WHILE many environmental threats are well-documented, noise remains a pollutant that is often overlooked despite how omnipresent it is.
Is it that noise pollution poses a health risk that can lead to early death?
Verdict:
TRUE
Noise is so much more than just a nuisance.
Recent studies have found that noise pollution can significantly impair our physical well-being, to the point where it has been identified as a health risk greater than air pollution in some major cities, such as Barcelona.
According to Harvard Medical Magazine, noise pollution not only contributes to hearing disorders, such as hearing loss or tinnitus, but can also exacerbate cardiovascular disease and diabetes, two of the biggest contributors to premature mortality.
Mental health is affected by noise pollution, too. Those who are exposed to a high level of noise pollution may develop sleep disorders and cognitive problems, including memory impairment and attention deficits.
Harvard Medical Magazine writes that scientists are also investigating the effects of noise on vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children and the elderly.
So far, they have found possible links to childhood learning delays, low birth weight and dementia.
According to the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise, these threats remain "often underestimated" by government regulators and healthcare practitioners.
Fortunately, lawmakers are finally starting to wise up to the dangers of noise pollution.
The European Union, in particular, is placing great emphasis on helping cities become better places to live and work in.
"There are multiple benefits of good urban design," Dr David Rojas from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health states in an interview with Horizon, the EU’s Research and Innovation magazine.
"It’s not only air pollution or noise, it’s also physical activity, green spaces, (and) heat."
Dr Rojas is part of a team gathering data on the multiplicity of pollutants that we encounter in cities, and he is hoping that his findings will guide policymakers towards bettering health and infrastructure in urban areas.
Other bodies such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency are also pushing for noise pollution to be more widely-recognised as "a growing danger to the health and welfare of the Nation’s population."
It is not just humans who are affected by noise pollution, however.
Recent studies have found that noise can affect many other lifeforms, from birds, to marine life, to even trees. For example, human-caused noise and light pollution can disrupt the reproductive behaviours of some birds.
Sea life, which already has to contend with marine pollution, is also acutely affected by industrial noise, which disrupts their ability to mate, feed and even evade predators.
Even plants face long-term risks from noise pollution. Research shows that man-made noise can drive off natural pollinators such as insects and birds, which in turn harms plant populations.
More worryingly, this risk to plant diversity persists even after sources of excess noise are removed.
One can turn to 'natural sounds' such as the sounds of wildlife, or geophysical sounds like wind or running water, to alleviate the health risks of noise pollution. However, this does not address the root cause of the problem.
The ultimate solution to noise pollution is reduction, but that is easier said than done. Urban metropolises have evolved in such a way that almost every aspect of city life – from traffic to technology – produces far too much noise.
"To say the onus is on the individual to fix their noise exposure is not feasible," says one Harvard professor. And indeed, we must collectively wake up and face the music before it is too late.
References:
1. https://hms.harvard.edu/magazine/viral-world/effects-noise-health
3. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2020/11/12/noise-light-pollution-alter-bird-reproduction-study
6. https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/health/2021/03/28/these-natural-sounds-can-help-relieve-stress
7. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/opinion/worlds-cities-must-take-cacophony-noise-pollution
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