Jun 14, 2023 00:00:00

Research reveals that 'noise' brings various health hazards rather than just annoyance

Construction sounds, car engine sounds, pet barking, sirens, etc. are sometimes considered noise. In addition to disrupting activities and affecting society,

noise is thought to lead to health hazards such as headaches, dizziness, and neuroses. ' argues that 'the health damage caused by noise is underestimated,' and points out that the health impact is greater than previously known.

Noise and Health | Harvard Medicine Magazine
https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/noise-and-health

As industries and industries develop, the problem of noise has become apparent, and agencies such as

the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regard noise as a ``danger to the health and welfare of the public''. The European Environment Agency (EEA) ranks noise as the second most harmful public health pollution after air pollution.

However, the damage to health caused by noise is neglected, and various researchers and doctors are conducting research to change this status quo. Previous studies have pointed out that noise-induced health hazards include headaches, dizziness, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, and hypersensitivity to sound. New research suggests that noise can cause mental and physical problems, including the development or exacerbation of cardiovascular disorders, type 2 diabetes , sleep disturbances, memory impairment and attention deficits. In addition, noise can delay learning in children and lead to low birth weight babies .

In Europe, chronic noise pollution is estimated to cause 48,000 new cases of heart disease and disturb the sleep of 6.5 million people each year. On the other hand, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare 's Peter James said, ``It is difficult to link and quantify noise problems and health hazards in the United States due to insufficient measurement environments and monitoring.'' ``The US government has not funded noise control or research since the 1980s,'' he said.

According to Mr. James, the place where the person lives is important in investigating the health damage caused by noise. Therefore, James et al.'s research team conducted a health survey based on input from participants, using sensors and apps that can transmit accurate location information and health information.

A 2017

study published by James et al. found that people of lower social and economic status and people living in areas with a higher proportion of people of color had higher rates of health hazards from noise. reported.

'We want people to wear earplugs and install soundproof insulation if necessary to minimize their exposure to noise as much as possible, but it depends on your social and economic status,' James said. It's difficult in areas where there are many low-income people,' he said. 'It is not practical to point out that the individual is responsible for avoiding excessive noise,' he said.

In addition, the group of Mr. Ahmed Tawakol and Mr. Michael Osborne at Massachusetts General Hospital revealed that noise increases the activity of the amygdala relative to the cerebral cortex . It has been pointed out that overactivity of the amygdala may lead to stress-induced cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

So far, research results such as 'People living near Frankfurt Airport in Germany have about 7% higher risk of stroke than those living in quiet places' have been reported.

The risk that noise poses to the cardiovascular system is explained in detail in the following article.

The damage caused to the cardiovascular system by the noise of airplanes and railways is very serious, and problems with blood vessels can occur in just a few days - GIGAZINE

'When a patient, especially a patient who has or is at risk of cardiovascular disease, mentions noise as a source of stress, the first step is to reduce noise from the patient's environment and reduce stress,' says Osborne, a psychosomatic physician. It is important to reduce it,' he said.