This 1973 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency document establishes scientific criteria for understanding how noise affects public health and welfare, including hearing damage, annoyance, communication interference, and property value loss. Prepared by EPA's Office of Noise Abatement and Control under the Noise Control Act of 1972, it describes cause-and-effect relationships between noise exposure and human health impacts. The criteria laid out in this document were intended to serve as a foundation for developing future noise standards and regulations, though the document itself does not constitute a standard or regulation.Open full document
Notes
This document, prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Noise Abatement and Control, presents criteria for noise as required by the Noise Control Act of 1972. It describes cause-and-effect relationships between noise and public health and welfare effects, including physical and mental well-being, annoyance, interference with communication, and property value impacts. The criteria are intended to serve as a scientific basis for the development of noise standards and regulations.