New York Times – Chronic Noise Harmful to Health
"According to the World Health Organization, average road traffic noise above 53dB or average aircraft noise exposure above about 45dB are associated with adverse health effects."
On June 9, 2023, the New York Times published Noise Could Take Years Off Your Life. Here's How. The article explains how chronic noise can activate the amygdala, an area of the brain that responds to stress. This in turn can lead to an overreaction in the endocrine system "causing too much cortisol, adrenaline, and other chemicals to course through the body." The sympathetic nervous system "can also become hyper-activated, quickening the heart rate, raising blood pressure, and triggering the production of inflammatory cells."
"In fact noise may trigger immediate heart attacks: Higher levels of aircraft noise exposure in the two hours preceding nighttime deaths have been tied to heart related mortality."
The authors point to research showing that even people who think they have adapted to living in a noisy environment are still subject to the negative health effects of noise.
In addition, the article discusses the disproportionate impact of noisy environments on people of color, minorities and low-wealth communities.
Below are the opening paragraphs.
On a spring afternoon in Bankers Hill, San Diego the soundscape is serene: Sea breeze rustles through the trees and neighbors chat across driveways.
Except for about every three minutes when a jet blazes overhead with an ear-piercing roar.
A growing body of research shows that this kind of chronic noise – which rattles the neighborhood over 280 times a day, more than 105,000 each year – is not just annoying. It is a largely unrecognized health threat that is increasing the risk of hypertension, stroke and heart attacks worldwide including for more than 100 million Americans.
New York Times Seeking Feedback on How Noise Impacts People’s Lives
Embedded in the article is a survey entitled Does Noise Affect Your Life? We Want to Know.
"Noise is a vast – and largely unrecognized – threat to your health. The Times is collecting personal stories and noise measurements from readers like you."
Click here to respond.
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