Know About Noise Pollution
Noise means ‘unwanted sound” that interferes with the human communication, comfort and health. In fact, the word noise has been derived from the Latin word nausea. Any sort of undesirable sounds like beating of the drums, motorcycles passing on the street or even the barking of the dogs can be referred to as noise. If that noise is made by humans, machines and animals that can disturb the balance in the surrounding is called noise pollution. To be more accurate noise pollution is “wrong sound at wrong place and at wrong time”.
Decibels (dB) is the measuring unit for sound. With the every 10dB increase in a certain sound indicates that there is ten times increase in the intensity of the sound. A Sound measuring 120dB is very much capable to damage the eardrums. However if the intensity of sound is about 85dB can already be hazardous to the ears if the person is exposed to it continuously. If you are being continuously exposed to such intense sound can bring health problems like damaged eardrums.
Source of Noise Pollution: Basically there are 2 major sources for noise pollution, i.e indoor and outdoor sources. Loud music and noise made by some electrical appliance makes the contribution towards the cause of indoor noise pollution and noise from vehicles and industrial machines are under the outdoor source. If past study and statistics is to be believed outdoor source contribute more to this kind of pollution compared to indoor source that is why urban places have higher noise pollution compared to rural places.
Effects of noise pollution:If a person is being continuously exposed to high decibel sounds has greater risks of developing health problems. And finally the disorder will lead to acoustic trauma. It can also leads to various psychological problem. The other associated problems of noise pollutions are difficulty in hearing, hypertension and disturbed sleep. Even if any animals living in a noise polluted area are also prone towards the disorder and they will become aggressive and irritable due to noise pollution. In recent times the world is plagued with various sorts and types of pollution. Because of the rapid development of machines, industries and technology, noise has been an integral part of our life.
Another side effect of noise pollution is stress. As soon as you will be the victims of stress, it will leads to several forms of cancer, hypertension leading to heart disease, mental illness, social isolation and a whole host of other issues. Adding to the worry, recent study has reveled that increased levels of noise during the night increase the risk of a heart attack. Hence stay away from those all unwanted sounds and live a peaceful life.
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Harmful Effects of Noise Pollution
Unpleasant sounds can affect an individual's concentration, happiness or even health. Noise can originate from a variety of sources, from workers digging outside a flat to an airplane taking off. While often noise is very temporary and so less threatening to a human, especially loud or persistent noise has been linked to a number of harmful effects, and is as much a source of pollution as air or water contamination. Have a question? Get an answer from a doctor now!

1. Hearing Loss * Excess noise pollution can be temporarily or even permanently damaging to the human ear, resulting in hearing loss over time. In many cases, after being exposed to noise pollution, for example at a rock concert, individuals find they can't hear weak sounds; this is known as temporary threshold shift and generally disappears after around a month. Such effects can occur when the sound level is between 80 and 130 decibels, as noted by the Environment and People website; higher sound levels, such as those around 150 decibels, can actually rupture the human drum, resulting in permanent hearing loss.
Stress Problems * Frequent exposure to noise pollution can cause the body to produce more adrenaline and cortisol, which scientists term stress hormones. These hormones are those produced when the body shifts into emergency gear --- termed fight or flight --- and they can up the body's heart rate as well as a person's blood pressure. The result over time can be negative, as the body triggers this reaction again and again, leading to the loss of blood vessels and later an increased risk of suffering heart complications, the Washington Post reports. Conditions triggered as a result of the stress from noise pollution causes can include ulcers and migraines, too.
On Children * A noisy environment can have negative consequences for a child's learning and development. The noise pollution affects a pupil's ability to hear the teacher's voice, and prevents the student from understanding verbal commands and sounds. This can result in delays in the time it takes a child to become a competent reader for instance.
On Mental Health * Long-term exposure to noise pollution can not only grate on a person's nerves, but potentially lead to the individual developing a psychological or emotional disorder. Over time, a person can become especially anxious, stressed to the point where her relationships with others are affected, or particularly irritable.
Sleep Loss * Localized noise pollution, such as that produced by a washing machine, passing traffic or loud music from a neighbor's house, can have a detrimental effect on the amount of sleep an individual gets. Scientists have calculated that any noise over 55 dBA --- a unit used to measure sound level --- can cause an interruption to human sleep, leading to unpleasant feelings of tiredness in the following days as the individual gets less than the amount of sleep he requires.
Noise Pollution
When unwanted sound created by human beings hits our ears and disturbs the environment, noise pollution is created. Chiefly, noise pollution comes from barking dogs, loud music, vehicles, aircraft and rail transport, air-conditioners, factories, amplified music and construction work.
Sources of noise: All transportation systems create noise pollution. With residences created adjacent to factories, they experience noise pollution and its adverse effects. Besides transportation noise, noise can come from factory appliances, power tools and audio entertainment systems.
Measures of noise: Noise pollution is measured in decibels. When noise is at 45 decibels, no human being can sleep, and at 120 decibels the ear is in pain and hearing begins to be damaged at 85 decibels.
Effects of noise pollution
Human health: Noise pollution disturbs our health and behavior in a number of ways including deafness causing lack of sleep, irritability, indigestion, heartburn, high blood pressure, ulcers, and heart disease. Just one noise explosion from a passing truck drastically alters our endocrinal, neurological, and cardiovascular functions in many individuals. If this is prolonged or frequent, the physiological disturbances become chronic and contribute to mental illness.
Annoyance: Sometimes, even low levels of noise are irritating and can be frustrating, and high volumes can be annoying. Natural sounds are less irritating than those we find uncontrollable but intermittent sounds such as a tap dripping water can be more irritating than the sound of falling rain.
Speech interference: Noise more than 50dB can be very difficult to hear and interpret and cause problems such as partial deafness.
Sleep interference: Very high levels of noise can wake people from their sleep with a jerk and keep them awake or disturb their sleep pattern. This could make them irritable and tired the next day.
Decreased work performance: Increased noise levels gives rise to a lack of concentration and accuracy at work, and reduce one’s productivity and performance. Difficult tasks can be impaired, and instructions or warnings difficult to be heard and interpreted, causing accidents.
How to avoid sources of noise pollution
Traffic: Don’t live or work near major intersections or roads, shopping centers and sporting facilities. Valleys and falls are noisier than flat roads.
Barking dogs: As a dog owner, you should take care to see that your dog doesn’t annoy the neighbors with its barking and yowling.
Aircraft: Before buying a home, see how far it is from the local airport.
Neighbors: Be a good neighbor by not annoying those who live next door with your music or lawn mowing.
Solving noise problems: Many noise problems can be prevented by considering others and talking through problems. Be a good and concerned neighbor by discussing a common problem calmly and in a collaborative spirit to find a common solution.