noise guidelines Preamble Annex(es) of rationales to explain the health effects criteria Recommendations of threshold sound levels, acceptable changes in sound levels and sound level limits School classroom sound level data Recommendations for assessment of construction noise DEADLINES Subcommittee Input for new draft November 15, 2005 Working Group Meeting January 19, 2006

Canada Health Canada Santé Canada Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau Summary Draft Fact Sheet for Noise Issues –Helps Health Canada respond efficiently and transparently to requests for expert information on environmental assessments –Difficult issues remain –Broad based Working Group and stakeholder comment will be used to further develop the draft