SHHH! It's Carnival time in Trinidad.
That's how Trinidadian revellers feel about the new noise pollution laws which mute the sweet sounds of pan and the booming bass that intoxicates gyrating party-loving Trinis. Fetes are part of the culture of this multi-ethnic society which is home of the world's best carnival. There is music everywhere from the Hindu wedding ceremony to the ubiquitous house party. Parang, soca, chutney, Panorama, and the climax Carnival saturate the air with merriment.
The Noise Pollution Control Rules 2001 took effect in April and preparations for next year's Carnival will be the first test of the enforcement of the rules. Already Parang has been affected. The start of the season was delayed because the organisers did not have a variation permit for increased noise level. Chief executive officer of the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Dr Dave McIntosh, said it had nothing to do with putting a damper on culture.
"There is nothing to interfere with culture," he told the Sunday Sun. "We are saying that Trinidadians can have their culture but at a level that's not excessive or that will drive people crazy. The 7 000 complaints, in writing, which were received was the reason for the law. Noise pollution can affect one's physical and psychological health," he added.
The law sets maximum allowable decibel (dB) limits for industrial, sensitive and general areas. In industrial areas the limit is 75 dB both day (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and night (8 p.m. to 8 a.m.). In sensitive areas like near swamps and bird sanctuaries, the limit is 60 dB. In general areas, like towns, cities, and residential areas, the limit is 80 dB during the day and 65 dB at night.
A variation can be granted for a one-off event but the person applying for the ease in restrictions must publish the application in the Press to allow those to be affected to know of it and file any objections.
Exemptions
McIntosh said these were the levels at the boundary of the premises, but there were a number of exemptions, including religious, sporting, political or educational events as well as the use of construction and agricultural equipment which are still restricted to specified times and duration. So far the EMA has investigated over 300 complaints for violation but McIntosh has not revealed the outcome.
The reaction has been varied, ranging from calypsonians threatening to boycott next year's Carnival to nightclubs doing all possible to comply with the law. He anticipates that when it comes to events like Carnival, Trinidadians may be more tolerant because it is a one-off event, but the real problems come from regular events like nightclubs and steelband houses where the music can affect nearby residents several nights per week.
But what exactly is noise pollution and just how loud is 60 db, 75 db, 80 dB?
"Noise pollution is any undesired noise," Barbadian hearing/speech therapist Ben Stabler told the Sunday Sun.
That undesired noise can cause either physiological or psychological damage. Physiologically, 140 dB is the pain threshold. It causes sharp pain which can permanently damage one's ear. That level of noise can come from a shotgun blast, a jet plane engine at full thrust, or fireworks exploding very nearby. The "tickle" threshold is 130 dB the sound agitates the fluid in the cochlea (a part of the inner ear) resulting in a tickling sensation and which could also lead to physical damage.
A lawn mower, tractor, farm equipment or a motorcycle will produce 100 dB (extremely loud). A window air-conditioning unit or a crowded restaurant would be about 80 dB (moderately loud). Normal conversation is 50 to 60 dB and considered to be relatively quiet. Very quiet is 40 dB and just a bare whisper is 10 dB.
Decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale which means that as the intensity increases, the measurements of the units are not equal. For example, 10 dB is ten times greater than one decibel, but 20 dB is 100 times greater and 30 dB are 1 000 times greater. Therefore, when the Trinidadian authorities allow a mere five decibels increase in the limit, say, from 65 to 70 db, that is significantly louder than increasing from 30 to 35 dB.
Trinidad set a limit of 65 dB for night time in residential areas somewhere between the sound of a normal conversation in a room with a window air-conditioning unit.
McIntosh said this did not mean the music next-door in the nightclub or karaoke bar must be 65 dB. What it means is that when a person is in his house, the music reaching his ears must be at that level so conceivable, the music in the club could be pumping 100 dB or more.
There is another aspect to noise pollution. It is annoyance. The resonant boom of the bass from a party. The incessant pounding of a hammer by a nearby mechanic. The annoying slamming of dominoes all night long. The blast from shotguns in a swamp in the early hours of the morning. The jackhammers on a construction project throughout the day.
"Noise pollution is subjective but it has its costs," Stabler explained.
That cost is the extra-auditory effect of noise.
"It can increase your blood pressure, affect your well-being, impair your ability to concentrate, but as many studies that say this, there is an equal number that disputes it, but the question is: can you put a price tag on hearing loss? Can you cost your personal communication when you cannot hear television, hear your wife, hear your kids?" asked Stabler.
In Trinidad the standard in residential areas at night is 65 dB (slightly louder than a normal conversation) and in Barbados the ambient level is 85 dB (a window air-conditioner). While these may not be considered extremely loud, imagine having these sounds right next to your ear as you lay down to sleep. Would you be able to sleep? At the end of the day, said McIntosh, the idea is to allow all people to enjoy their lifestyle without one disadvantaging the other.