Acceptable dBA Levels
Guidelines for acceptable noise levels in terms of dBA for different locations.
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The main advantages with the dBA - the A weighting in noise measurements - are:
- it is adapted to the response of the human ear to sound
- it is possible to measure easily with low cost instruments
Acceptable Equivalent Sound Level - Leq - for different location can be taken from the table below:
| Location | Effects | Leq (dBA) | Time (hours) | Time of day |
| Bedroom | sleep disturbance, annoyance | > 30 | 8 | night |
| Living area | annoyance, speech interference | > 50 | 16 | day |
| Outdoor living area | moderate annoyance | > 50 | 16 | day |
| Outdoor living area | serious annoyance | > 55 | 16 | day |
| Outdoor living area | sleep disturbance, with open windows | > 45 | 8 | night |
| School classroom | speech interference, communication disturbance | > 35 | 8 | day |
| Hospitals patient rooms | sleep disturbance, communication interference | > 30-35 | 8 | day and night |
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