Residential exposure to port noise: A case study of Dublin, Ireland

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently acknowledged that contrary to the trend for other environmental stressors, noise exposure is increasing in Europe. While a considerable amount of research has recently been undertaken assessing the extent of noise from road, rail and air transportation in the EU, relatively little research has been conducted internationally assessing the extent of environmental noise within the vicinity of major European shipping ports. Accordingly, this paper reports on research examining the extent of noise exposure for residents within the vicinity of Dublin Port, Ireland using the nation's largest port terminal as a proxy for port noise. Three gantries were erected without planning permission in 2002 but no enforcement proceedings were brought against the operating company prior to a seven-year enforcement period under planning laws expiring. Thus, operational hours and noise levels remain relatively unregulated. In order to assess the level of exposure in the area, a series of long-term measurements were undertaken at the most exposed façade of local resident's homes to determine whether the extent of day-time and night-time exposure was above levels recommended by the WHO. The results show that exposure is significant and well-above guideline limits considered detrimental to human health and quality of life. They also suggest that there may be a low-frequency noise problem in the study area.