Curious about the health risks of noise exposure? Learn about the diseases you can get from noise pollution and how to protect yourself in this informative article.Noise and sound are different concepts . Sound is what we hear. Noise is an unpleasant or too loud sound.Sound is produced by vibrations in the air – sound waves. The ear picks them up and converts them into information that it transmits to the brain. A level of up to 70 dB is considered safe . Louder sounds can damage your hearing over time.
The scale for measuring sound volume is not linear, but logarithmic . This means that adding sound volume to equal segments on the decibel scale multiplies the sound power several times, and not by a fixed value. For example, if you add 10 dB of volume , the sound will become 10 times more powerful. And another 20 dB will make the sound 100 times more powerful.
How noise affects our health
Scientists use the term “noise pollution” to mean unwanted or excessive sound that is harmful to health.Experts at the US Environmental Protection Agency consider noise pollution a threat to human health and well-being. According to the European Environment Agency, noise is the second most harmful factor to health after air pollution.
Long-term exposure to noise may cause illness or damage.
Causes hearing loss
Exposure to loud noise kills nerve fibers in the inner ear, which can lead to permanent hearing loss. No surgery or hearing aid can fix this.
Short-term exposure to loud noise can also cause temporary congestion or tinnitus, a ringing sound in the ears. These problems go away within minutes or hours. But repeated exposure can lead to permanent tinnitus and deafness.
The louder the sound, the less time it takes to lose hearing. The longer the exposure, the higher the risk of becoming deaf.
Causes mental disorders
Loud noise can cause physical and psychological stress. If its level is not controlled, a person may develop a state of apathy , and there will be no strength to correct mistakes at work.
Constant stress also causes irritation, which may contribute to the development or exacerbation of other mental health problems. For example, scientists suggest that the louder the noise, the stronger the connection with the development of depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. Because of these conditions, people cope worse with stress, become dependent on alcohol and tobacco, and lead a sedentary lifestyle.
How to Reduce Noise Exposure
Living even in a small town means constant exposure to noise: public transport, sirens from emergency vehicles, a neighbor’s car alarm that reacts to birds, and the neighbor himself with parties on Fridays and a jackhammer on Saturdays.
If you don’t want to move to the forest and merge with nature, then you can try to control the noise level around you to reduce the risks.
Here’s what you can do :
- Monitor the volume on your devices – TV, smartphone and tablet. Reduce it if possible.
- Keep the volume low when using earbuds and take frequent breaks.
- Use earplugs when going to a potentially noisy place and cannot control the volume. If you work in a noisy place, ask your employer for protection.
- Pay attention to notifications on your electronic devices – some smart watches can measure the noise level around you and display a warning if it gets too loud around you.