Noise is one of those environmental hazards that people can easily ignore because it leaves no visible pile, stain or smoke. In a busy Nigerian market, however, noise can become part of everyday life. Vehicle horns, generators, traders calling customers, loudspeakers and other activities can combine to create an environment where people are exposed to high sound levels for several hours.
As an Environmental Health Science student at Kwara State University, this became more than something I learnt in class. It became the subject of my final-year project: Noise Pollution Perceptions and Mitigation in Busy Markets of Ilorin.
For the project, I examined the situation in Sango, Ipata and Oja Oba markets. I wanted to understand not only how noisy these environments were, but also what the traders themselves perceived, the major sources of the noise and what could realistically be done about it.
Noise Is an Environmental Health Issue
Noise pollution refers to unwanted or excessive sound that can interfere with normal activities and negatively affect health and well-being.
The World Health Organization recognises environmental noise as an important public-health issue. Excessive noise has been associated with sleep disturbance, annoyance, hearing impairment, tinnitus, cognitive effects and cardiovascular effects (WHO, 2018).
This is why noise should not be dismissed simply as “normal market noise.”
A market is expected to be busy, but being busy does not mean every level of noise is harmless.
What We Are Taught at KWASU
One of the things Environmental Health Science has taught me is that environmental hazards should be assessed rather than judged only by appearance or personal opinion.
You cannot look at a market and accurately determine its noise level with your eyes.
That is why sound-level measurement is important.
For my project, I used a calibrated digital sound level meter to measure noise in the selected markets.
Measurements were taken at three points in each market, covering morning, afternoon and evening periods. The monitoring was conducted across alternate days over the study period.
The measurements were expressed in A-weighted decibels, dB(A), which takes into account the sensitivity of human hearing to different frequencies.
This was one of the practical aspects of my training that made the project meaningful to me. Something that initially sounded like an ordinary question—”How noisy is this market?”—became a measurable environmental-health problem.
Why I Chose Busy Markets
Markets are important public spaces.
They bring together traders, customers, transport operators, food sellers, artisans and other members of the community.
That concentration of people and activities also creates multiple noise sources.
In my study, the major perceived sources included:
- Vehicle horns – 35.3%
- Traders shouting – 26.5%
- Generators – 22.1%
- Public-address systems – 16.2%
These figures show something interesting.
There is no single source responsible for all the noise.
The problem is produced by the combination of activities taking place in the market.
A vehicle may sound its horn while a trader is calling customers and a generator is operating nearby. Add a loudspeaker to the environment and the overall soundscape becomes considerably more intense.
What the Traders Told Me
For the perception aspect of my research, I administered questionnaires to traders.
I distributed 68 questionnaires, and all 68 were successfully returned, giving a 100% response rate.
Most respondents recognised that their market environment was noisy.
This was important because environmental health interventions work better when they take people’s experiences into account.
The people working in these markets are not occasional visitors.
They can spend many hours there.
Therefore, their perception of noise is important alongside the measurements obtained from the sound-level meter.
The Health Effects Were Not Just About Hearing
One misconception about noise pollution is that the only possible health effect is hearing loss.
My project responses showed a much broader range of perceived effects.
The reported effects included:
- Headache
- Hearing difficulty
- Tinnitus
- Irritability
- Sleep disturbance
- Reduced concentration
These responses are consistent with the wider scientific evidence.
WHO identifies hearing impairment, tinnitus, sleep disturbance, annoyance and cognitive effects among the health outcomes associated with excessive environmental noise exposure (WHO, 2018).
This means that someone does not have to become deaf before noise becomes a health concern.
A person who constantly struggles to concentrate because of excessive noise is already experiencing an effect.
Someone who becomes irritated or develops headaches around persistent noise is also experiencing a possible consequence.
What I Observed in the Field
The fieldwork changed how I personally understand noise pollution.
Before doing the project, it was easy to think of market noise simply as part of Nigerian commercial life.
But standing in the markets while measurements were being taken made the situation more obvious.
The sounds are continuous and often overlap.
A horn may come from one direction.
A generator may be operating nearby.
Several traders may be calling customers at the same time.
A public-address system can add another layer.
None of these activities necessarily appears dangerous when considered separately.
The problem is the combined exposure and the amount of time people spend within it.
That is one of the lessons I took away from the project.
Ilorin Has Had Noise Problems for Years
My project was not the first investigation into noise in Ilorin.
Earlier research published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment examined noise levels across different locations in Ilorin metropolis. The study reported high noise levels at several locations, including commercial centres. At Oja-Oba Market, measured LAeq values were reported at approximately 82–85 dB(A) during morning, afternoon and evening periods. Ipata Market also recorded elevated values during some periods.
This historical evidence is useful because it shows that noise in Ilorin’s commercial environments is not a completely new concern.
The city has been experiencing the environmental-health consequences of urban activity for years.
Why Measurement Matters
There is a major difference between saying:
“This market is very noisy.”
and saying:
“The measured sound level at this location was X dB(A).”
The second statement provides evidence that can be compared with a standard or guideline.
Nigeria has a National Environmental (Noise Standards and Control) Regulations, administered under NESREA. The regulation’s stated objective is to regulate noise levels and protect the tranquillity and psychological well-being of the human environment (NESREA, 2026).
Measurement therefore gives environmental health professionals something objective with which to assess the situation.
The 70 dB(A) Comparison
For my project, the measurements were considered against the 70 dB(A) LAeq reference level for commercial areas used in the study framework.
This comparison is important because a numerical measurement becomes more meaningful when there is a benchmark.
If measured levels are consistently above the reference value, it indicates that the environment deserves further attention and mitigation.
However, noise assessment should not be reduced to one number alone.
Duration, time of day, source, frequency and the characteristics of exposed people also matter.
What Can Be Done in Ilorin Markets?
The solution does not have to be shutting down markets or stopping every activity that produces sound.
The first step is identifying the major sources.
For vehicle noise, unnecessary horn use can be discouraged and vehicle maintenance improved.
Generators should be properly maintained and, where feasible, positioned to minimise exposure to workers and customers.
Traders using loudspeakers should keep volumes at reasonable levels.
Market authorities can establish clearer rules for public-address systems and other amplified sound.
Market layouts can also be considered during planning so that particularly noisy activities are not unnecessarily concentrated around areas where people spend long periods.
Most importantly, traders should understand why excessive noise matters.
Education Is Part of the Solution
Environmental health is not only about enforcement.
It is also about education.
A trader may not realise that persistent exposure to excessive noise can affect concentration, sleep, hearing and general well-being.
A driver may think repeated horn use is harmless.
A generator operator may not consider the people working beside the machine.
Education can help people recognise that their individual actions contribute to the overall sound environment.
The aim should not be to make markets silent.
A completely silent market would not even be realistic.
The aim is to reduce unnecessary and excessive noise while allowing normal commercial activities to continue.
What My Project Changed for Me
My final-year project made noise pollution personal in a different way.
I had already learnt about environmental hazards, measurements, occupational exposures and preventive strategies in class.
But conducting research in actual markets required me to apply those lessons.
I had to interact with traders, collect responses, take measurements and consider what the findings meant for people who spend their working lives in those environments.
The experience reinforced something I have repeatedly encountered throughout my Environmental Health Science training:
An environmental problem becomes easier to understand when you connect classroom knowledge with what is happening around you.
The late Professor Henry Sawyer was among the teachers who contributed to my academic foundation, and my training at KWASU has continued to shape how I look at environmental conditions beyond the classroom.
Conclusion
Noise pollution in Ilorin’s markets is not simply about people being loud.
It is an environmental-health issue involving transportation, generators, commercial activities, public-address systems and prolonged human exposure.
My final-year project in Sango, Ipata and Oja Oba markets showed how the problem can be studied from both sides: what people experience and what instruments measure.
The questionnaire responses showed that traders identified vehicle horns, shouting, generators and public-address systems among the major sources of noise. The reported health effects also extended beyond hearing problems to headaches, tinnitus, sleep disturbance, irritability and reduced concentration.
Scientific evidence from earlier studies in Ilorin similarly demonstrates that some commercial areas experience substantial noise levels.
The answer is not to remove the energy that makes Nigerian markets function.
It is to manage the unnecessary part of the noise.
A busy market does not have to be an unhealthy market.
References
- World Health Organization. (2018). Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region. WHO Regional Office for Europe.
- World Health Organization. (2024). Guidance on environmental noise. WHO.
- World Health Organization. (2011). Noise. WHO Regional Office for Europe.
- NESREA. National Environmental (Noise Standards and Control) Regulations, S.I. No. 35 of 2009. National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency.
- Evaluation and Analysis of Noise Levels in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.
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