Vuvuzela noise - It's LOUD!

I've just been asked to go on the radio in the morning (BBC Radio York, don't you know) at the crazy time of 7.25, to talk about the noise from that icon of South African football supporters; the Vuvuzela. I've just done a little research and WOW - they make some noise!

The Vuvuzela, for those of you who, like me, aren't really into football, is a 3 foot long plastic horn blown by mouth and originates from a traditional horn used by villagers to call meetings. It has become tradition at football matches in South Africa, for spectators to blow these at various points in the game, in unison to 'emphaise the ebb and flow of the game'. The problem seems partly to be that, as more and more people purchase these things, the more they are sounded throughout the game.

The noise level from these horns varies a little depending on what reference you use, but anything from 113dB at 2m away to 131dB at the opening of the horn, and 127dB seems to be used quite often as a measure of what fans can be subjected to - and that's only from one horn!

To put this in context, the UK Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 sets a legal level of 85dB over 8 hours continuous. To reach this level of exposure at 127dB will only take one second! So anytime after one second of being subjected to this noise, you are likely to be sustaining damage to your hearing! Oh, and hearing damage is permanent, so not such a fun thing after all then!

As to whether they should ban them - the noise regulations only concern people at work, so there's no legal reason but from a purely public health point of you - absolutely, they shouldn't be allowed. How you tackle the cultural argument is another matter altogether.

Castle Group is involved in noise monitoring and other disciplines, for health and safety and environmental issues and can be found at http://www.castlegroup.co.uk/.