Age or Health-Related Noise Complaints in buildings

Health-related noises and sound complaints
- Age-related noises and sound complaints among older people
- Disease or illness and noise or sound complaints
- How to distinguish between sounds or noises traced to buildings and building components from health or age-related noise complaints
- Electrical fields, emf, drone vibrations & microwave exposure as sources of buzzing or humming noise complaints
- What to do about health-related or age-related noise complaints
Questions & Answers about age or health-related noise and sound complaints
References

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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

Age & Health-Related Causes of Noise & Sound Complaints: this article discusses how to identify noise or sound complaints that may be health or age-related. This article series discusses noise and sound source diagnosis and control: how to inspect, diagnose & cure noise or sound problems in buildings. Information is provided about auditory (hearing), visual, historic, or other clues of building condition that explain various sounds heard in buildings. Our page top table of relative sound levels (left) is from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss, courtesy of Wiley & Sons.

How to Identify & Report Age or Health-Related Noises & Sounds in Building Interiors

First: the opinions and advice in this article series are based on our extensive experience in inspecting and diagnosing building related complaints and building defects, combined with experience in responding to complaints by building occupants about noises or sounds. Our experience includes working with people suffering from physical and mental health difficulties as well as the challenges imposed by normal aging.

The author, Daniel Friedman, is not a medical professional. Below we recommend that people complaining of noises or sounds that cannot be confirmed by others (presumably with normal hearing ability) should be sure to check with their primary care physician who in turn may recommend consulting with a neurologist, audiologist, or other trained professional who can help rule in or out potentially serious health concerns.

Second: noise complaints in buildings can be directly related to the health and well being of building occupants. Because responding to sound or noise issues may involve issues of physical or mental health, disputes between neighbors, and even immediate life safety concerns, it is important that the investigator proceed with both sensitivity to the needs of the individuals involved and caution lest an unsafe condition be underestimated or worse, ignored. Identifying and responding to noise complaints that may involve personal safety is a first priority.

Even for an individual who suffers from auditory hallucinations, not every noise complaint is hallucinatory. Investigating a noise complaint involving an elderly building occupant we learned that she suffered from auditory hallucinations and was certain that a neighbor was playing loud music. (The neighbor was not.) But we were shocked to discover that a local contractor, taking advantage of the occupant's condition, obtained large, regular cash payments ostensibly for providing "security services". We learned that the contractor was calling the elderly occupant, pretending to be the neighbor, adding to her anxiety, provoking her to purchase additional "security services."

At NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE we discuss how to locate the source of, identify and correct various building sounds and noises indoors or on occasion, noises from outside that penetrate indoors at annoying levels. While we touch on environmental noise coming from outside of buildings (aircraft noise, highway noise, noisy neighbors) the focus of this article series is on identifying and curing unwanted indoor noise sources in buildings - noise control.

Separately at SOUND CONTROL in buildings we provide a series of detailed articles on reducing unwanted building noise levels through building design, insulation, sound isolation, and noise barriers.

Actual versus Perceived Noises in buildings

Using our own terms to aid this discussion, we distinguish between actual noises or sounds in buildings and perceived sounds in buildings.

Actual noises (for our purposes here) are sounds that are caused by physical sources such as heating equipment, plumbing, or a neighbor playing music. Actual noises are transmitted from the source to the individual through air or in some cases through the conductivity of physical building components (floors, pipes).

Perceived noises (for our purposes) are sounds that are reported to have been experienced or observed by an individual, regardless of whether or not a physical source and actual instrument-detectable sounds are present. So perceived noises may include both actual noise and/or the perception of noise (or sound) that has in part or in total a neurological, or mental, or health-related basis.

Actual or "Physically-based" Building Noises or Sounds

Regardless of their source, actual noises are transmitted in buildings by two methods.

Airborne Sound: Sound waves traveling through air move between building areas - such as through open windows, doors, or stairwells.

Mechanically transmitted sound: When sounds move through solid building components such as floors, ceilings, walls, framing, carrying sound from one area to another the sound transmission is referred to more technically as impact insulation class transmission or IIC sound transmission.

In many cases the source of an annoying building sound may be obvious and we can move immediately to strategies for reducing that source to an acceptable noise level. But we also receive queries from people who have difficulty tracing a sound to its source, or who are unsure if a sound that they hear at a known source (say a humming sound at an electrical component) is normal or means trouble.

For unidentified sound sources, general advice on tracking down the source and cause of annoying building sounds and noises includes a procedure similar to our ODOR DIAGNOSIS CHECKLIST, PROCEDURE. Keep a noise log, noting

The date and time of the noise at each occurrence, especially when it was first observed
What equipment is operating or turned off in the building
What weather conditions might be pertinent such as wind, rain, or freezing
What has changed in the building that might be relevant such as installation or removal of equipment
Differences in noise perception between what is observed indoors, at different indoor locations, and outside.
Who heard the sound, and who, present at the same time, did not?
Were independent observers or consultants present when the sound or noise was reported?

Health Related Noise Complaints in buildings

Sleep Mate white noise generator (C) Daniel Friedman

Health related noise and apparent noise sources can involve common aging or hearing disorders, dementia, or other serious medical conditions. Shown at left is the Sleep Mate™ sound generator produced by Marpac.

Normal aging of people is often accompanied by changes in hearing and hearing perception. Neurological disorders, psychological disorders, or possibly other serious medical conditions can cause a perception of noise in buildings that can be very disturbing to the person suffering from these conditions.
Dementia can cause a perception of noise in buildings that can be very disturbing to the person suffering from these conditions

Watch out: medical advice from experts including neurologists, geriatricians, and psychiatrists is important. There are multiple causes of dementia including
- Aids
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Brain Tumors
- Depression
- Drug reactions or drug interactions
- Head Injuries
- Huntington's disease
- Hydrocephalus
- Infections
- Multi-infarct dementia
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Parkinson's disease
- Pick's disease
- Thyroid problems
Hearing disorders and even hearing aid malfunctions can cause a perception of noise in buildings that can be very disturbing to the person suffering from these conditions.

We recently investigated another mysterious music complaint involving the author's brother in law who wears hearing aids that incorporate a blue-tooth wireless function to permit easy use of a cell phone. But our brother-in-law began hearing music, intermittently. The problem was traced to his iPod that had been left on and transmitting music to his hearing aids. --DF

See details at Hearing Disabilities & Building Noises
Humming Noises or "The Hum" Perceived Noise Complaints:
Some individuals who are otherwise healthy, may nevertheless perceive irritating sounds that have no external physical basis, often only in a single building, or at a single location in a building.

See details at Hum Noise Complaints
Sleep disturbance and noise:

"Human response to noise before and during sleep varies widely among age groups. The elderly and the sick are particularly sensitive to disruptive noise. Compared to young people, the elderly are more easily awakened by noise and, once awake, have more difficulty returning to sleep. As a group, the elderly require special protection from the noises that interfere with their sleep". - "Noise, A Health Problem", US EPA,

Here is an example sleep disturbance report:

I am a senior citizen (68) living alone, here in the Poconos in Pike County. Please note, I do not have tinnitis For the last 4 years, I have been suffering with a hissing sound in my house. I tried to locate sound engineers, listening devices and the like but, have not been successful. This noise always takes place in the hours between 9:00PM and 6:00AM and sometimes during the daylight hours. I have a fairly simple house with a sump pump which I just replaced, and a septic (grinder pump) that is approximately 24 yrs old. I am at my wits end and haven't had a decent night's sleep in all this time. Short of having someone spend the night at my house, I don't know what to do anymore. It is very difficult to get competent people to diagnose this problem. -- E.R.

We suggested some simple first steps in on-site detective work to track down this night time hissing noise:
- Have a good flashlight in hand
- Turn off all electrical power at the main panel
- Does the sound change ?
- Wait a few minutes to observe
- If there is no change in the sound,
- Turn off all water at the water main valve
- If there is change in sound, try turning off individual pieces of equipment in the home, or even ALL electrical power
- Record the date and time of the noise at each occurrence, especially when it was first observed
- Record What equipment is operating or turned off in the building
- Record what weather conditions might be pertinent such as wind, rain, or freezing
- Record what has changed in the building that might be relevant such as installation or removal of equipment
- Record differences in noise perception between what is observed indoors, at different indoor locations, and outside.
  
  The steps above were not sufficient, as E.R. continued.
- I followed your instructions:
- I turned off the water at the main (left off fall Night)
- I turned off the grinder pump (septic system) and left it off all night)
- I turned of the electric fuse box and the noise continues
  At my wits end....
- I had a home inspector to view the property and he thought it was crickets.
- Of course, we both know is isn't crickets...
- I called the cable company, the telephone company.
- People are going to think I am hard of hearing. NO WAY...I do not have tinnitis
- This is a real challenge and I don't know what else to do.
  
  In difficult cases such as this one, having an experienced person on-site when the noises are occurring, possibly using simple noise amplification equipment to help determine the direction from which sound is emanating, may be the only way to both make progress and avoid contusing medical health concerns for on-site sound problems.

Other medical conditions: If you or someone you are assisting is disturbed by noises whose presence is not verified by independent third parties, we recommend that you or the noise-disturbed person check with their physician. In addition to careful medical examination, use of hearing aids or a white noise machine (see SOUND CONTROL in buildings) may assist in these cases. Shown above is the Sleep Mate™ sound generator produced by Marpac.

Neurological Anomalies or Hearing Disabilities & Building Noise Complaints

Hearing Disabilities often include difficulty in

Recognizing the presence of actual noises
Distinguishing between actual noises and perceived noises
Determining the direction from which a noise emanates or the location in which a sound is loudest

Even when a noise is present at a discernable level, a person with hearing impairment may have difficulty accurately pointing to the direction from which a noise is emanating. If you are hearing impaired or working with someone who is, recruit additional help from others and don't forget to consider that the apparent direction or source of a noise could be quite mistaken.

These limitations may interfere with the ability to identify of a hearing impaired person to identify and/or track the source of noises in buildings.

Also don't forget to check hearing aids themselves for noise sources; a poorly-fitting or low battery hearing aid may squawk, shriek, or emit periodic chimes, beeps, or with the newest units even voices announcing "low battery".

The author, who is hearing impaired, has on occasion received complaints from others nearby when his own hearing aid was making noises that he did not perceive.

Auditory Synesthesia & Sounds - Possible Relation to Building Noise Complaints?

Synesthesia (from Greek) refers to a joining of the senses. A stimulus in one sense modality (sight, touch, smell, hearing) consistently and involuntarily elicits a sensation in another modality. Saenz and Koch point out that "Synesthesia is a benign neurological condition in humans characterized by involuntary cross-activation of the senses, and estimated to affect at least 1% of the population."

Examples of synesthesia include

Seeing particular colors when seeing particular shapes
Experiencing particular flavors when hearing particular sounds
Hearing particular sounds when seeing particular movement.

Saenz and Koch also report that auditory synesthesia occurs, presenting evidence from "four healthy adults [with no known hearing or neurological deficits] for whom seeing visual flashes or visual motion automatically causes the perception of sound". [1]

OPINION-DF: Although we have not found research specifically linking auditory synesthesia to building-related noise complaints, our opinion is that this cause should not be ruled out of the initial states of investigating building-related noise complaints when the investigator has not found an apparent explanation in a detected physical source of actual sounds.

We suspect that most synesthetes are aware of their condition and thus may be less likely to mistake auditory synesthesia for other building noises.

What we don't know is whether auditory synesthesia might also be induced in some individuals suffering from dementia, from an injury or from illness.

1. Saenz, Melissa and Koch, Christof, "The sound of change: visually-induced auditory synesthesia", Current Biology Vol. 18 No. 5 R650

Hum Noise Complaints - "The Hum"

Here is a final diagnosis of a noise complaint reported to us by reader C.C.

I write to inform you, I have at long last now got to the bottom of the noise thing. It wasn't X's fan/fan-heater the culprit, nor was it my gas boiler or hot water heater, but of all things I have apparently adopted a condition called 'The Hum', and I have been informed it occurs in both men and women over the age of 50.

I am almost 51 now, and having read up some about 'The Hum' on the Internet, I am now beginning to understand it. Its frustrating but I will just have to cope with it. 'The Hum' can be heard in one place only, like in-doors and that's where its happening with me, at home in my flat - it doesn't happen anywhere else.

It only happened to me slightly once the other day on my way home I heard the idle engine noise, as that's what is described as 'The Hum', and that's the exact sound I here. Its not noisy neighbour after all. I had my gas boiler/water heater checked yesterday and its all working fine. - C.C.

Sources of "The Hum" hearing low frequency vibration or buzzing sounds

Editor's note: research on the scientific basis of "the hum" low frequency hearing disturbances is incomplete, somewhat ambiguous, and ongoing. Here we pose several possible sources of this complaint. CONTACT us for critique or comments.

Normal human hearing perceives airborne vibrations or sound waves in the frequency range of 20 to 20,000 cycles or Hz.

In tracking down noise and sound complaints in or around buildings, investigators should also consider that in some individuals, hearing sensations such as a humming or buzzing noises may be triggered in or perceived by

Exposure to electrical fields
Exposure to low frequency vibrations or sounds
Exposure to microwave transmissions
Unusual individual brain neurology resulting in experiencing certain visual or other sensations as sound - see Auditory Synesthesia & Sounds - Possible Relation to Building Noise Complaints?
Possibly other sensory inputs to which the individual may or may not be consciously aware

Drone Vibrations Can Produce Perception of Humming Sounds - Unidentified Acoustic Phenomena

Some people may be particularly sensitive to low frequency vibrations in the environment, experiencing them as a humming sound without an apparent source.

Without exposure to detectable normal sound waves or without physical connection electrodes (Electrophonic hearing), exposure to vibrations (e.g. 56 Hz) or other stimulation, possibly even outside the auditory range of sounds commonly perceived by humans may stimulate perception of a humming sound. Sources of drone vibrations [our term] may include materials moving in underground piping, moving furniture, gasoline or other motors, and other distant activities.

- Moir, Tom, and Alam, Fakhrul, Massey University, Auckland New Zealand.

Electrophonic hearing

In hearing a similar condition is described as electrophonic hearing. Electrophonic hearing is the sensation of hearing a sound following stimulation of the brain by an audio-frequency current that is conducted to the individual by electrodes that are attached to areas of the head and/or body.

Synonyms for "the Hum" in the U.K. and other countries include the Bristol Hum, Taos Hum, Hueytown Hum,Largs Hum, Kokomo Hum and others.

Microwave-Induced Sound Sensations in People

Microwave hearing is the auditory perception (as sound) of microwave signals or "pulses" that impinge on the head. In literature reviewed by Seaman, an effect of microwaves on some individuals is the perception of sound following the generation of acoustic energy in the head. Seaman explains that sound is produced through transmission by bone conduction to the inner ear and thence to stimulation of the auditory receptors in the cochlea, ultimately producing a neural signal that is processed or in our view, "perceived" by the auditory processing center of the brain - the individual "hears" sounds that were caused by microwaves.

Quoting Seaman:

The most frequently cited sequence of events used to explain auditory sensations resulting from microwave pulses, or “microwave hearing”, starts with transduction of microwave energy to sound in the head. In this explanation, the sound is then transmitted through cranial bones, i.e., by bone conduction, to stimulate hair cells in the inner ear. Recently reported experiments with animals and humans indicate that sound conduction through bone itself is not necessary in bone-conduction hearing. Instead, sound generated inside the cranium is most efficiently transmitted through holes in the cranium that form channels to the inner ear: vestibular aqueduct, cochlear aqueduct, and/or perivascular and perineural spaces. The short latency of cochlear microphonics reported for microwave hearing and the oscillation of the microphonics at the calculated brain resonant frequency are consistent with transmission through the channels. Thus, the channels are the most likely pathway for transmission of sound to the inner ear in microwave hearing. Consideration of this transmission pathway may be useful in reconciling results from various microwave hearing experiments. - Seaman, Ronald L.

Microwave induced sound is also referred to in the literature as the microwave auditory effect, microwave hearing, electrophonic effect, and emf microwave hearing.

Case Report: Questions & Comments Leading to Hum Noise Complaint Diagnosis

We include the original Q&A series on heating noises, fan noises, other noise complaints from this flat located in the U.K. to illustrate both our thinking and the practical difficulty, perhaps unreliability, of tracking down a sound source without onsite investigation work.

CC#1 - I live above a basement flat and the neighbour below informs me he doesn't run fans and his boiler is of normal sound. Thing is, ever since the neighbour came here 14 months ago, I hear a continuous rumbling sound excessively loud and can hear it all the way through my flat. If its not a fan and his boiler is working normal, what could the on-going rumbling sound be caused by? Would it be air in the heating lines? I never had the problem of the above noise before this person moved in. I've been here 5 years now, just over. - C.C.

DF#1 - I can't say from just your email if this is a mechanical noise being transmitted through ductwork or a more serious and possibly dangerous condition - if the boiler is not working properly it could be unsafe, so I'd suggest that a service call is needed as you are saying this is a change from normal behavior of the system. Some examples of heating noises that could mean trouble are OIL BURNER NOISE SMOKE ODORS.

CC#2 - I know the property was a house built between 1800-1837 and was converted into flats in the mid eighties. I was told the boilers/heating system has been in this place for fifteen years...the flats are of the Guinness Trust and I have been told all the boilers here have been serviced, not just mine. And the neighbour below me, tells me its not a fan and he said his boiler is of normal sound. Another question, can fan heaters make excessive noise?

DF#2 - If you mean electric fan heaters, yes noises can come from a bent blade hitting an obstruction (risking motor burnup) or from a bad bearing or motor - but if you mean a blower for a hot air heating system there are different sounds. I don't know enough about your heating system to offer accurate opinion. A fan blade ticking because it is hitting an obstruction is also potentially unsafe - a jammed fan can lead to fan motor overheating and possibly a fire hazard.

CC#3 - I have had the problem over a year now and been thinking its the neighbour down below with a fan heater. He should me the fan heater he got the other week working, and that one was quiet. I've got the boiler on now and can hear a slight buzzing noise but sometimes the buzzing sound has sounded like it coming through the bedroom wall. Would that be my boiler as well and can boilers get excessively loud ?

DF#3 - Buzzing can be transmitted from an oil burner pump unit through oil piping that is secured to the building framing - or from other components. If there has been a change in the sound it's more indicative of something deteriorating. It's time for a service call by your heating service co.

CC-#4 - I've just switched off the boiler, and can now hear a buzzing sound sounding like bedroom wall. Is this the pipes cooling down? I've also had a look and not sure whether I can still see a blue flame in the boiler. The tank itself is a Valliant. I am most certainly going to contact the gas people and ask them to come and check my boiler as it was last checked on 10th June, 2010. And on the sheet it says next check within 12 months. Is it more likely to be the boiler than a fan-heater causing the buzzing sound ?

CC#5 - I know its definitely not the boiler now, as when I started hoovering this morning, on came the neighbour's fan heater and its as you described at the start of your email explanation. Yesterday afternoon, he had it blasting out loud and he denies its him but I know full well it is him. I have ordered some sound proofing material for the floor, so hopefully that will reduce the noise from his fan heater. I will let you know if it does. Again, thank you for your very kind explanation. I appreciate. The housing officer won't do anything cos she says its a house-hold item, and have to prove it. I think that's very poor of her and cos of the noise from the fan heater, that's a reason I'm looking at moving from this flat.

I think as long as I live in this place, I'm going to have the problem and it'll be a difficult one to resolve - I've tried everything and think long-term am going to try and move from here rather than suffer and become ill because of it.

Yesterday for two hours, the fan-heater was blasting so loud - I have very high ceilings here but it was so extreme I wouldn't have been surprised if the neighbour above me would have probably heard it. How loud can fan-heaters go ?

CC#6: I write to inform you, I have at long last now got to the bottom of the noise thing. It wasn't X's fan/fan-heater the culprit, nor was it my gas boiler or hot water heater, but of all things I have apparently adopted a condition called 'The Hum', and I have been informed it occurs in both men and women over the age of 50.

I am almost 51 now, and having read up some about 'The Hum' on the Internet, I am now beginning to understand it. Its frustrating but I will just have to cope with it. 'The Hum' can be heard in one place only, like in-doors and that's where its happening with me, at home in my flat - it doesn't happen anywhere else.

It only happened to me slightly once the other day on my way home I heard the idle engine noise, as that's what is described as 'The Hum', and that's the exact sound I here. Its not noisy neighbour after all. I had my gas boiler/water heater checked yesterday and its all working fine. - C.C.

Separately at SOUND CONTROL in buildings we provide a series of detailed articles on reducing unwanted building noise levels through building design, insulation, sound isolation, and noise barriers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about age or health-related noise and sound complaints in buildings

Question:

I'm so glad to have found this article. I live in a rural area on a small farm in the USA and have no health insurance nor enough money to be seen to find a diagnosis for the vibration I have recently begun hearing at home.

Recently it has become so pervasive that I have seriously considered that I might be losing my mind. It even keeps me awake. For a long time, I though that the vibration I was hearing was the sound of the wind in the guy wires of our television antenna, but since our TV has gone digital, the antenna came down in a wind storm and we never replaced it.

Yet, the sound has returned. It is a very deep, barely perceptible sound and I have ruled out many origins of it. Being in the country, it is very quiet here at night. I switched off the main to our entire property, yet, even with no electrical usage at all on our land, the sound perseveres.

I even stuck my head down our well to see if perhaps there was a vibration from some machine use at a distance that was being amplified by that large, cavernous space. It was louder there, but it is also louder upstairs than downstairs. It is audible in our cellar, in our barn, even outdoors, although it has to be perfectly still for me to hear it, since the slightest breeze will drown it out.

I find it a distressing experience, primarily for its inexplicable nature. I think if our antenna were still up so I could presume that it was indeed the wind in the guy wires, I would easily be able to ignore it.

Recently, cellular service to our area has been growing stronger. I am three miles from the nearest microwave tower. Is it possible that, now that we have better cell reception here, I am becoming sensitive to the microwave sounds? I think that it would behoove you who are researching this phenomenon to go to an area where there IS no cell service to see whether "the hum" persists there.

Thank you for offering a possible solution to this maddening conundrum. - Deborah

Reply: people cannot directly hear microwaves nor cell tower radiation - things to check

Deborah, we're sorry to read about the frustrations of trying to track down a noise complaint. Certainly in addition to checking with your doctor, and if s/he agrees, perhaps with a neurologist or audiologist to rule out health and hearing concerns as the origin of these troubling sounds, you might want to check a bit for wind or weather noise sources or even equipment or motors operating somewhere in the distance.

Sounds carry a greater distance and are often more noticeable in the still night air than in daylight hours. A motor generator located even a considerable distance away might be heard by neighbors, for example.

I'm doubtful that you'd be hearing the electrical operation of the emissions cell tower itself is involved. Cell phone tower electromagnetic radiation produces signals that are very high frequency, less than 1 meter in wavelength, (300 MHz up to 3 GHz) thus enormously above the range of human hearing (about 12 cycles per second up to 20,000 cycles per second, with some sources placing the audible threshold in humans as low as 3 cycles), so not something you would be likely to hear directly through the normal human ear and hearing mechanism. We have read other consumer complaints citing "... microwave pulsation accompanied by of pure tones... " that, at least as of 12/11, lacked adequate technical or scientific explanation.

As we detail above at Hum Noise Complaints - "The Hum", There might be microwave-induced effects, including medical effects, or neurological effects from close-range exposure to high frequency radiation that might, in some people introduce auditory effects [citation needed] but not directly through sound pressure waves in the air striking the normal human hearing mechanism of the eardrum, middle ear bones, auditory nerve, and hearing center in the brain. In my OPINION at a distance from you of three miles, microwaves as a source of your complaint seem less likely than some other cause.

Of course cell or just about any other equipment itself could be producing mechanical, audible (to humans) noises, and wind noise through any tower or wires, indeed some wind power generators themselves, as well as equipment operation noises are indeed the source of some sound and noise complaints.

Take a look at Cell phone Radiation Hazards and if you want more details about wavelengths and sources of different types of electromagnetic radiation see Table of EMR Frequencies.

...

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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

Acoustical Society of America - http://asa.aip.org/ Elaine Moran, ASA Office Manager, Suite 1NO1, 2 Huntington Quadrangle, Melville, NY 11747-4502 516) 576-2360, FAX: (516) 576-2377 email: asa@aip.org.
ASA is an excellent source of noise and sound standards. Quoting from the associations history page:

"From the Society's inception, its members have been involved in the development of acoustical standards concerned with terminology, measurement procedures, and criteria for determining the effects of noise and vibration. In 1932, The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), then called the American Standards Association, appointed the Acoustical Society as sponsor of a committee, designated as Z-24, to standardize acoustical terminology and measurements. The work of this committee expanded to such an extent that it was replaced in 1957 by three committees, S1 on Acoustics, S2 on Mechanical Shock and Vibration, and S3 on Bioacoustics, with a fourth, S12 on Noise, added in 1981. These four committees are each responsible for producing, developing a consensus for, and adopting standards in accordance with procedures approved by ANSI. Although these committees are independent of the Acoustical Society, the Society provide s the financial support and an administrative Secretariat to facilitate their work. After a standard is adopted by one of these committees and approved by ANSI, the Secretariat arranges for its publication by ASA through the American Institute of Physics. The ASA also distributes ISO and IEC standards. Abstracts of standards and ordering information can be found online on the ASA Standards Page. More than 100 acoustical standards have been published in this way; a catalog is also available from the Standards Secretariat (631-390-0215; Fax: 631-390-0217). The Society also provides administrative support for several international standards committees and acts as the administrative Secretariat (on behalf of ANSI) for the International Technical Committee on Vibration and Shock (TC-108)." - http://asa.aip.org/history.html
Barrier Ultra-R super high-R building panels, produced by Glacier Bay, use Aerogel and are rated up to R-30 per inch, or in Barrier Ultra-r™ panels, R-50 per inch. The company also produces acoustic panels that are Ultra-db resistant and lightweight. Unlike the appliance insulation panels discussed in the original Q&A above on miracle insulation, these Areogel based panels will continue to retain some, though reduced insulating value if punctured, performing at perhaps R-9 per inch. The product is used in marine refrigerators, but in the future may be available as a residential construction product. The company is researching specialized products in medical, transportation, and aerospace applications. Contact: Glacier Bay, Inc., 2930 Faber Street, Union City, CA 94587 U.S.A., (510) 437-9100, Sales and Technical Information - sales@glacierbay.com
Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
Developments in Noise Control, NRCC, National Research Council, Canada, suggestions for noise control, sound transmission through block walls, plumbing noise control, noise leaks, and sound control advice. Web search 01/17/2011, original source: https://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/ibp/irc/bsi/90-noise-control.html
Marpac, produces white sound generators, a product that they identify as the Marpac sound conditioner. Marpac can be contacted at http://www.marpac.com/ or contact the Marpac Corporation, P.O. Box 560 Rocky Point, NC 28457 Phone: 800-999-6962 (USA and Canada) Fax: 910-602-1435 1-910-602-1421 (worldwide), 800-999- or email: info@marpac.com
Moir, Tom, and Alam, Fakhrul, Massey University, Auckland New Zealand
Mystery Humming Sound Captured, Stephen Hutcheon, The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 November 2005, Quoting:
Dr Tom Moir, a computer engineer at
Massey University's Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, made the recording at a house in Auckland's North Shore suburb of Glenfield earlier this week.
Dr Moir and his colleague Dr Fakhrul Alam have dubbed the sound an unidentified acoustic phenomena.
Four people who previously reported hearing the low-level hum have confirmed that this is the sound they can hear in their homes.
"If this is indeed the hum, then it's acoustical and not electromagnetic," Dr Moir said.
Dr Moir previously pinpointed the low-level drone at a frequency of 56Hz, which is very close to the 50Hz frequency produced by the 240 volt AC main electricity supply delivered to homes in New Zealand (and Australia).
Although 56Hz is within the standard range of human hearing - which can range from 20 to 20,000Hz - it is too low for many people to pick up.
web search 02/26/2011, original source: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/11/17/1163266756133.html
Saenz, Melissa and Koch, Christof, "The sound of change: visually-induced auditory synesthesia", Current Biology Vol. 18 No. 5 R650. Melissa Saenz is at (Division of Biology, Caltech, Pasadena, California 91125, USA). Web search 02/27/2011, and http://www.cell.com/current-biology/retrieve/pii/S0960982208007343 http://hfac.gmu.edu/people/jthompsz/saenz.pdf - Quoting from the article summary:
Synesthesia is a benign neurological condition in humans characterized by involuntary cross-activation of the senses, and estimated to affect at least 1% of the population [1]. Multiple forms of synesthesia exist, including distinct visual, tactile or gustatory perceptions which are automatically triggered by a stimulus with different sensory properties [1,2,3,4,5,6] such as seeing colors when hearing music. Surprisingly, there has been no previous report of synesthetic sound perception. Here we report that auditory synesthesia does indeed exist with evidence from four healthy adults for whom seeing visual flashes or visual motion automatically causes the perception of sound. As an objective test, we show that ‘hearing-motion synesthetes’ outperformed normal control subjects on an otherwise difficult visual task involving rhythmic temporal patterns similar to Morse code. Synesthetes had an advantage because they not could not only see, but also hear the rhythmic visual patterns. Hearing-motion synesthesia could be a useful tool for studying how the auditory and visual processing systems interact in the brain.
Seaman, Ronald L., Transmission of Microwave-Induced Intracranial Sound to the Inner Ear is Most Likely Through Cranial Aqueducts, McKesson Bioservices Corporation at Wrair US Army Medical Research Detachment, 8308 Hawks Road, Building 1168, Brooks Air Force Base, TX 78235, USA - Microwave Hearing Pathway,
Sound Oasis sound conditioners are produced by Sound Oasis: http://www.sound-oasis.com/ email: info@sound-oasis.com or 1-866-625-3218
Tremco, Tremco Global Sealants Division, 10701 Shaker Blvd., Cleveland OH 44104 - see www.tremcosealants.com/
Ideal Tape, Inc., 1400 Middlesex St., Lowell MA 01853 - see www.abitape.com/tape/iframe_ideal.htm Tel: 1-800-284-3325
3-M Corporation, tape products, see solutions.3m.com/
US EPA Noise Regulations & References
- Noise Control act - http://www.nonoise.org/epa/act.htm
- Quiet Communities Act - 1978
- Federal Regulations from the EPA's Office of Noise Abatement & Control - http://www.nonoise.org/epa/reg.htm
- A Basis for Limiting Noise Exposure for Hearing Conservation - http://www.nonoise.org/epa/Roll1/roll1doc1.pdf
- Noise - a Health Problem - http://www.nonoise.org/library/epahlth/epahlth.htm - quoted below
  
  Racket, din, clamor, noise. Whatever you want to call it, unwanted sound is America's most widespread nuisance. But noise is more than just a nuisance. It constitutes a real and present danger to people's health. Day and night, at home, at work, and at play, noise can produce serious physical and psychological stress. No one is immune to this stress. Though we seem to adjust to noise by ignoring it, the ear, in fact, never closes and the body still responds - sometimes with extreme tension, as to a strange sound in the night.
  
  The annoyance we feel when faced with noise is the most common outward symptom of the stress building up inside us. Indeed, because irritability is so apparent, legislators have made public annoyance the basis of many noise abatement programs. The more subtle and more serious health hazards associated with stress caused by noise traditionally have been given much less attention. Nonetheless, when we are annoyed or made irritable by noise, we should consider these symptoms fair warning that other things may be happening to us, some of which may be damaging to our health.
- Protective Noise Levels - 1979, basis for many local noise ordinances and codes - http://www.nonoise.org/library/levels/levels.htm
  This publication is intended to complement the EPA's "Levels Document,"* the 1974 report examining levels of environmental noise necessary to protect public health and welfare. It interprets the contents of the Levels Document in less technical terms for people who wish to better understand the concepts presented there, and how the protective levels were identified. In that sense, this publication may serve as an introduction, or a supplement, to the Levels Document.
"Measurement of Highway-Related Noise", US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/noise/measure/chap8.htm

Thanks to audiologist Cheryl P. Harllee, licensed hearing specialist, for discussing noises and noise problems in preparation for this article. Ms. Harllee can be located at the Village Hearing Center, 249 U.S. Highway One, Tequesta FL 33469 561-744-0231
Thanks to reader Sue Hazeldine, from the U.K. for discussing how she tracked down a whistling chimney noise to an antique hanging sign on the building exterior - 01/19/2010.
Thanks to reader Michael Anderson, 8 May 2009, for discussing clicking sounds coming from air conditioning equipment.
Thanks to reader Erna Ross who described loss of sleep due to a hissing noise at her home 06/15/2008.
Thanks to reader C.C. who described tracing buzzing sounds to an auditory sensation she describes as "the Hum", February 2011.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.

The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.

Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
Brick nogging used as soundproofing is mentioned in this article on Popular Forest
Brick Nogging, Historical Investigation and Contemporary Repair, Construction Specifier, April 2006. Historical use of brick in timber-framed buildings, drawing on the investigations of the Kent Tavern in Calais, VT. "Brick nogging is a European method of construction which was brought to the new world in the early-nineteenth century. It was a common construction method that employed masonry as infill between the vertical uprights of wood framing." -- quoting the web article review.
Photo of very rough in-wall brick nogging at an architects website
Falls and Related Injuries: Slips, Trips, Missteps, and Their Consequences, Lawyers & Judges Publishing, (June 2002), ISBN-10: 0913875430 ISBN-13: 978-0913875438
"Falls in the home and public places are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States, but are overlooked in most literature. This book is unique in that it is entirely devoted to falls. Of use to primary care physicians, nurses, insurance adjusters, architects, writers of building codes, attorneys, or anyone who cares for the elderly, this book will tell you how, why, and when people will likely fall, what most likely will be injured, and how such injuries come about. "
"Insulation: Adding Insulation to an Existing Home," U.S. Department of Energy - tips on how to do your own check for the presence of absence of insulation in a home
Insulation: Selecting Insulation for New Home Construction, U.S. Department of Energy - "Your state and local building codes probably include minimum insulation requirements, but to build an energy-efficient home, you may need or want to exceed them. For maximum energy efficiency, you should also consider the interaction between the insulation and other building components. This is called the whole-house systems design approach."
Insulation Types, table of common building insulation properties from U.S. DOE. Readers should see INSULATION R-Values & Properties our own table of insulation properties that includes links to articles describing each insulation material in more detail.
Lighting, proper use of: proper aiming of a good flashlight can disclose hard to see but toxic light or white mold colonies on walls.
Nogging: See this photo of exposed bricks on a building exterior on a building exterior in Canada. [Thanks to Carson Dunlop, Toronto - see References below].
Piquet Wall Construction: See this photo of piquet wall construction - involving timber-framed wall construction with long top girts, diagonal timber bracing, and small diameter logs placed vertically along with concrete chinking to fill in the wall plane.
Plank House Construction: weblog from plankhouse.wordpress.com/2009/01/25/plank-house-construction/ and where plank houses were built by native Americans, see
Large 1:6 Scale Plank House Construction / P8094228, Photographer: Mike Meuser
06/12/2007 documented at yurokplankhouse.com where scale model Museum quality Yurok Plank Houses are being sold to raise money for the Blue Creek - Ah Pah Traditional Yurok Village project.
Rubblestone Wall Filler: See this Lartigue House using exterior-exposed rubblestone filler between vertical timbers of a post and beam-framed Canadian building.
Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. S. Hyde, Jon R. Abele, ISBN-13: 978-1-933264-01-1 or ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2, available from the publisher, Lawyers ^ Judges Publishing Company,Inc., www.lawyersandjudges.com sales@lawyersandjudges.com and also from the InspectAPedia Bookstore (Amazon.com)
The Stairway Manufacturers' Association, (877) 500-5759, provides a pictorial guide to the stair and railing portion of the International Residential Code. [copy on file as http://www.stairways.org/pdf/2006%20Stair%20IRC%20SCREEN.pdf ] -
Lighting, proper use of: proper aiming of a good flashlight can disclose hard to see but toxic light or white mold colonies on walls.
Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen, Jon R. Abele, Alvin S. Hyde, Cindy A. LaRue, Lawyers and Judges Publishing; ISBN-10: 1933264012 ISBN-13: 978-1933264011
Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. S. Hyde, Jon R. Abele, ISBN-13: 978-1-933264-01-1 or ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2, available from the publisher, Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company,Inc., www.lawyersandjudges.com sales@lawyersandjudges.com and also from the InspectAPedia Bookstore (Amazon.com)
Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
The Staircase, Ann Rinaldi
Common Sense Stairbuilding and Handrailing, Fred T. Hodgson
The Art of Staircases, Pilar Chueca
Building Stairs, by pros for pros, Andy Engel
A Simplified Guide to Custom Stairbuilding, George R. Christina
Basic Stairbuilding, Scott Schuttner
The Staircase (two volumes), John Templar, Cambridge: the MIT Press, 1992
The Staircase: History and Theories, John Templar, MIT Press 1995
Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
"The Dimensions of Stairs", J. M. Fitch et al., Scientific American, October 1974.
"The Elimination of Unsafe Guardrails, a Progress Report," Elliott O. Stephenson, Building Standards, March-April 1993
"Are Functional Handrails Within Our Grasp" Jake Pauls, Building Standards, January-February 1991
"Weather-Resistive Barriers [copy on file as /interiors/Weather_Resistant_Barriers_DOE.pdf ] - ", how to select and install housewrap and other types of weather resistive barriers, U.S. DOE
Weaver: Beaver Board and Upson Board: Beaver Board and Upson Board: History and Conservation of Early Wallboard, Shelby Weaver, APT Bulletin, Vol. 28, No. 2/3 (1997), pp. 71-78, Association for Preservation Technology International (APT), available online at JSTOR.
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