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Strategy for Controlling Noise and Vibration During Renovation of an Animal Facility

Abstract

The noise level in an animal facility is an important environmental variable that can adversely affect animal welfare, as well as experimental data. The authors describe the strategy they used to record, evaluate, and control excess noise and vibration during a period of renovation, while maintaining the operation of a research facility.

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Figure 1: Photograph of noise and vibration monitoring equipment located in one of the animal housing rooms.
Figure 2: Representative graphs of noise and vibration levels in one animal room (Room 1806) during both phases of renovation: demolition (Phase 1) and construction (Phase 2).
Figure 3: Graph of noise level patterns in one animal room (Room 2807) during the construction period (Phase 2) with only mice present, no animals present, and only rabbits present.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the FDA's Division of Facility Planning, Engineering and Safety, and the many contract office, line management, FDA facility management, and administrative personnel associated with the CDER and CFSAN research animal programs who contributed their time, effort and resources in the formulation and implementation of a coordinated strategy to address the concerns about construction-related noise and vibration. We also thank Chugach Support Services, Kling Lindquist, Acentech, DynCorp, and Wyle Laboratories for their cooperation.

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Correspondence to Thomas J. Sobotka PhD.

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Sobotka, T., Harper, S., Hanig, J. et al. Strategy for Controlling Noise and Vibration During Renovation of an Animal Facility. Lab Anim 32, 34–40 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0803-34

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