10-12-2012, 12:35 PM
Cause and Effects of Noise Pollution
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Abstract
No one on earth can escape the sounds of noise- an unwanted, disturbing sound that causes a nuisance in
the eye of the beholder. Noise is a disturbance to the human environment that is escalating at such a high
rate that it will become a major threat to the quality of human lives. In the past thirty years, noise in all
areas, especially in urban areas, have been increasing rapidly. There are numerous effects on the human
environment due to the increase in noise pollution. In the following paper, the cause and effects of noise
pollution will be presented in some detail. Slowly, insensibly, we seem to accept noise and the
physiological and psychological deterioration that accompanies it as an inevitable part of our lives.
Although we attempt to set standards for some of the most major sources of noise, we often are unable to
monitor them. Major sources of noise can be airplanes at takeoff and landing, and a truck just off the
assembly line, yet we seem accept and enjoy countless other sounds, from hard rock music to loud Harley
Davidson motor cycles. The following areas will be investigated in some detail; adolescent education,
neural-effects, sleep, hearing damage, occupational environment, transportation, and physiological
effects.
Introduction
Almost everyone has had one experience of being temporarily "deafened" by a loud noise. This "deafness"
in not permanent, although it is often accompanied by a ringing in the ears, and one can hear another
person if he raises his voice. Likewise, normal hearing comes back within a few hours at most. This sort
of partial hearing loss is called Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) (Bugliarello, et al., 1976). A TTS may be
experienced after firing a gun or after a long drive in the car with the windows open. It may not be
considered that if exposure to this type of loud noise at a rate of eight hours a day, five days a week can is
a threat to develop permanent hearing loss. This type of exposure to noise does not have to be as loud as
a gun being fired; it can be as simple as a person shouting across the room. The type of hearing loss is any
degree from partial to complete hearing loss. This loss, usually, is permanent and is not satisfactorily
corrected by any devices such as, hearing aids. The loss is caused by the destruction of the delicate hair
cells and their auditory nerve connections in the Organ of Corti, which is contained in the cochlea
(Bugliarello, et al., 1976). Every exposure to loud noise destroys some cells, but prolonged exposure
damages a larger amount of cells, and ultimately collapses the Organ of Corti, which causes deafness.
Results and Discussion
Hearing loss can be entrapping in onset. Years of traumatic exposure to high levels can occur before
symptoms become manifest. The popularity for portable sound equipment such as Walkman-type radios
and tape players has already has already produced a sharp increase in clinically verified hearing loss,
especially among rock music addicts who prefer their music very loud (Benarde, 1989).
Obviously, the Walkman-radio industry believes it is not their products that are the problem; rather it is
improper use. If, they say, the volume is kept down, there would be no problem, which is equivalent to
saying that if we all drove cautiously there would be no accidents.
Future Aspects
In this paper, it has been discussed of the important aspects of a complex socio-technological problem,
noise pollution. It now remains to elaborate upon some of the deeper issues that we have broached. There
is no doubt that the problem of noise is serious. Large segments of the population and industrialized
society are exposed to high levels of noise, not only at their place of work, but also in their residences and
in their leisure activities. In the United Kingdom, for example, more than 10 percent of the population is
disturbed the noise at a single airport, London Heathrow (Wilson, 1983).
Even with the relatively ambitious steps currently being taken or envisioned to control noise in most
countries, sound levels and exposure to noise will remain high, and possibly increase. At the same time
rising living standards will bring about demands for better environmental quality and probably lead to
more vigorous and more organized protests against noise. These protest may even be triggered by lower
noise levels than in the past, for it is highly likely that as the public acquires more amenities it will want
to be exposed to "comfortable" rather than merely tolerable levels of sound (Bauer, 1970).