Abstract Description: When assessing and addressing industrial emissions to the environment, the issue of noise can fall through the cracks. Increasingly, noise is being defined by regulators as a contaminant with the potential for direct and indirect adverse health effects, rather than just a potential source of nuisance. The requirement to demonstrate noise compliance as a pre-requisite for approvals or permits to construct and operate a facility is also increasing. Even in jurisdictions without local State or municipal ordinances limiting environmental noise emissions, failure to meet reasonable noise limits can result in legal liabilities arising from claims over loss of use and enjoyment of private property or adverse health effects. Overlooking noise as a potential pollutant can result in demonstrable cases of adverse impact, potentially resulting in serious regulatory and liability issues, substantial costs for remediation, and in some cases costly production interruptions.
This presentation reviews a series of case studies, where noise was overlooked during design, permitting, and construction; focusing on how the noise excesses were mitigated, and how they could have been avoided. As with environmental emissions of chemical, particulate, or odor to the atmosphere, limiting the impact to within acceptable targets is always most effective, with lowest cost, when considered early in the design process – before construction.
