They found that at least one million healthy years of life (yes, one million) are lost each year in Europe alone due to noise pollution (and this figure does not include noise from industrial workplaces). The WHO team used the information to calculate the disability-adjusted life-years or DALYs-basically the healthy years of life―lost to ‘unwanted’ human-induced dissonance. The studies analysed environmental noise from planes, trains and vehicles, as well as other city sources, and then looked at links to health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, sleep disturbance, tinnitus, cognitive impairment in children, and annoyance. This study collated data from various large-scale epidemiological studies of environmental noise in Western Europe, collected over a 10-year period. In 2011 the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report titled ‘ Burden of disease from environmental noise’. It might be tempting to think that noise isn’t a serious health issue, after all, it’s just noise, it won’t kill us … right? Well, maybe. GLOSSARY tinnitus ringing or buzzing in the ears and hearing loss.
Exposure to prolonged or excessive noise has been shown to cause a range of health problems ranging from stress, poor concentration, productivity losses in the workplace, communication difficulties and fatigue from lack of sleep, to more serious issues such as cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, Noise pollution can be more than just annoying. Use the slider below to increase the noise exposure level or select an example sound from the drop down to find out the maximum exposure level before permanent damage. When sounds increase above 85 dB, damage is contingent on sound pressure and duration of exposure. Most scientists agree that exposure to sound levels less than 70 dB does not cause hearing damage, regardless of the duration of exposure. However, exposure for more than eight hours to sound levels in excess of 85 dB―which is roughly equivalent to the noise of a heavy truck on a busy road―is potentially hazardous. Obviously, distance affects the intensity of sound, so the above ratings are taken while standing close to the source of the sound. A whisper is approximately 30 dB, normal conversation about 60 dB, a lawnmower around 90 dB and a gunshot upwards of 140 dB. The sound pressure level is measured in decibels (dB). GLOSSARY frequency the rate per second of a vibration constituting a wave, either in a material (as in sound waves), or in an electromagnetic field (as in radio waves and light) (or pitch) and intensity (or loudness). The vibrations producing the sound are cyclical and are measured in hertz (Hz), which give the number of cycles that occur per second. An adult with good hearing can hear frequencies in the range 20 to 15,000 Hz, while children may hear frequencies above 20,000 Hz. Sound is created when a vibrating or aerodynamic source causes waves of acoustic energy to travel through the air. The sound pressure waves move out from the source and become weaker the further they travel. The waves may be reflected or scattered by objects, so the sound reaching the ear may be different from the sound originally generated. It is now more widespread than ever before and may continue to increase due to population growth, urbanisation and the increasing use of powerful, varied and mobile sources of technology ranging from mobile phones to leaf blowers. Noise originates in all sorts of ways and from a multitude of sources. Noise can be defined as any unwanted or offensive sounds that unreasonably intrude into and disturb our daily lives.
But in some situations a sound can distract us, break our concentration or, if it’s very loud, even harm us. When this happens, the sound becomes unwanted noise, and it can negatively affect both our physical and mental health. Sound is an important part of everyday life: for communication, for enjoyment or for alerting us to danger.
Even in a quiet building, you might be able to hear an air conditioner humming, phones ringing or a clock ticking. If you’re outside, you can likely hear a range of sounds―the wind, traffic or snippets of conversations. Close your eyes for a moment and listen to the world around you.
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