Road and rail traffic noise induce comparable extra-aural effects as revealed during a short-term memory test.

To examine extraaural effects as induced by 20 min of road (ROAD) and 20 min of rail (RAIL) traffic noise with same loudness (75 dBA), a laboratory study was carried out. The study (N = 54) consisted of 28 high and 26 low-annoyed healthy individuals as determined by a traffic annoyance test. To control attention, all individuals performed a nonauditory short-term memory test during the noise exposures.

Feasibility of testing three salivary stress biomarkers in relation to naturalistic traffic noise exposure.

Background And Objectives: Stress dependent alterations of the salivary biomarkers alpha-amylase (sAA), salivary chromogranin A (sCgA) and salivary cortisol (sC) have been reported in numerous studies recently. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the feasibility of testing sAA, sCgA and sC in relation to naturalistic traffic noise exposure in order to monitor a direct stress response in a laboratory setup.

Methods: A total of twenty study participants were exposed to binaurally recorded naturalistic traffic noise samples containing 75 dB (L(A,)eq) for 20 minutes via a loudspeaker system.

Personal noise ranking of road traffic: subjective estimation versus physiological parameters under laboratory conditions.

Objective: To evaluate the subjective estimation of noise-induced discomfort and its correlation to psychoacoustic and physiological parameters under laboratory conditions. To establish an effective description of sound qualities of road traffic noise, supplementing the current standards and calculation specifications.

Methods: Pass-by vehicle noise samples were binaurally recorded with a dummy head measurement system, and synthetically composed to six vehicle ensembles considering different road beds, varying speed profiles and noise barriers.