Decibel Dilemma
Article: Decibel Dilemma
Author: Ron Chepesiuk
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that “World-wide, noise-induced hearing impairment is the most prevalent irreversible occupational hazard, and it is estimated that 120 million people worldwide have disabling hearing
difficulties". Noise is defined as "unwanted noise", and is measured in dB for intensity, and dBA for people's responses to noise. Many things cause noise pollution; most of it comes from population growth and urban sprawl that led to loss of rural land. Other causes include lack of adequate anti-noise regulations, electronics, vehicles on the road, and busier airports. Secondhand noise, which is sound experienced by people who did not produce it, is considered to have a similar effect on people as secondhand smoke does. Many household tools and appliances can also contribute to hearing loss. Some of these include dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, and hair dryers; these can reach up to or exceed 90 dBA. Such high exposure to noise can damage hearing, and in extreme cases, can even change the structure of hair cells in the inner ear, resulting in hearing loss. Less obvious effects of noise pollution are elevated blood pressure, loss of sleep, and increased heart rate.
This article was very interesting. I had no idea that noise could cause so many other problems other than deafness. It's scary that noise can do so much damage to our hearing. However, it is possible to reduce that level of noise. We can stop people from having their hearing damaged if we reduce our exposure to noise. We can do this by reducing our use of transportation, especially airplanes, since they make so much noise. In addition, people who works in fields like construction and mining that are exposed to a lot of noise at work should be provided with health care to make up for their possible hearing damage/loss. It's not their fault, they're just trying to do their job. We should also reopen the ONAC. That would tremendously improve our noise pollution. By doing that, we could start a revolution to reduce noise pollution. If we lead, other countries would follow in our footsteps and together, we could really make a difference. As always, we should also educate people about noise pollution, especially mothers so they know not to expose their baby to high levels of noise to protect the baby from deafness.
Author: Ron Chepesiuk
- The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that “World-wide, noise-induced hearing impairment is the most prevalent irreversible occupational hazard, and it is estimated that 120 million people worldwide have disabling hearing
difficulties" - Population growth and loss of rural land due to urban sprawl contributes to growing noise pollution; other causes include lack of adequate anti-noise regulations, electronics, vehicles on the road, and busier airports
- The U.S EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) identified transportation (vehicles, trains, buses, motorcycles, trucks, aircraft, etc.) as one of the most pervasive outdoor noise sources
- In 1981, more than 100 million people in the U.S were exposed to noise sources from traffic near their homes
- Noise is defined as unwanted sounds by some experts (boom boxes, car stereos, drag races, lawn mowers, etc.)
- Sound intensity is measured in decibels (dB), and A-weighted dB (dBA) is used to indicate how humans hear a given sound
- In the U.S, 30 million workers are exposed to hazardous sound levels on the job, mainly from construction, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, utilities, transportation, and the military
- Secondhand noise: noise that is experienced by people who did not produce it
- Anti-noise activists consider secondhand noise to have a similar effect on people as secondhand smoke
- Household tools and appliances like dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, and hair dryers can all reach up to or exceed 90 dBA
- Exposure to certain levels of sound can damage hearing; it can even change the structure of hair cells in the inner ear, resulting in hearing loss
- 12 million Americans suffer from tinnitus, a ringing/roaring/buzzing/clicking sound in the ears
- The more exposure a person has to noise, the more hearing loss will continue to grow
- Noise exposure stops=hearing loss stops; change in an environment can improve hearing
- Non-auditory effects of noise exposure: elevated blood pressure, loss of sleep, increased heart rate, cardiovascular constriction, labored breathing, changes in brain chemistry; these can lead to reduced productivity, decreased
performance in learning, increased drug use, and accidents - Excessive noise exposure in the utero can cause hearing loss in newborns
- Noise Control Act of 1972 empowered EPA to determine noise limits to protect public health, and establish a noise control office: Office of Noise Abatement and Control (ONAC)
- In 1982, the Reagan administration defunded the office because they don't have the "money or staff to do it"
- Closing the ONAC had a tremendous negative impact; U.S lost its lead in regulating noise
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that “World-wide, noise-induced hearing impairment is the most prevalent irreversible occupational hazard, and it is estimated that 120 million people worldwide have disabling hearing
difficulties". Noise is defined as "unwanted noise", and is measured in dB for intensity, and dBA for people's responses to noise. Many things cause noise pollution; most of it comes from population growth and urban sprawl that led to loss of rural land. Other causes include lack of adequate anti-noise regulations, electronics, vehicles on the road, and busier airports. Secondhand noise, which is sound experienced by people who did not produce it, is considered to have a similar effect on people as secondhand smoke does. Many household tools and appliances can also contribute to hearing loss. Some of these include dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, and hair dryers; these can reach up to or exceed 90 dBA. Such high exposure to noise can damage hearing, and in extreme cases, can even change the structure of hair cells in the inner ear, resulting in hearing loss. Less obvious effects of noise pollution are elevated blood pressure, loss of sleep, and increased heart rate.
This article was very interesting. I had no idea that noise could cause so many other problems other than deafness. It's scary that noise can do so much damage to our hearing. However, it is possible to reduce that level of noise. We can stop people from having their hearing damaged if we reduce our exposure to noise. We can do this by reducing our use of transportation, especially airplanes, since they make so much noise. In addition, people who works in fields like construction and mining that are exposed to a lot of noise at work should be provided with health care to make up for their possible hearing damage/loss. It's not their fault, they're just trying to do their job. We should also reopen the ONAC. That would tremendously improve our noise pollution. By doing that, we could start a revolution to reduce noise pollution. If we lead, other countries would follow in our footsteps and together, we could really make a difference. As always, we should also educate people about noise pollution, especially mothers so they know not to expose their baby to high levels of noise to protect the baby from deafness.