How does noise pollution affect you?
Yes, friends, for years, the dishonourable title of being the second noisiest country in the world, ‘an affirmation without any scientific basis’, has been awarded to Spain, but according to the secretariat of the Spanish society of acoustics (SEA): “Turkey, Egypt, China and certain Latin American countries are even louder”. But this does not mean that we do not suffer from loud noise every day. Specifically, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than nine million people in Spain live daily with noise levels above 65 decibels, the maximum recommended level. And this ‘invisible’ pollutant affects our health. In the following lines and subsequent articles I will point out how it does it and indicate its pernicious effects and the actions we can take to reduce noise pollution in our homes.
What impact does noise have on our health?
Noise is considered one of the main pollutants of the modern world - the ‘invisible’ pollutant. However, its effects are very visible and harmful, especially on our health. The consequences are both physical and psychological and emotional.
A study entitled ‘noise pollution in our cities’, conducted by La Caixa, Bank pointed out the many and varied effects of noise pollution on our health:
■ The worst known effect of noise is hearing loss, due to prolonged exposure to high levels of noise or acoustic trauma due to very high sound
■ There are studies that also show the relationship between noise and an increase in the incidence of cardiovascular disorders. According to GAES (a hearing aid company): “there is data that reflects that for each decibel (dB) above the maximum 65 dB recommended by the WHO, hospital admissions for these types of causes increase by 5.3%.”
■ Increase in blood pressure and muscle tension
■ Vision problems
■ Alterations to the digestive system and hormonal changes
■ Being exposed to these noise levels, especially continuous noise, can cause chronic stress, which increases irritability and feelings of anxiety and helplessness
■ Excessive noise results in the weakening of the immune system
■ With noise it is not strange that sleep disorders appear, especially in the elderly, children and women. These disorders, in turn, seriously impair memory and learning
■ A lot of noise (or sustained) affects concentration, which influences work and school performance
■ Excessive noise also has a negative impact on people's social behaviour
Are you aware of how noise affects you?
Horn, car engine, screams... are noises that we endure daily in the Spanish street, while at home they are those of the television, radio, washing machine... We are so used to living with this pollutant that ‘we are not aware of how much we suffer’. And one of the main problems that exist around hearing loss caused by being exposed for very long periods of time to very loud noises is precisely that: ‘People get used to noise, which is damaging our auditory system.’ But, whether we are aware or not, and even if it happens very slowly, all these noises cause hearing loss.
Deaf before reaching 35 years of age
Likewise, there is also no clear awareness in Spanish society as to the importance of noise on our health and the need to prevent it. Socially, in Spain we are not sufficiently aware how high volume noise can affect our health in the long term.
The fight against noise is a collective action, yes. But it must also be an individual struggle and a personal awareness that ‘noise is not only made by others, we all do it,’ says the SEA. For this reason, it is necessary ‘for us to take responsibility, to campaign in schools to raise awareness among future generations of how to behave respectfully against noise, etc.’
To curb noise pollution (and its effects) specialists recommend knowing the decibel levels of the noise around us, in order to know what can be an aggressive to our ears and those of others. For this there are useful apps that can find found by typing ‘sound meter’. In the case of spending long periods of time in environments that exceed the recommended noise levels, we must use appropriate earplugs or protection.
There are also other very simple gestures that we can all put into practice to protect our ears from noise and avoid problems, such as hearing loss, due to this cause, ‘which is 100% preventable’.
What can we all do?
■ Lower the tone of your voice
■ Use adequate volume when listening to music, television or radio
■ If we listen to music with headphones, it is recommended:
1. Do not exceed 60% of the maximum volume of the device
2. Use them less than 60 minutes a day
3. Whenever possible, use devices with a volume limiter so as not to exceed healthy levels
Laws and regulations against noise - they are not always followed
To confront noise pollution, individual awareness is essential, but citizen awareness and collaboration are no less important, as well as ‘determined and effective involvement by the competent administrations, with adequate legislation and regulations’.
Laws have been enacted at different levels (national, regional, municipalities), but they are not always complied with, since ‘local administrations do not apply them in their entirety due to the conflicts of interest that they may produce’, according to experts at the SEA.