AN EDUCATIONAL FILM
BY THE GERMAN HYGIENE MUSEUM IN THE GDR
PRODUCTION: FILMKOLLEKTIV DRESDEN-1979
NOISE
Do not generate noise,
never tolerate noise.
A phrase coined a long time ago,
but more relevant today than ever before.
Sure, even decades ago,
the world of sound consisted of more than just birdsong.
But with nowaday's steady rise in environmental noise
people's need for quiet, relaxation and rest in nature
has increased.
Dear fans, And now, for relaxation,
a rock'n'roll!
You can relax in very different ways,
as demonstrated by these young people who subject themselves
both to pleasure and electroacoustically amplified sound.
On the other hand,
we are unwillingly exposed to street noise daily.
Rising traffic density leaves us no choice.
Clearly,
neither traffic noise nor noise in the workplace
is ever considered an inevitable outcome.
But recent technical and industrial developments
have turned noise into a widespread environmental factor.
However, it isn't a sign of technical progress,
just of temporarily inadequately controlled side-effects.
Noise protection is tied to technical evolution in our country.
Like all health and safety regulations,
it aims to improve working and living conditions.
Already at the planning stage, the emphasis is more and more
on designing work places
with maximum noise protection.
SOUND LEVELS
The intensities of the sounds affecting us are very different.
For example, in ordinary conversation,
the human voice reaches c.40 dB.
The noise of a busy street is already at 70-80 dB.
The pain threshold is at about 120 dB.
Damage to cells of the central nervous system
directly affected by over 140 dB,
can lead to severe paralysis and even death.
During rest periods, far lower volumes, around 35 dB,
can become a health hazard.
Consideration for others isn't only about courtesy,
it's also a requirement we should meet in the interest of our health.
Let's go back to that disco party.
Can one really relax here?
Far be it from us
to deny young people this pleasure or to question it.
But must it be so loud?
Measurements show peaks at 110 dB.
110 dB. Only 10 dB below the pain threshold.
110 dB is almost as loud as a jet engine.
The Medical Academy in Magdeburg,
Institute of General and Municipal Hygiene.
Under the authority of the research body
"Medical aspects of environment protection",
the effects of noise
on human organisms are investigated.
These highly sensitive devices
record the subject's reactions to very different sound stimuli.
The head of the institute, Prof. Schuscke, MD,
told us about some of his work.
We have seen that sound stimuli
can temporarily lower the electric resistance of the skin,
and the amplitude of the finger pulse.
These reactions, like other unconscious ones,
do not indicate any disease.
But they signal an activation of the nervous system,
and thus a stress on the cardiovascular system.
Such activation is undesirable during rest periods
within a person's daily biological cycle,
during illnesses and convalescence,
during relaxation and rest.
That is why one should avoid noise whenever possible.
Additionally, of course,
the fight against noise,
which figures prominently in our state cultural law
must continue by means of technology, construction,
organisation and education.