Environment noise pollution is common place today, at intolerable levels. In hospitals, technological developments have, as a consequence, potentially harmful noise levels. Much of the hospital noise comes from inside, rather than outside, and the major source of such noise is the Intensive Care Unit, for example equipment and hospital staff talk. Our goal with the present study was to investigate the noise level present in the different hospital environments, within a 222 bed hospital located at the 18th health zone, PR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out in March, 2005, during a period of 24 hours, in tem different sectors. CASE STUDY: We checked environmental sound level by means of a model 1350 decibel meter. RESULTS: The sound level found in our study was of 63.7 dB(A) in average, which exceeds the 45 dB recommended by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (1987). CONCLUSION: In the analyzed sectors, the sound level was considerably above the recommended maximum. The hospital staff should be aware of this noise level and its effects, so that they may act in a more efficient way in order to reduce this noise pollution; thus benefiting the professionals and patient recovery.
hospital; noise intensity; noise
