Noise pollution comprises all the undesirable sounds in our communities, excluding occupational exposure. It is becoming more extreme and ubiquitous than before and will continue to grow in size, breadth, and seriousness because of urbanization, technological developments, and population growth. Unwanted sounds generate cumulative and direct adverse consequences that damage and destroy social, occupational, residential, and academic settings. As a result, noise pollution causes actual economic and tangible losses to the well-being of society.[3]
Exposure to nuisance sound is rising in developing world regions and industrialized nations because it is widespread. Humans recognized the significant consequences of noise exposure in the early 1960s. Noise pollution is not only an occupational risk but also an environmental problem. From a public health perspective, excessive noise is a factor that can cause an increase in a person’s risk of disease in a population. So, it has relevance because of its effects on the well-being of humans and the environment.[3]
Billions of individuals worldwide are adversely affected by noise pollution. Transportation, trains, airplanes, construction, and industrial sites generate unwanted and harmful outdoor sounds daily. Populations are exposed to these noises involuntarily. Over 100 million people were exposed to harmful sound levels in 2018 due to excessive noise. In Europe, the impacts of loud sounds contributed to 48,000 new incidents of cardiovascular disease, and 12,000 individuals die prematurely annually. Approximately 6.5 million humans experience long-term sleep disturbances, and 22 million suffer from increased annoyance in the long run.[1]
Studies have shown that loud and unwelcome sounds harm wildlife and affect human health. Medical problems that are associated with nuisance noise include gastritis, sleep disturbances, pulmonary and respiratory agitations, hearing loss, racing pulse, low cognitive performance, hypertension, headaches, stress, anxiety, heart disease, memory impairment, stroke, colitis, loss of productivity, cardiac arrests, hypersensitivity, tinnitus, and speech interference.[3]
Noise-induced hearing loss is the most common medical issue associated with this environmental risk. Sound levels greater than 55 decibels are dangerous to human hearing. Frequent and long-term exposure to loud sounds higher than 65 decibels can cause incremental loss of hearing, and noise from a distance might cause ringing or tinnitus in the ears. People’s ears can tolerate the upper limit sound between 65 and 80 decibels, and 85 decibels in 8 hours is the maximum. The threshold for noise levels is even smaller for confined animals in zoos and houses.[3]
Noise pollution can adversely influence wildlife because loud sounds produced by humans can interfere with mating behavior, spatial orientation, communication, and foraging activities in wildlife and marine environments. Some animals can adapt to these interruptions, while other species are less likely to acclimate to these changes. Wild animals can experience reproductive issues, long-term stress, and modifications in their travel paths as a counterreaction to noise. Confined wildlife is frequently exposed to extreme sound levels due to noise from anthropogenic activities since they cannot escape it. Studies have demonstrated that confined wildlife can encounter fear, mental health issues, and pain because of noise pollution.[2]
Etiology explains why environmental noise occurs or the origination of nuisance sound. Causative factors involved with noise pollution are related to sound exposure, where humans live and work, or behaviors that can cause an increase in a person’s risk of disease or stressful situations. These environmental risks are often attributed to the design and layout of the physical environment. Etiologic factors directly correlate noise with human health because people are often exposed to loud sounds in their homes and communities.[3]
Causative agents increase the risk of disease and injury in healthy people. Some significant sources of noise pollution are automobiles, airplanes, industrial machines, loudspeakers, television, transistor radios, explosions, kitchen appliances, commercial construction projects, outdoor equipment, trains, nightlife, and animals. The main driving forces behind these loud sounds are technical developments, urbanization, and population growth.[3]
A mechanism of injury is the approach by which trauma and its related driving forces directly or indirectly affect people's bodies. The consequences of noise pollution are adverse to human health. Widespread noise where sounds are loud 24 hours per day has become commonplace, and some health problems associated with this risk are irreversible.[3]
According to the inverse square law, sound speed in a medium is conversely related to the square of the distance from the noise source. Intensity and loudness are roughly proportional to each other. Since sound obeys the inverse square law, as noise travels away from its primary source, it carries less energy and vibration. Over large distances, the amount of sound released from a source is dispersed as the area increases by the square of the distance from what is causing the noise.[3]
Noise pollution affects all of us, no matter where we live. Abatement of noise has been unsuccessful at federal, state, and local levels. Reducing environmental noise requires global collaboration because it is a shared responsibility. Noise pollution has no boundaries, and it is a multidimensional issue that requires prompt attention because of its adverse impacts on human health, animal welfare, and the environment. The consequences of countries not taking action can cause a global plague and epidemic.[3]
References
Noise pollution is a major problem, both for human health and the environment. European Environment Agency. Updated May 11, 2021. Accessed June 5, 2024. https://www.eea.europa.eu/articles/noise-pollution-is-a-major
Arcangeli G, Lulli LG, Traversini V, De Sio S, Cannizzaro E, Galea RP, Mucci N. Neurobehavioral alterations from noise exposure in animals: a systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;20(1):591. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010591.
Hammer MS, Swinburn TK, Neitzel RL. Environmental noise pollution in the United States: developing an effective public health response. Environmemtal Health Perspectives. 2014;122(2):115-9. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1307272.
Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board
Comments