README.md

metadata

license: cc-by-4.0
task_categories:
  - tabular-classification
language:
  - en
tags:
  - environmental-health
  - noise-pollution
  - urban-health
  - hearing-loss
  - cardiovascular
  - synthetic
  - sub-saharan-africa
pretty_name: Noise Pollution & Urban Health (SSA)
size_categories:
  - 10K<n<100K
configs:
  - config_name: megacity_traffic
    data_files: data/noise_megacity.csv
    default: true
  - config_name: secondary_city_mixed
    data_files: data/noise_secondary_city.csv
  - config_name: periurban_emerging
    data_files: data/noise_periurban.csv
data_type: synthetic

⚠️ Synthetic dataset — Parameterized from published SSA literature, not real observations. Not suitable for empirical analysis or policy inference.

Noise Pollution & Urban Health in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Synthetic dataset modelling environmental noise exposure and health outcomes across three urban settings in SSA. WHO identifies noise as a major environmental health risk causing hearing loss, cardiovascular disease, sleep disturbance, and cognitive impairment. Most African cities exceed WHO guidelines (53 dB Lden, 45 dB Lnight) from traffic, generators, industry, and entertainment.

Scenarios

• Megacity Traffic: Lagos/Nairobi-type megacity with mean Lden ~72 dB.
• Secondary City Mixed: Medium cities with generators, entertainment; Lden ~65 dB.
• Peri-Urban Emerging: Growing peri-urban areas; Lden ~58 dB.

Parameterization Evidence

Parameter	Value	Source	Year
Noise causes CVD, mental health, sleep disturbance	Health effects	WHO	2024
WHO guidelines: 53 dB Lden, 45 dB Lnight	Standard	WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines	2018
Traffic noise quantified in South African cities	City data	Nature Scientific Reports	2022
Annoyance, stress, hearing loss from noise in Nigeria	SSA data	PMC11221953	2024
Most developing countries lack noise legislation	Regulation gap	IntechOpen	2022

Validation

Usage

from datasets import load_dataset
ds = load_dataset("electricsheepafrica/noise-pollution-urban-health", "megacity_traffic")

Limitations

• Synthetic data; not for clinical decision-making.
• Noise levels modelled as normal distribution; real urban noise varies by time of day.
• Does not capture occupational noise exposure in detail.

References

1. WHO. Environmental noise guidelines for the European Region. 2018.
2. WHO. Updated disability weights for environmental noise. 2024.
3. Nature Scientific Reports. Traffic noise in South African cities. 2022.
4. PMC11221953. Noise levels and health perceptions in Nigeria. 2024.
5. IntechOpen. Environmental noise management in developing countries. 2022.

Citation

@dataset{electricsheepafrica_noise_pollution_urban_health_2025,
  title={Noise Pollution and Urban Health in Sub-Saharan Africa},
  author={Electric Sheep Africa},
  year={2025},
  publisher={HuggingFace},
  url={https://huggingface.co/datasets/electricsheepafrica/noise-pollution-urban-health}
}

License

CC-BY-4.0