What are the common types of environmental noise?

In our surroundings, there are different sources emitting various types of environmental noise.

Type of Environmental Noise Sources	Examples
Transportation	aircrafts, trains, road vehicles, vessels
Industrial buildings	factories - machineries, air-conditioning systems
Commercial buildings	office buildings - air-conditioning systems restaurants - air-conditioning systems, kitchen ventilating systems
Construction sites	site formation (e.g. excavation), piling, road work, demolition, renovation
Domestic buildings	mahjong playing, hi-fi, musical instruments
Public places	open markets, streets, parks
Products	intruder alarms of buildings and motor vehicles

[Animation of some environmental noises in Hong Kong]

The following diagram demonstrates the sound pressure levels of various types of environmental noise. Please click on the demo button to appreciate the noise levels from these sources.

[Chart of typical noise levels from various sources]

Hong Kong, like many metropolitan cities in the world, experiences various noise problems. There is no quick fix to the problems but the Government is committed to doing all it can within the constraints to improve the noise environment of Hong Kong.