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Erlijn van Genuchten

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How Technology and Policies Can Relieve Us From Noise Pollution


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After the quiet COVID19 years, most of us have returned to our busy daily lives. But with increased activities, the world has also become more noisy again. These noises turn into noise pollution when it is harmful or annoying.
Noise pollution typically comes from three main sources:
  • Industrial sources such as factories, mines, power plants, and construction sites use large tools and heavy machinery that produce excessive noise.
  • Transportation sources range from airplanes and ships to road traffic of all kinds. They are responsible for noise from engines, horns, brakes, and other road machinery.
  • Human noise is the noise we make, including large sources of noise such as concerts and sports events, and small events such as running our air conditioners and household devices in our homes.
Sometimes, natural phenomena such as storms, thunder, rain, and waterfalls can cause noise pollution as well.
While humans feel uncomfortable in complete silence, too much noise can turn into a serious problem when it affects our health and well-being. This happens when noise is not just a short-term annoyance but a long-term issue.
The negative effects of long-term noise pollution on our health are manifold that include:
  • Hearing loss: noise pollution can damage the inner ear and lead to permanent hearing loss or ringing or buzzing sounds in the ears, also called tinnitus
  • Cardiovascular problems: noise pollution can cause higher blood pressure, a faster heart rate, and a higher stress hormone level in our blood, which increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke
  • Sleeping problems: noise pollution can disrupt sleep cycles and make it harder to fall asleep, causing insomnia, disturbed sleep, and periods of being awake during the night
  • Hormonal changes: noise pollution can cause hormonal changes, which can for example lead to diabetes and obesity
  • Mental health issues: noise pollution can cause mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, especially in elderly, children, and people already suffering from mental illness
  • Reduced cognitive abilities: noise pollution can affect our cognitive abilities that require focus, including the ability to pay attention, remember, and learn
  • Disturbed communication: noise pollution can disrupt communications, making normal social interactions difficult and resulting in social isolation and a lower quality of life
  • Reduced real estate property values: noise pollution can reduce real estate property values when it makes people reluctant to purchase or even rent homes in noisy areas.
Together, these consequences cause inhabitants in Western Europe to — all together — loss over a million healthy years per year!
As noise pollution affects our quality of life, our health, and even our social cohesion in many ways, it is important to limit these negative effects by limiting this type of pollution. But to be able to do so, it is important to monitor where noise is coming from and at what levels. This data can help make informed decisions about solutions.
This is how we can reduce noise pollution:

1. Technologies

The first way we can limit noise pollution is by using sound-reducing technologies. Sound-reducing technologies are technologies that make sure that less noise reaches people.
One way to make sure less noise reaches us is by producing less noise. This can for example in the transportation sector be achieved by using different technological solutions, such as switching to electric and hybrid vehicles instead of fossil fuel powered vehicles.
Also, quieter pavements materials can be used and noise barriers installed. They all change the sound level dramatically. In this video, you can hear the difference between asphalt and concrete:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ36PqHT9iw#t=1m4s


Another way to make sure less noise reaches us is by using sound-absorbing technologies. These technologies help reduce sounds in specific areas.
For example, wall panels made of foam and air-transparent soundproof windows can reduce noise from a busy street. In this video, you can see how these windows look like (1:04–1:22):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ36PqHT9iw#t=1m4s


A third way to make sure less noise reaches us is by using sound-cancelling technologies. Sound-cancelling technologies produce an opposing noise to cancel out the existing noise.
The following video explains how noise-canceling headphones work:



2. Public policies

The second way we can limit noise pollution is by implementing noise-related public policies. Public policies can be put into place by governments to regulate the accepted noise level.
These policies can be defined at different levels, from local communities to national and even international level.
To regulate noise levels, public policies can set limits, for example by:
  • defining specific regions, such as residential areas, as quiet zones, while allowing more noise in other regions, such as commercial and industrial areas. This is called noise zoning. For each region, the maximum allowed noise level is specified.
  • defining maximum noise levels from sources such as factories, airports, and commercial buildings.
Also, public policies can promote noise reduction design decisions, for example:
  • Promoting quieter types of transportation, including electric vehicles.
  • Educating the general public and other politicians on the consequences of noise pollution and how this type of pollution can be reduced.
  • Requiring noise reduction decisions to be implemented already during the urban planning phase, for example by including green spaces and quiet zones.
  • Supporting building noise barriers to absorb noise and lower noise levels in areas behind these barriers.
This perforated metal noise barrier shatters tire noise, protecting the surrounding community from highway noise (credit: beekeeox on Shutterstock)
This perforated metal noise barrier shatters tire noise, protecting the surrounding community from highway noise (credit: beekeeox on Shutterstock)

So, noise pollution can be reduced by using new technologies to prevent, absorb, or cancel sound. Also, noise pollution can be reduced by implementing public policies that limit how much sound is allowed and encouraging noise reduction decisions.

How we can take action

Here are practical ideas of what you and I can do to reduce noise pollution:
  • Reducing the amount of noise we produce by lowering the volume of our music or television, or by using headphones
  • Performing noisy activities during daytime
  • Educating others on the health effects of excessive noise
  • Sharing your story with others in case noise pollution has made you ill
  • Considering noise as a possible reason for health issues
  • Refraining from adding additional noise to for example cars
  • Buying quiet equipment
  • Using public transport to reduce the number of cars on the streets
  • Following noise regulations
Did you enjoy this article? Then I’m sure you’ll love my book “A Guide to A Healthier Planet” as well. Have a peek inside the book at:
A Guide to a Healthier Planet

A Guide to a Healthier Planet

This book focuses on closing the gap between scientific insights on pressing environmental issues that do not often reach the general public.

https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/guide-to-a-healthier-planet




About the author

Dr. Erlijn van Genuchten is a an internationally recognized environmental sustainability expert. She is a science communicator, helping scientists in the fields of nature and sustainability increase the outreach of their results and allowing us all to put scientific insights into practice and contribute to a sustainable future. Erlijn has inspired thousands of people around the world — for example — by supporting the United Nations with her expertise, her book “A Guide to A Healthier Planet” published by Springer Nature, her YouTube channel Xplore Nature, and her posts on social media.

Credit

This article is based on “Choubey, S. The Noise Pollution Problem: A Review of Current Research and Future Directions.”

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