Who Suffers From Noise Pollution?

We often associate noise pollutions with cities, and rightfully so. The concentration of large populations in a small area will bring some sustainability benefits, such as reduced transportation or commuting requirements. Still, cities also come with a substantial amount of noise. By the year 2100, an estimated 84 percent of humanity will have taken up residences in cities, meaning that noise pollution will be an issue that most people will have to endure. The intensity of noise pollution in urban settings also reflects social inequalities. According to one study published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journals, neighborhoods and communities that suffered from higher poverty rates and larger proportions of black, Hispanic, and Asian residents tended to suffer from higher noise levels than other areas. Even in smaller towns, low-income residents are much more likely to live near airports, train tracks, bus stations, power plants, factories, and other infrastructure that generate large amounts of noise pollution.

What Are The Harmful Effects of Noise Pollution?

While noise pollution can certainly interrupt what was otherwise a peaceful night's sleep, there are several other damaging health effects of people who suffer from noise pollution. The Lancet reported on multiple studies that have shown that noise exposure leads to many negative outcomes. They say that adverse effects include disturbed sleep, annoyance, daytime sleepiness, patient outcomes, employee performance in hospitals, increased hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and impaired cognitive performance in children. Being continuously exposed to repeated high noise levels has also been linked to hypertension, increased stress levels, worsened immune systems, hearing loss, and could exacerbate several other medical conditions. A notable environmental health researcher notes that "the brain can adapt to this (urban) noise…but even if you are not conscious of the noise, this is still stimulating your organic system." Several decades ago, the EPA had a noise control program. While that program is no longer active, they determined that acceptable indoor noise levels were below 45 decibels. However, more recent research has found that indoor noise levels around 30 decibels can disturb sleep, and adverse cardiovascular effects can begin at repeated exposure to sounds around 65 decibels. While several of the larger metropolitan areas are pushing sustainability agendas that focus on more livable and quieter urban design, homeowners who live in areas affected by noise pollution would do well to incorporate soundproofing strategies into their homes.

What Are Some Sustainable Noise Reduction Strategies?

Unfortunately, traditional soundproofing strategies for homes have often created more health and sustainability problems than they solved. Foam products used for soundproof walls and ceilings are usually manufactured from toxic and non-biodegradable materials sourced from the petrochemical industry. These less than ideal acoustic "solutions" also present a fire hazard for homes. For the sustainable-minded homeowner who wants to protect their interior environment from noise pollutions, today, there are several high-performance acoustic solutions on the market made from more sustainable materials.