Modern Day Noise Pollution
In the present day, we are mostly aware of what types of pollution there are and how these varying forms can adversely affect our health. The most common types I hear of being discussed are air, water, soil, and light pollution. However, it may be surprising to many to hear that noise pollution can also have detrimental effects on human health. As industrialization and urbanization increases, the “frequency and severity” of noise pollution consequently increase as well (Singh, 2018). The World Health Organization has acknowledged this issue and has expressed its thoughts on it by stating, “Noise must be recognized as a major” and an “underestimated” threat to “human wellbeing” while also pointing out that it is “slowly killing us” (Singh, 2018). You may not realize or feel it, but noise pollution in many places around the world can and does cause long-term hearing loss. Not only is hearing loss an effect of noise pollution, but we are susceptible to other diseases as well due to direct and indirect causes of noise pollution which will be discussed later. While there are simple and logical solutions to this issue, many of them are not enough to effectively combat the disadvantages and negative health effects many experience in their lives.
The health effects caused by noise pollution are not to be taken lightly. These effects can cause a person to become disabled and can even cause premature death. Studies have shown that living near a “roadway” caused problems “falling asleep” for many residents (Hunter, 2018). One such study showed that for “German adults”, those living near roadways experienced “29% more morning sleepiness” (Hunter, 2018). This is a direct result of obtaining less REM sleep, which is the restorative part of the sleeping process. What is fascinating to me is that not only does roadway noise affect the process of falling asleep, but also the quality of one’s sleep. It is as if even though you are asleep, your brain still takes into account noise that is heard subconsciously. REM sleep is probably the most important phase of sleep. To summarize, this is the stage in which the the cerebral processes of “learning”, “balancing your mood”, and “storing memories” are active (REM). As you can imagine, disrupting these processes can greatly impact an individual’s functionality in their everyday lives. For students, this can greatly reduce academic performance due to a reduction of learning capability and retention of information.
Additionally, other studies have shown that the higher the residential noise levels one is exposed to, the higher risk of “hypertension” is present (Dzhambov, 2018). Another study regarding “Brazil’s adult population” revealed that “annoyance” was one of the “major complaints” due to “environmental noise exposure” (Paiva, 2019). This caused an increase in interference of “daily activities” and “resting” as well as an increase in “anger, fatigue, and stress” (Paiva, 2019). I’m sure we all have experienced this at some point in our lives. A bad night’s sleep can ruin your entire day. This is especially true for me during school days. A low quality sleep causes me to be very moody the next day, along with not being able to focus while studying. These are the days where I have to resort to coffee to keep me focused. Otherwise, my productivity decreases drastically. These negative effects on one’s emotions can consequently lead into worse problems. Such problems include reduced “immune function”, “obesity”, “diabetes”, “heart disease”, etc. Not to mention “drowsy driving”, which can obviously lead to unforeseen tragedy (Hunter, 2018).
In what areas have this form of pollution been a problem in? Most, if not all urbanized cities and towns experience an elevated amount of noise pollution. For example, in a time span of “5 years” (2010–2014), Austin’ s noise complaints increased by a total of “470 percent” (Weber, 2015). Much of this was due to the city’s rapid growth. By now, the complaints would have gone up even more given that Austin continues to be a rapidly growing city. Many of the complaints were not only unsurprisingly due to “loud music”, but loud “TV” as well (Weber, 2015). Many of these complaints are not big enough for authorities to step in, so they’re simply unfortunate and probably uncontrollable issues. Now, let’s take a look at the “world’s noisiest city” (Keegan, 2018). The city of “Delhi” was reported to have the “highest average hearing loss” (Keegan,, 2018). Keep in mind that on average, any sound above “85 dBA (adjusted decibels)”, will gradually cause hearing loss and as the volume increases, hearing loss occurs much faster (Common, 2018). Delhi residents are estimated to have hearing loss “equivalent to someone 19 years older than them” due to the severity of the noise pollution (Keegan, 2018). Some part of the “London Underground” actually experience noise levels up to more than “105 decibels” (Keegan, 2018). Given that this place isn’t even one of the top contenders of the highest global noise pollution, just imagine how loud Delhi and alike places must be.
This is certainly not something a parent would want their child to be exposed to. Anyone that is “pregnant” or is a “child” or younger are statistically more susceptible to “noise induced health hazards” (Gupta, 2018). Imagine your child being exposed to loud volumes for long periods of time as would be the case for many urbanized and/or crowded areas. Having hearing loss at such early age can have vast consequences in the future. It can reduce their scholarly and/or athletic performance, prevent them from applying to jobs in the future, and cause them more danger overall throughout their life due to the lack of hearing. Hearing problems the children or pregnant women can get from this exposure can include “tinnitus” or “Noise Induced Hearing Loss” which can both become permanent (Gupta, 2018). Other than going deaf, tinnitus is what worries me the most in terms of the effects of hearing damage. Some of those affected have reported hearing a constant ringing sound for 24 hours a day. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy life having to constantly hear that sound no matter how peaceful a place may be.
What can be done to combat this issue? There are many solutions in fact, but what solutions you can make depend on various factors such as income, structure of household, the neighborhood you live in, etc. Electric vehicles, in my opinion, would be the most effective solution to eliminating many problems. Not only will they allow for “quieter streets”, but will also help with the movement towards “cleaner air” (Semuels, 2016). Although they may be pricier than the average car, these vehicles reduce the overall exhaust in the atmosphere and alleviate the burden of the constant noise produced by gas powered vehicles. Some states such as “Arizona” and “California” have even begun experiments with something called “quiet pavement” which could potentially reduce noise by “6 to 12 decibels” (Semuels, 2016). This type of pavement would be ideal for highways. Since highways are a dominant part of noise pollution in our everyday lives, using this pavement would surely ease that inconvenience. Something that has already gone into effect to attempt to reduce highway noise pollution is the highway traffic noise barrier. It is basically a large wall on the side of the highway. It’s goal it to reduce noise from highways to nearby neighborhoods, shops, schools, etc. It is still a work in progress, however, as the existing barriers are not as effective as they may sound (pun not intended). “Effective noise barriers” may only reduce noise by about “5 to 10 decibels” (Noise, 2017). Although they may not reduce most of the sound, they are at least somewhat helpful to those who are near highways. Other solutions include changing the flooring of a home by getting “wall-to-wall carpet”, “improving insulation” in your house, “installing a fence” to block “sound waves”, etc (20 easy).
I personally have had many experiences with the annoyance of noise pollution. At the university complex I live in, the AC condensers are on almost all the time. The real issue however, is the thinness of the apartment walls and windows. The apartment complex I live in is relatively a very quiet and peaceful place. At night, however, the noise produced by the AC condensers are so loud, that they prevent me from falling asleep sometimes and are a huge problem especially during the few nights I try to sleep early. Another issue I face every day is the deafening noise produced by the UT shuttle bus engines. When I’m close to the buses, I can barely hear myself speak. Not only that, but the noise they make are very annoying to me and I always get stressed out when I’m waiting at the bus stop and have to listen to all the other buses. The rides to and from school are not very pleasant either as it isn’t much quieter inside the bus. Lastly, I am guilty of blasting music when I use earbuds or headphones, so that is definitely a noise issue I can fix. This goes to show that some hearing loss a person may experience may be due to their own actions. Unfortunately, there are other noise issues that are unavoidable when participating in events such as parties, rallies, parades, concerts, etc. Hearing damage from these sources would be more due to personal choice as well, so there’s not really much that can be done about them other than not participating or distancing yourself from them.
Noise pollution is a real problem and should definitely receive more awareness. Not only do loud volumes cause health issues, but obnoxious or unexpected noises can also produce negative emotions that lead to the same or unrelated health issues. Hopefully, in the future, more people will realize that this form of pollution is just as detrimental as those that are more commonly spoken of. Thinking realistically, this issue will never be completely resolved as the world is constantly industrializing and growing in population. However, the smallest changes in lifestyle, especially at home, can greatly reduce your chances of being affected by this “ignored pollutant” (Keegan, 2018).
Works Cited
- Singh, D., Kumari, N., & Sharma, P. (2018). A Review of Adverse Effects of Road Traffic Noise on Human Health. Fluctuation and Noise Letters, 17(01), 1830001. doi:10.1142/s021947751830001x
2.Gupta, A., Gupta, A., Jain, K., & Gupta, S. (2018). Noise Pollution and Impact on Children Health. The Indian Journal of Pediatrics, 17(1). doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f
3. Hunter, J. C., & Hayden, K. M. (2018). The association of sleep with neighborhood physical and social environment. Public Health, 162, 126–134. doi:10.14295/idonline.v1i3.170
4. Paiva, K. M., Cardoso, M., & Zannin, P. (2019). Exposure to road traffic noise: Annoyance, perception and associated factors among Brazil’s adult population. Science of The Total Environment, 650, 978–986. doi:10.4103/1463–1741.116583
5. Dzhambov, A. M., & Dimitrova, D. D. (2018). Residential road traffic noise as a risk factor for hypertension in adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis of analytic studies published in the period 2011–2017. Environmental Pollution, 240, 306–318. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.122
6. Semuels, A. (2016, April). The Future Will Be Quiet. Retrieved October 28, 2018, from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-future-will-be-quiet/471489/
7. 20 Easy and Practical Ways to Reduce Noise Pollution. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2018, from https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/easy-and-practical-ways-to-reduce-noise-pollution.php
8. Weber, A. (2015, March 24). Map: In Austin, Noise Complaints are on the Rise. Retrieved October 28, 2018, from http://www.kut.org/post/map-austin-noise-complaints-are-rise
9. Keegan, M. (2018, March 08). Where is the world’s noisiest city? Retrieved October 28, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/mar/08/where-world-noisiest-city
10. Common environmental noise levels | CHC. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2018, from http://chchearing.org/noise/common-environmental-noise-levels/
11. What is REM sleep? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/sleep/conditioninfo/rem-sleep
12. Noise Barrier Design — Visual Quality. (2017, June 28). Retrieved December 2, 2018, from https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/Environment/noise/noise_barriers/design_construction/keepdown.cfm
