What is Noise pollution , its causes , effects & solution

Ears are exhausted with different kinds of those nasty voices all around. Is that too a pollution? No one has ever had a day or night without closing their ears at least once, because of irritated noise. Do you know what noise pollution is and what are its causes and effects? We shall detail each aspects of noise pollution, from its definition to the preventive laws and statutes, including the causes and effects.

There is a certain point of noise limit a human being can survive. Anything above that noise is unbearable. Then why are all the horns on, on the road? The after effects of the noise pollution are much more than you can think. Loss of hearing is the worst thing that can happen to a human being as the effect of noise pollution.

The Oxford Dictionary’s definition of ‘noise’ is ‘a sound, especially when it is loud, unpleasant or disturbing’.

This definition would first bring to mind the sound of one’s mother’s voice which one would probably like to associate with noise pollution. Jokes aside, noise is a very real, subtle entity which one cannot see, taste, feel or smell. And because of these very things noise is not taken as seriously as it should be.

Our ears are so adapting to the environment. They have the special ability to block out the noisy background and focus on what one wants to hear. For eg when standing with a friend at the busy bus stop , you block the sounds of the on-going traffic, the stomping of many feet, the music flowing from the nearby cafeteria, all just to concentrate on the very interesting story your friend has to tell.

what is Sound pollution and its causes & efects

But this ability does not stop our nerves from receiving the continuous signals anyway.

How to Measure sound pollution

Sound is measured in units called Decibels(dB) According to The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, sound that is safe for the ear is said to be 75 dB and below, while sound that can causes harm is 85 dB and above. The normal refrigerator hums at 45 dB, whereas maximum volume on an MP3 player is a loud 105 dB. Having a normal conversation is a pleasant 60 dB whereas it can be understood that arguing with loud voices will not be easy on the ears.

Noise pollution is therefore the addition of unwanted noise into the atmosphere. Noises cann be of different levels.

Sitting in the car in the middle of traffic is 85 decibels and more than 8 hrs of it is not ideal. Use a power mower of 95 db for an hour. Did you know a rock concert and a leaf blower, are both loud at 115 dB and one should keep a limit of 30 seconds for these?

Sources ( Causes ) of noise pollution

Effects of noise pollution

EPA ‘s action on noise pollution

The EPA did issue regulations regarding noise pollution and its control. It was added as part of the Clean Air Act for a while. But more effective laws and methods were brought by the state governments. This was found to be more effective than the Federal regulations. Hence the EPA removed noise pollution from its purview and allowed the state governments to monitor noise pollution.

Protection from noise pollution

In the human ear are many delicate parts. It is the nerve endings in the inner ear that is most affected by continuous sounds and when these are damaged hearing loss occurs. Unlike other cells these cannot be regenerated or replaced. Hence one realizes how important it is to protect the ears from harm.

Getting help from the government and law and order agencies is important when the noisy situation is out of one’s control. Demanding strict laws to control noise production and eliminate noise pollution from our representatives in the government is our right. We must use it.

Whether a corporate or individual player, it is only with consideration for one’s environment and fellow beings, can one be motivated to adopt technologies and newer methods of noise control.

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