Book reviewThe noise handbookW. Tempest (Ed.)Academic Press, 1985,407pp, £59.00ISBN: 0126854602

This book provides a valuable addition to the shelves ofanyone concerned with noise in any of its aspects. Thereare fourteen chapters, each written by people closelyassociated with particular aspects of noise, and they aregrouped into four main sections: noise measurement andevaluation, effects on the human organism, sources ofnoise, and engineering and legislative control.

Part I is Chapter 1 and deals historically and practicallywith those techniques of noise measurement most likely tobe needed for the evaluation of problems involving indus-trial and community noise sources. The coverage isdesigned for users rather than students, and understand-ably contains less information on the electrical and elec-tronic design aspects of the equipment mentioned. Thepitfalls awaiting the unwary practitioner are brought out,although perhaps more emphasis could have been placedon the need to be alert to the ever present changes innational and international standards.

Part II comprises five chapters concerned with theeffects of noise on health, communication, performanceand annoyance. Chapter 2 on 'Noise and health'(P.L. Pelmear) is dated with respect to the material re-viewed, but, nonetheless, the conclusions drawn are stillvalid. It is a sad fact that, apart from noise-inducedhearing loss, our knowledge of the direct effects of noiseupon health is inadequate and fragmentary. Noise andhearing (W. Tempest) is a subject that has been writtenabout far too frequently without due care always beinggiven to the accuracy of the originally reported data.Chapter 3 assumes the reader has some backgroundknowledge of the subject and then skilfully highlights theconflicting factors. A good balance is achieved between thehistorical development of the ideas and their incorporationinto criteria. A rather classical treatment of the physicalfactors affecting the intelligibility of speech is given inChapter 4 'Noise and communication' (W.A. Ainsworth),which should be particularly interesting from a student'spoint of view. The person seeking a comprehensive reviewof 'Noise and efficiency' (D.R. Davies and D.M. Jones)should read Chapter 5. The message which comes over isthat the complexities of the interactions that can occur inany given situation are such that only the expert shouldconcern himself with the prediction of the effects that noisecan have on the performance of physical and mental tasks.After many years of quite intensive research the quest fordefinitive statements about the way in which noise affectsperformance seems as elusive as ever. The situation is alittle more structured with respect to 'Noise annoyance'(F.J. Langdon) Chapter 6, which deals most comprehen-sively with the concepts of annoyance, its scaling, measure-ment and prediction. The comparative annoyance of singlesources as well as the problems of being able to integratethe annoying effects of mixed sources are discussed.

Four chapters are contained in Part III which dealswith the major sources of noise to which people areexposed. 'Noise in industry' (W. Tempest) in Chapter 7

provides a brief summary of the basic components of ahearing conservation programme, and discusses the impli-cations of noise-induced hearing loss in terms of thevarious codes of practice. 'Noise arising from trans-portation' (F.J. Langdon) provides, in Chapter 8, an up todate review and discussion of the state of knowledge ofannoyance due to road traffic, aircraft and railway noise.Research as well as social survey techniques are men-tioned, and the reader can rest assured that what he readsis held in high regard. Chapter 9 'Noise in transportation'(D. Williams) is more concerned with noise levels insidevehicles and the effects which these have on the operatorsand passengers. Land vehicles and marine craft are con-sidered in the social contexts within which they haveto operate. Chapter 10 is entitled 'Noise in the home'(G.M. Jackson and H.G. Leventhall), and forms a ratherunusual and therefore somewhat unique collection of spec-tral data relating to home-based noise sources. Subjectiveeffects are briefly mentioned, and there is an interestingAppendix on the effects which room acoustics have onnoise levels produced by domestic appliances.

The final Part IV is concerned with engineering andlegislative controls of noise. Chapter 11 is entitled 'Noisecontrol' (K.A. Mulholland) and gives a concise yet com-prehensive guide to the many means by which noise can bereduced, both at source and in the transmission path tothe receiver. Modern techniques are such that it is nowwell within the grasp of technology to substantially reducenoise levels, providing the willingness and financial meansare available. Legal aspects are systematically coveredin Chapter 12 'Noise and the law in the United Kingdom'(R. Grime). Legislation, liability and national insurance arerelated to work and the workplace, and aspects such ascivil claims for compensation, negligence, awards, protec-tive legislation and industrial injuries are all covered inadequate detail. The control of environmental noise in thecontext of both public and private nuisance is discussed, asare the implications of planning and noise-abatementzones. Although new evidence is continually coming tohand as public awareness in noise increases, the chapterprovides a useful compendium of the state of knowledge in1982. Chapters 13 and 14 'Noise and the law in the UnitedStates' (P.S. Edelman and A.J. Genna) and 'EEC Direc-tives on noise in the environment' (B. Hay), respectively,are both important in their own right. As well as giving aninsight into how such problems are dealt with in othercountries, it is interesting to read how the EEC Directivesare forming a secondary part of community law.

Taken as a whole, this edited book is very well thoughtout and is presented in a very readable manner. A widerange of topics is covered, although it is impossible for asubject as diverse as noise to be comprehensively con-tained within a single volume. Perhaps this is a good thingbecause the book is just what it sets out to be, a hand-book. It should, therefore, appeal to a wide range ofreaders including students, environmentalists, planners andresearch workers. Anyone seeking their first introductionto the subject could do much worse than read its contents.

C.G. RICE4797A

360 IEE PROCEEDINGS, Vol. 133, Pt. A, No. 6, SEPTEMBER 1986