When pondering pollution, most of us probably imagine air pollution or the pollution of our oceans and rivers. While these types of contamination are dangerous, there is a different variety that many of us have probably never considered. One of the most dangerous types of pollution in our modern world is noise pollution. Noise pollution has been rightfully dubbed the “modern unseen plague” because unless you live in an extremely rural area, you are probably exposed to it much more regularly than your realize.
Understanding the Dangers of Noise Pollution
Most people tend to easily understand that excess exposure to extremely loud noises such as rock concerts is dangerous for your hearing. When it comes to the everyday noises of our daily lives, however, it is more difficult to comprehend how these sounds can become hazardous. Noise pollution has steadily grown alongside the rampant increase of modern technology and quick expansion of urban areas. According to the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA), about 30 million Americans are exposed to excess noise on a regular an ongoing basis – an increase of almost 10 million over the course of just a few years (healthyhearing.com). The World Health Organization (WHO) also warns of the dangers of noise pollution, stating that it has the potential to “seriously harm human health and interfere with people’s daily activities at school, at work, at home and during leisure time.” (healthyhearing.com). On top of interfering with productivity and daily life, noise pollution also has the potential to cause hearing loss, tinnitus, anxiety, fatigue, sleep disturbances and even speech issues.
People are starting to recognize noise pollution as a real issue in their lives and neighborhoods. According to the US Census Bureau, Americans cite noise as the most pressing issue in their towns and cities – even more pressing than crime.
Recognizing Noise Pollution Throughout your Day
Noise pollution is considered the “unseen plague” because it hides within our normal and routine daily activities. Blow drying your hair, mowing the lawn, driving in traffic, and eating in busy restaurants are all examples of how the daily choices we make unknowingly expose us to noise pollution. While you can choose to air dry your hair or wear hearing protection when you mow the lawn, there are also a lot of aspects of noise pollution in your neighborhood that you cannot control including construction, ambulance sirens, garbage trucks, a nearby airport and even elementary school playgrounds. Basically, the sounds you hear throughout your daily life at work or home, over the course of months or years, combine together to create dangerous noise pollution.
How Cities, Neighborhoods and Municipalities Can Protect Against Noise Pollution
Because noise pollution is an issue that occurs everywhere, from the streets to our homes to the restaurants and shops we frequent – it will take a collective effort in order to combat it. For the most part, noise pollution is still a relatively unknown issue that is not often discussed by local politicians or leaders, although this is slowly changing. Some cities are taking some action to help protect against noise pollution, by publishing one-hour average noise level maximums for certain activities during certain times of the day. This is a start, however, these ordinances are difficult to govern. Some organizations such as Silencity in New York are working to help raise public awareness of noise pollution and implore local businesses to lower the noise levels in their establishments to give city dwellers a reprieve from the noise.
How You Can Protect Yourself Against Noise Pollution
There are a lot of aspects of noise pollution that are simply out of our control, so it is important to know the measures we can take to help protect ourselves and our families. A good place to start is simply making decisions with hearing health in mind. Making the choice to avoid noisy activities or wear hearing protection while doing them is a huge step in the right direction. To give your ears a rest, make a goal to opt for quieter activities such as reading the newspaper rather than watching the news when in your own home. It may also be a good idea to consider installing foam or vibration mounts under major appliances to dull the humming noise or build a higher fence around your home to help block some of the neighborhood noise from reaching you.
To learn more about hearing health and hearing protection, contact us at Hearing Wellness Solutions.