Noise Pollution

What would you do if your neighbor was having a loud party while you were trying to sleep? First, you would probably tell him to quiet down. If he didn't, you might have to resort to calling the cops. Although this incident may be small, your neighbor is contributing to a bigger problem known as noise pollution.  Noise pollution is loud environmental noise that disrupts things. It is a big problem with potentially devastating effects on health.

A more formal definition of noise pollution than my definition is "annoying and potentially harmful environmental noise".  It can happen almost anywhere in the world, and is contributed to anything that makes loud noise. Noise pollution is more than just an annoyance though. A study in 2007 done by the WHO (World Health Organization) showed that noise pollution causes around 210,00 deaths in europe every year. Noise pollution kills by causing stress, inflammation and ischaemic heart disease. It can also cause sleep and hearing loss. Rudimentary tools like earplugs or earmuffs both offer protection from noise pollution, but noise pollution causes problems from exposure over time, so these methods are not the best. Because much of noise pollution comes from cars, a better and more effective way to limit noise pollution is through the use of noise barriers. Noise barriers are structures that are designed to prevent noise from escaping from roads and into people's ears. Here is an example of a noise barrier:

 Another common cause of noise pollution is from airplanes, especially when airports are located close to residences. An effective way to limit noise pollution from airports is through the use of quieter airplanes. Modern airplanes are much quieter than older planes, and they continue to get quieter. For example, the airplane maker Boeing advertises its new 747-800 plane as quieter than other comparable jets, as well as the previous generation 747 plane.

I feel that I have personal experience with noise pollution, because I live in the heart of the city, in Dorcol. Whenever I go to bed, I can hear buses, people shouting, dogs barking, cars honking and other sounds. They are quite loud, and if I focused on them they would be quite annoying. However, I found that after I lived in my apartment for a while, I stopped noticing all the noise. It was as if my brain was filtering the noise it wanted to hear.

Noise Pollution is a big problem, but it isn't a problem that will go away easy. It will be difficult to solve because many of the things that we use in modern life, like cars and planes, cause noise pollution.

Bibliography

Jarup, Lars. "Hypertension and Exposure to Noise near Airports (HYENA): Study Design and Noise Exposure Assessment." EBSCO. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .

"Noise Barrier." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .

"Noise Pollution | Air and Radiation | US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .

"Noise Pollution." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. . 

"Boeing: Commercial Airplanes - 747 - Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental and 747-8 Freighter." The Boeing Company. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .