Buenos Aires is too noisy

Sound levels up to 104.9 dB in the capital of Argentina.

Retiro square, Buenos Aires. Noise pollution in Buenos Aires is increasing year after year. Several geographical areas in the city centre far exceed the noise limit of 85 dB recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization). The survey carried out by the ISEV institute (Instituto de Seguridad y Educación Vial) measured the noise levels on some of the main avenues of the city. The results showed that the total average in decibels has increased from 1996 to 1999. In 1996, the noise level on Juan B. Justo and Santa Fé avenues of the city centre was 102.5, compared to 104.9 in 1999. On Lima and Garay avenues, the average noise level increased from 94.01 dB to 99.1 dB, on Santa Fé and Coronel Díaz avenues from 98.08 dB to 101 dB, and on Corrientes and C. Pellegrini avenues the noise level increased from 92.9 dB in 1996 to 93.7 dB in 1999. The organization for the hard of hearing in Argentina, Asociación Civil Oír Mejor, urged the Argentinean authorities to develop a campaign to fight and control the noise pollution through information, surveys to find out the number of hearing impaired people in Argentina, and noise mapping. While regulations are being tightened in most countries to protect workers against hazardous noise in the work place, no regulations are available for the daily exposure to dangerous noises from vehicles, the underground, sirens and hooters, shopping centres, air-systems, gyms, discos, etc. in the streets. Noise pollution can be found in other big cities. Such cities as Mexico City, Santiago de Chile and Bogotá, Colombia, may reach similar noise levels as the ones measured in Buenos Aires. Source: ISEV, organization for hearing impaired Asociación Civil Oír Mejor and "2a Jornadas sobre el Ruido y sus Consecuencias en la Salud de la Población" ("2nd Congress on Noise and its Consequences on Population Health"), Buenos Aires, Argentina, August, 2002.