What are the physical health dangers of noise pollution?
It’s normal for all of us to be exposed to noise that annoys us from time-to-time. The neighbour whose TV is always on full blast, the work colleague who eats their lunch too loudly, or the builders down the road drilling from the crack of dawn.
While we may be aware that these day-to-day noises are a nuisance, there is growing research that shows how unwanted sounds could damage our health and wellbeing.
However, the effect of long-term exposure to high levels of background noises can also manifest over time to cause significant health problems.
What are the physical health dangers of noise pollution?
One recent study – as explained in this article – found that noise effects the cardiovascular system. After studying the health data of 356,000 people, Dr Yutong Samuel Cai from Imperial College London found that long-term exposure to traffic noise could increase the chance of heart attacks.
And there’s more evidence elsewhere. A 2013 study examined the link between aircraft noise and cardiovascular disease near Heathrow Airport. The researchers found there was a correlation between the noise from the airport and the number of hospital admissions and mortality due to strokes, heart disease and cardiovascular disease.
In some cases, loud noises can also cause hearing problems – such as tinnitus, hearing loss or deafness. According to Action on Hearing Loss, one in six people in the UK has a hearing problem or is deaf. Prolonged exposure to excessive levels of noise, such as loud music or working in a factory, can cause noise-induced hearing loss. People are at risk if they are regularly exposed to sounds over 80db(A).
How does noise impact our mental wellbeing?
It’s not just our physical health that’s at risk from noise. Unwanted sounds can cause us stress and anxiety, as well as affect activities such as sleeping.
At school, noise can impact children’s ability to learn – as highlighted in this New York Times article, which revealed how one class facing a train line saw their students’ achievements fall by nearly a year compared to a class on the quiet side of the school. Other reports show that children who live or go to school near roads, flight paths or railways have lower reading scores, and are slower in their cognitive and language skills development.
The situation doesn’t necessarily improve when we’re at work either. Although open plan offices became the norm because they broke down barriers and removed hierarchy, the noise and distractions can actually have a negative impact on workers.
Speak up – acoustic comfort isn’t only about peace and quiet
We often think about acoustic comfort in terms of not hearing unwanted noises – but it’s important to remember we also want to be able to hear some noises clearly and comfortably. For example, students in a classroom need to hear their teacher, when we’re at home we want to hear our TV or if we’re out at a concert the quality of the sound can affect our enjoyment.
So although we want to minimise noises that we don’t want to hear, we want to optimise and balance the sounds we do want to listen to.
How do we achieve acoustic comfort?
Whether we’re designing homes, offices, schools or any other buildings, to achieve acoustic comfort we need to consider a number of different factors.
What activities are taking place inside? What noises need to be managed? And how can we use design, building materials and construction methods to help control the noise? Taking a fabric first approach to help minimise external noises entering buildings, as well as using insulation, double or triple glazing, and even soft furnishings can all help to control noise.
Achieving the optimum level of acoustic can be difficult, especially as many buildings are used for multi purposes.