The Case Against Noise Pollution

A New York Times article by Emily Baumgaertner, Jason Kao, Eleanor Lutz, Josephine Sedgwick, Rumsey Taylor, Noah Throop and Josh Williams highlights the dangers of noise pollution such as traffic and airplane sounds to public health.

We’ve all been told to limit the volume on our headphones to protect our hearing. But it is the relentless din of daily life in some places that can have lasting effects throughout the body.

As the authors explain, this isn’t exclusively a problem in big, noisy cities. “Even people who live in relatively peaceful rural and suburban communities can be at risk. The sudden blare of trains that run periodically through D’Lo, Miss. (population: less than 400), can be especially jarring to the body because there is little ambient noise to drown out the jolt.”

The article details the effects noise can have on the human body and mind. “The endocrine system can overreact, causing too much cortisol, adrenaline and other chemicals to course through the body,” for example. Noise can contribute to higher blood pressure, inflammation in arteries, and other risk factors for heart disease.

As the science around noise pollution becomes more clear, cities can take steps to reduce harmful noise. The practice was established at the federal level in 1972 with the Noise Control Act issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an office that was later defunded under the Reagan administration.

Meanwhile, “The European Union requires member nations to monitor and assess sound levels across regions and to produce new action plans every five years to address communities at greatest risk.” Some countries have installed noise-detecting cameras, quiet hours, and other mitigation measures.