[Effects of Tohoku Shinkansen noise on living environment of school children--changes with the increase of the maximum train speed].

The maximum train speed of the Tohoku Shinkansen was increased from 210 to 240 km/h in March 1985. In order to determine the effects of the expected increase in noise level on the living environment of school children, a longitudinal study was carried out in an elementary school near the Tohoku Shinkansen line in Saitama prefecture comprising noise measurements and social surveys of the school children and their mothers using a questionnaire. The results were as follows: 1. When measured 25 meters away from the railroad track, the noise level increased from 73 to 76 dB (A)along the inbound track, while it increased from 77 to 78 dB (A)along the outbound track. 2. The maximum noise level in a classroom when an outbound train passed at a speed of 216 km/h was 67 dB(A). 3. In the school environment the most pronounced effects of the Shinkansen noise were annoyance and listening disturbance, with the percentages reporting such significantly increasing after the speed-up. 4. In the home environment the most pronounced effects of the Shinkansen were annoyance, structural vibration, television interference, and listening disturbance. However, the percentages of these complaints did not show any significant change after the speed-up. 5. Among those living near the railroad track there were significant differences between children and their mothers in the percentages reporting annoyance, television and radio listening interference, and structural vibration, with the percentages for the mothers being higher than their children. These results indicate that disturbances in listening has especially increased in the school environment after the speed-up and that the increase in both noise levels and number of train passages have contributed to increasing disturbance.