1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:01,800 AN EDUCATIONAL FILM 2 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:05,200 BY THE GERMAN HYGIENE MUSEUM IN THE GDR 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,360 PRODUCTION: FILMKOLLEKTIV DRESDEN-1979 4 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:16,720 NOISE 5 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:21,640 NOISE 6 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:56,160 Do not generate noise, 7 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:58,560 never tolerate noise. 8 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:00,800 A phrase coined a long time ago, 9 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,720 but more relevant today than ever before. 10 00:01:04,320 --> 00:01:05,840 Sure, even decades ago, 11 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,480 the world of sound consisted of more than just birdsong. 12 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,680 But with nowaday's steady rise in environmental noise 13 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,720 people's need for quiet, relaxation and rest in nature 14 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:19,320 has increased. 15 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,320 Dear fans, And now, for relaxation, 16 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:34,760 a rock'n'roll! 17 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,240 You can relax in very different ways, 18 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:46,240 as demonstrated by these young people who subject themselves 19 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,800 both to pleasure and electroacoustically amplified sound. 20 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:57,360 On the other hand, 21 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:01,160 we are unwillingly exposed to street noise daily. 22 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,320 Rising traffic density leaves us no choice. 23 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:05,480 Clearly, 24 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,760 neither traffic noise nor noise in the workplace 25 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,240 is ever considered an inevitable outcome. 26 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,760 But recent technical and industrial developments 27 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,920 have turned noise into a widespread environmental factor. 28 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,240 However, it isn't a sign of technical progress, 29 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,960 just of temporarily inadequately controlled side-effects. 30 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:28,760 Noise protection is tied to technical evolution in our country. 31 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,240 Like all health and safety regulations, 32 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,200 it aims to improve working and living conditions. 33 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,920 Already at the planning stage, the emphasis is more and more 34 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:42,520 on designing work places 35 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:44,720 with maximum noise protection. 36 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:51,600 SOUND LEVELS 37 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,880 The intensities of the sounds affecting us are very different. 38 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,000 For example, in ordinary conversation, 39 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,680 the human voice reaches c.40 dB. 40 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:07,600 The noise of a busy street is already at 70-80 dB. 41 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,720 The pain threshold is at about 120 dB. 42 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:14,840 Damage to cells of the central nervous system 43 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:17,840 directly affected by over 140 dB, 44 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,320 can lead to severe paralysis and even death. 45 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:34,080 During rest periods, far lower volumes, around 35 dB, 46 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:36,640 can become a health hazard. 47 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,400 Consideration for others isn't only about courtesy, 48 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:44,680 it's also a requirement we should meet in the interest of our health. 49 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:53,240 Let's go back to that disco party. 50 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:55,280 Can one really relax here? 51 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:57,560 Far be it from us 52 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:01,360 to deny young people this pleasure or to question it. 53 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:04,120 But must it be so loud? 54 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,680 Measurements show peaks at 110 dB. 55 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:17,120 110 dB. Only 10 dB below the pain threshold. 56 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,280 110 dB is almost as loud as a jet engine. 57 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:36,480 The Medical Academy in Magdeburg, 58 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:39,320 Institute of General and Municipal Hygiene. 59 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,160 Under the authority of the research body 60 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,520 "Medical aspects of environment protection", 61 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:46,320 the effects of noise 62 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,880 on human organisms are investigated. 63 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:51,680 These highly sensitive devices 64 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:55,840 record the subject's reactions to very different sound stimuli. 65 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,760 The head of the institute, Prof. Schuscke, MD, 66 00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:02,280 told us about some of his work. 67 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:06,080 We have seen that sound stimuli 68 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,320 can temporarily lower the electric resistance of the skin, 69 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:12,800 and the amplitude of the finger pulse. 70 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:17,520 These reactions, like other unconscious ones, 71 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:19,760 do not indicate any disease. 72 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:24,400 But they signal an activation of the nervous system, 73 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:28,200 and thus a stress on the cardiovascular system. 74 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:32,720 Such activation is undesirable during rest periods 75 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,800 within a person's daily biological cycle, 76 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,880 during illnesses and convalescence, 77 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:41,880 during relaxation and rest. 78 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:46,040 That is why one should avoid noise whenever possible. 79 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:48,080 Additionally, of course, 80 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:50,280 the fight against noise, 81 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:55,000 which figures prominently in our state cultural law 82 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:58,560 must continue by means of technology, construction, 83 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,720 organisation and education.