NewsWhore
01-12-2011, 03:10 PM
A study by the National District City Council of 70 so-called "colmadones" - large corner stores that pump out loud music - whose preliminary results were obtained by Diario Libre, has found that they all emitted noise levels above the 55 decibels permitted by national standards for the nighttime hours in residential neighborhoods.
The reggaetton music blaring out of the stores can be earsplitting. In Josefa's living room in Villa Juana, the music echoes as if it were produced right there, shaking windows and objects. "When they turn it on there, nobody can speak on the phone or watch television", the woman shouts in an attempt to describe what she has to experience every single day. Like many of the capital's citizens, "Josefa" is a victim of noise, surviving the bombardment from the loud music from a corner store and the noise from a body and paint shop next door. "This is no way to live", she says, but adds that she has to endure it because she can't afford to move.
What affects the woman is officially known as noise pollution, defined as an excess of sound that alters the normal environmental conditions in a specific area. It is the most common pollutant in the world's large cities, with a negative effect on its citizens' health and quality of life. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80% of modern city dwellers are forced to suffer noise that exceeds the recommended levels. In the Dominican capital, these problems are serious and in some areas they become unbearable to the human ear, as confirmed by the Santo Domingo study. These businesses have been previously identified in statistics at the National Police as the source of most noise complaints.
According to the preliminary report, all of the establishments measured violated or were at the limit allowed by the national standard, which is 65 decibels during the day for residential areas and 55db at night. In order to get an idea of the seriousness of the situation, the lowest measurement that was obtained in the nighttime observations was 60db (five points above the approved limit) and this occurred at a distance of 40 meters, which is to say some 10 houses away from the source of the noise. Inside some "colmadones" these levels reach 100db, a level that may cause serious health risks. One such case involved Magna Drink in Manganagua, that at the moment of measurement by the decibel meter (noise meter), registered 105db, and another, at the Super Bodega Ovalle on Ave. Ovando, where the level was 100db.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)
The reggaetton music blaring out of the stores can be earsplitting. In Josefa's living room in Villa Juana, the music echoes as if it were produced right there, shaking windows and objects. "When they turn it on there, nobody can speak on the phone or watch television", the woman shouts in an attempt to describe what she has to experience every single day. Like many of the capital's citizens, "Josefa" is a victim of noise, surviving the bombardment from the loud music from a corner store and the noise from a body and paint shop next door. "This is no way to live", she says, but adds that she has to endure it because she can't afford to move.
What affects the woman is officially known as noise pollution, defined as an excess of sound that alters the normal environmental conditions in a specific area. It is the most common pollutant in the world's large cities, with a negative effect on its citizens' health and quality of life. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80% of modern city dwellers are forced to suffer noise that exceeds the recommended levels. In the Dominican capital, these problems are serious and in some areas they become unbearable to the human ear, as confirmed by the Santo Domingo study. These businesses have been previously identified in statistics at the National Police as the source of most noise complaints.
According to the preliminary report, all of the establishments measured violated or were at the limit allowed by the national standard, which is 65 decibels during the day for residential areas and 55db at night. In order to get an idea of the seriousness of the situation, the lowest measurement that was obtained in the nighttime observations was 60db (five points above the approved limit) and this occurred at a distance of 40 meters, which is to say some 10 houses away from the source of the noise. Inside some "colmadones" these levels reach 100db, a level that may cause serious health risks. One such case involved Magna Drink in Manganagua, that at the moment of measurement by the decibel meter (noise meter), registered 105db, and another, at the Super Bodega Ovalle on Ave. Ovando, where the level was 100db.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)