Environmental pollution is one of the most dangerous threats to human health. Whether it’s about the traffic, people talking on phones for 1-2 hours, loud music, driving horns, and many more have become a part of the urban culture. The extensive sounds in the environment lead to noise pollution that can cause hypertension, sleeping disorders, and even health-related issues. In this handout, you will find out the major causes and effects of noise pollution on human health.
What is meant by Noise Pollution?
Noise is an unwanted or unpleasant sound that bothers people. The presence of a large amount of unwanted noise can upset the balance of the environment and lead to noise pollution. Although advanced technology has made people’s lives easier, it is undeniable that noise pollution is increasing rapidly as it progresses. The normal sound heard by the human ear is 1 dB. The range from 30dB to 140dB is very dangerous for people.
There are generally two types of noise pollution, namely; environmental noise pollution and man-made noise.
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Environmental Noise: The kind of noise produced from the wide-range of environmental happenings refers to environmental noise. It can include thunderstorms, the mating calls of animals, and many more.
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Man-made Noise: The sound created due to man-made activities refers to man-made noise and serves as the major reasons for noise pollution. It can include noise from vehicular traffic, construction work, household noise, and many more.
What are the Causes of Noise Pollution?
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Industrialization: Most of the manufacturing companies and worldwide industries use big machines that can produce a large amount of noise. Apart from that, different equipment such as exhaust fans, compressors, grinding mills, and many more participate in producing big sound. The wide-ranging exposure to high levels of sound can damage the hearing abilities of the workers.
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Transportation: Traffic serves as one of the major causes of sound pollution as numerous vehicles at the same time on the roads produce heavy noise. Apart from it, underground trains, airplanes flying over houses, and other transportation modes make it difficult for people to get adapted to high sound.
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Construction Activities: The construction of buildings, stations, roads, dams, flyovers, and mining produces high noise. The sound produced can even hinder the hearing capacities of an individual exposed to the sound.
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Social Events: Whether it’s a club, worship place, marriage, or any other social place, people usually create a nuisance that becomes the major cause of noise pollution. Playing songs on full volume can affect the hearing abilities of an individual who is frequently exposed to such sounds.
The picture shows how a man working at the construction site is irritated with excessive sound.
What are the Effects of Noise Pollution?
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Hearing Difficulties: Any unwanted sound that human ears have not been assembled to filter can cause hearing problems. For the normal hearing range, man-made noises such as traffic horns, airplanes, jackhammers, and many more can be too loud. Continuous exposure to loud levels of noise can straightforwardly result in the damage of eardrums and hence loss of hearing. Additionally, it can decrease the sensitivity of human ears to sound.
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Sleeping Disorders: The high levels of sound can disturb the sleeping pattern of an individual and thus can lead to uncomfortable and irritating situations. The late-night parties, loud music in marriages, or other events can affect neighbor’s night sleep. They can experience fatigue over the next entire day. It becomes necessary to take actionable measures and adopt a healthy lifestyle to reduce the effect of sound pollution.
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Health-related Issues: Undoubtedly, too much sound in the working areas like construction sites, offices, and even in the homes can affect psychological health. Disturbance of sleep, hypertension, aggressive behavior, or stress can be associated with excessive sound levels. As a result, noise pollution can cause chronic health issues.
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Cardiovascular Problems: The high-intensity sound can cause an increase in heartbeat rate and blood pressure as well. It is because extensive sound interrupts the normal blood flow and results in the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
How to Prevent Noise Pollution?
Sound pollution is dangerous to human health as it can result in loss of hearing, health issues, and many more. It has become a need of an hour to control the different causes of noise pollution. Some of the preventive measures to be taken to control noise pollution:
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Large sounds like driving sirens in public places, including hospitals, teaching institutes must be banned.
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It is essential to control the sound of music systems and should be limited to a desire.
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The use of explosives in the forest, mining areas, and mountains should get banned.