Why is Noise Killing Me?

Since the beginning of time, there has always been some noise around us. It can be from rusty old farm tools, the yelping of the animals, the screaming of beautiful damsels, all the way down to YouTube makeup tutorials playing in the background as a blur.

At the same time, someone struggles through the pantry-banging and smashing pots and pans together for whatever reason. So there is some noise going on around humans, but how much noise is too much noise?

Furthermore, what kind of noises should humans be mindful of? To determine that, we must first define what noise is.

Now noise has many different definitions across many other divisions because noise is just that; it is different for everyone. However, we are using the more psychological/communication-based definition of “noise,” “Noise is any type of disruption that interferes with the transmission or interpretation of information from the sender to the receiver” (Study).

There are four different types of noises; physical, psychological, physiological, and semantic.

Physical noise is external interference to both speaker and listener; it hampers the physical transmission of the signal or messages. An example of physical noise is a loud party at the neighbors while someone is trying to sleep.

Psychological noise affects your mind, like negative self-talk and stereotypes.

Physiological noise affects your body, like mumbling or talking too fast.

Lastly, semantic noise is language misinterpretation, like when someone references soda as pop or a sandwich as a club or grinder.

However, these noises all have a threshold; a limit to which people can be tolerate. This is where noise pollution kicks in.

Noise pollution is defined as regular exposure to elevated sound levels, leading to adverse effects in humans or other living organisms. According to the World Health Organization, “…sound levels less than 70 dB are not damaging to living organisms, regardless of how long or consistent the exposure is. Exposure for more than 8 hours to constant noise beyond 85 dB may be hazardous. If you work for 8 hours daily in close proximity to a busy road or highway, you are very likely exposed to traffic noise pollution around 85dB,”. Sounds considered noise pollution are firecrackers, jet engines, and much more.

These could also be exposed to daily sounds like traffic jams or excessive honking. These lead to a more significant issue beyond our ears and internally.

Noise pollution can cause significant health problems. Some are irreversible and can cause very damaging effects on the body. For example, according to the World Health Organization, “Hypertension is, in this case, a direct result of noise pollution caused elevated blood levels for an extended time. In addition, hearing loss can be directly caused by noise pollution, whether listening to loud music in your headphones or exposure to loud drilling noises at work. Noise levels reach dangerous intervals of around 140 dB for adults or 120 dB for children.

Constant air or land traffic at night can cause sleep disturbances. They are severe conditions that can affect everyday performance and lead to severe diseases in child development.

In addition, children appear to be more sensitive to noise pollution. Several noise-pollution-related diseases and dysfunctions affect children, from hearing impairment to psychological and physical effects. Also, children who regularly use music players at high volumes are at risk of developing hearing dysfunctions.

In 2001, an estimated 12.5% of American children between 6-19 years old were impaired hearing in one or both ears.

Cardiovascular dysfunctions such as elevated blood pressure caused by noise pollution, especially at night, can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Dementia is not necessarily caused by noise pollution, but its onset can be favored or compounded by noise pollution.

Noise annoyance is, in fact, a recognized name for an emotional reaction that can have an immediate impact.” So how can economies help control noise pollution? It is more complex than needed, but there are currently some solutions.

Similar to vehicles, the quality of machines should be optimized to reduce sound production. Sound reaches an alarming and potentially threatening stage beyond 80 decibels.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), over 30 million Americans are exposed to workplace noise pollution. Therefore, lubrication of the machinery and servicing should minimize noise generation. This also helps in improving the shelf life of the machine.

In addition, the production of hybrid and electric cars can also lower noise levels. This could reduce the amount of noise in traffic jams, the most common noise pollution we have to deal with daily.

Though it might not seem like a lot, it is a lot. And it is a lot in the sense of what issues we can fix now with modern technology, such as adding mufflers or reducing cellular usage in quiet zones. These are small steps toward improving a massive problem that can never really be fixed, but it is a big step in the right direction of containment.

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References

A, S., Matheson, & P, M. (2003, December 01). Noise pollution: Non-auditory effects on health. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/bmb/article/68/1/243/421340

Environmental noise and sleep disturbances: A threat to health? (2014, November 15). Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1984006314000601

Noise Pollution-Sources, Effects, and Control. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09709274.2004.11905735