Noise Pollution: What is it doing to us?
One of the most pervasive memories I have of living on the west side of campus is the sound of something I like to collectively call “downtown”. I woke up every morning (and sometimes at night) to the clanking of construction, the thumping bass of parties, and the reliable sound of traffic roaring below my apartment window. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I lay in bed with a pillow over my ears, silently begging the frat house next door to shut down the party long enough for me to fall asleep. Does this sound familiar? If so, you too may be someone suffering from the effects of noise pollution.
Noise pollution is exactly what it sounds like — annoying levels of noise that have detrimental health effects on human or animal life (Gupta 2017). However, it doesn’t have to be at “can’t-fall-asleep-because-its-so-loud” levels for it to have a negative impact on people’s lives. Even relatively low levels of noise have the potential to disrupt sleep and hinder cognitive development in children (Firdaus 2010). This toxic effect even permeates the womb — children in utero may develop high blood pressure and experience nerve stiffening when noise levels are particularly high (Firdaus 2010). In adulthood, exposure to high noise levels puts people at a higher risk of developing cardiac diseases and neurosensory impairments (Firdaus 2010). These developments may be explained from the chronic stress created by high noise levels, as high stress levels are correlated with many heart related diseases (Dimsdale 2008). At a less extreme level, noise pollution has been known to cause impairment in hearing, sleep quality, and potentially even affect the immune system and hormone levels in people (Passchier-Vermeer 2000).
After I learned about the debilitating effects of noise pollution, I started to wonder how severe it was in my local community. To measure the severity of noise pollution for UT Austin students, I created a survey and posted it on an UT Austin Facebook group. I received 20 responses. From analyzing these results, I found that 80% of people who filled out the survey indicated that they had experienced disruption in their lives from excess noise in their neighborhood, including things such as construction, loud car motors, and parties. Overall, 50% of the participants also indicated that the noise around their neighborhood was a “4” on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being “not annoying/loud/disruptive” and 5 being “extremely annoying/loud/disruptive”.
I found these results to be similar to what I myself experienced while living in west campus. Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of students who lived in north campus, on the other hand, rated their noise disruption level at a “1” or “2”, with 1 being “not annoying/loud/disruptive”. North campus is known as the “quiet” alternative to west campus, after all.
The majority of participants also indicated that outside noise affected their sleep quality (65%). This is in line with the results from the Gupta paper, which indicates that noise pollution can cause sleep disturbances (Gupta 2017). Interestingly enough, however, around 84% of students indicated that their GPA for the semester lay between a B+ and an A despite the fact that noise pollution was an issue for the majority of participants. This results deviates from what is discussed in the study done by Passchier-Vermeer, which indicated that excess noise exposure could cause decreased school performance (Passchier-Vermeer, 2000). However, given that this is an online survey, it is certainly possible that some participants may have given out inaccurate information regarding their grades. It may also simply be that many students at UT Austin have “adapted” to performing well academically even when their sleep and daytime hours have been disrupted by noise pollution.
Nevertheless, however, it is indisputable that noise pollution has some negative role in students’ lives at UT Austin. Sleep disruption is no small thing — and continuous sleep disruption, over time, can lead to serious health problems such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and colorectal cancer (Medic 2017). Sleep deprivation is also known to increase emotional distress and the incidence of mood disorders and impair performance (Medic 2017). This is in line with the results from the survey — of the 30% of participants that said their mental health was “negative” or “terrible”, 67% of them indicated that they were disrupted by neighborhood noise. Although there may be other factors contributing to their state of mental health, I believe that sleep — or lack of quality sleep — probably plays a substantial role.
The next question then becomes this: How do we reduce noise pollution on campus? Although college students are not the population most vulnerable to noise pollution, we are nevertheless a population impacted by it. The majority of participants in the survey indicated that the most “disruptive” noises in their neighborhoods were construction noises, cars, and the sound of partying next door. So it would be logical to look for ways to reduce or mitigate noise pollution in those areas.
One creative solution to reduce noise pollution would be to plant trees and roadside vegetation to reduce excess noise before it reached residents (Hosseini 2015). Although the study mostly explored forest road design, the authors did mention that roadside vegetation such as hedges could “break sound waves” and reduce the amount of excess noise transmitted to people. Tree belts also have the ability to reduce noise up to 5–10 dB when used correctly, as the leaves can absorb the sound by transferring the energy into physical movement (Firdaus 2010).
Another solution could be manifested through the “policy” route — for example, regulating vehicle engine noise levels or restricting their usage during night hours near residential spaces (Gupta 2018). Sound barriers could also be constructed at high traffic areas, such as near the expressway. Another option at the local level would involve encouraging new builders to put in sound absorptive finishes to limit sound reverberation, especially for buildings slated for public usage such as schools (Hammer 2014). For cities that are still developing new land, implementing “protective green belt” policies could be a good way to physically separate residential areas from busy streets responsible for the majority of noise emissions — a suggestion that one research group has pitched to the city of Delhi, which is notorious for its overcrowded streets (Firdaus 2010). However, these are all local measures that can only improve the noise pollution issue on a small scale.
To tackle the issue at a national scale, researchers at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor suggest that advocates adopt a bi-pronged approach of 1. federal regulation of noise emissions and 2. improved public education (Holzmann 2014). Federal regulation of noise pollution has been historically been successful in the aviation industry, as has public education in other areas such as hand washing (Holzmann 2014). Public activism and support could also aid researchers in creating a “noise map” of the nation, which would let researchers identify target spots for intervention (Holzmann 2014). Members of the community could simply use their cell phone to measure ambient noise at different locations and essentially crowdsource the information needed (Holzmann 2014). Together, these two forces could help shape state and local policy and ensure that noise emissions are minimized in communities.
However, progress on noise emission policy will probably be slow or nonexistent on a federal level unless people make it more of a priority in the local and national landscape. I believe that, in these cases, public education and advocacy at a local and state level may be a faster way to ensure that we and our families are protected against noise emissions. But in the meantime — if you’re living in UT’s west campus right now…maybe consider moving elsewhere next year.
Sources
Dimsdale, J. (2008). Psychological Stress and Cardiovascular Disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 51(13), 1237–1246.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109708002581?via%3Dihub
Firdaus, G., & Ahmad, A. (2010). Noise Pollution and Human Health: A Case Study of Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Indoor and Built Environment, 19(6), 648–656. https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326X10370532
Gupta, A., Gupta, A., Jain, K., & Gupta, S. (2018). Noise Pollution and Impact on Children Health. The Indian Journal of Pediatrics, (4):300–306 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-017-2579-7
Hammer, M. S., Swinburn, T. K., & Neitzel, R. L. (2013). Environmental noise pollution in the United States: developing an effective public health response. Environmental health perspectives, 122(2), 115–9.
Holzman, D. C. (2014). Fighting noise pollution: A public health strategy. Environmental Health Perspectives (Online), 122(2) doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1289/ehp.122-A58
Hosseini, S.A.O., Zandi, S., Fallah, A. et al. J. For. Res. (2016) 27: 463. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1007/s11676-015-0187-9
Medic, G., Wille, M., & Hemels, M. E. (2017). Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Nature and science of sleep, 9, 151–161. doi:10.2147/NSS.S134864
Passchier-Vermeer, W., & Passchier W F. (2000). Noise Exposure and Public Health. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp.00108s1123
Personal Experience
Online Survey
