" Noise Pollution & Human Health: A Review "

Abstract

Noise pollution is a major problem in cities around the world. Noise is defined as unwanted sound. Environmental noise consists of all the unwanted sounds in our communities except that which originates in the workplace. Environmental noise pollution, a form of air pollution, is a threat to health and well-being. It is more severe and widespread than ever before, and it will continue to increase in magnitude and severity because of population growth, urbanization, and the associated growth in the use of increasingly powerful, varied, and highly mobile sources of noise. It will also continue to grow because of sustained growth in highway, rail, and air traffic, which remain major sources of environmental noise. In factory workplace workers are exposed to high noise due to machinery in routine. The potential health effects of noise pollution are numerous, pervasive, persistent, medically and socially significant. Noise produces direct and cumulative adverse effects that impair health and that degrade residential, social and working environment with corresponding real (economic) and intangible (well-being) losses. Noise represents an important public health problem that can lead to hearing loss, sleep disruption, cardiovascular disease, social handicaps, reduced productivity, negative social behaviour, annoyance reactions, absenteeism and accidents. It can impair the ability to enjoy one's property and leisure time and increases the frequency of antisocial behaviour. Noise adversely affects general health and well-being in the same way as does chronic stress. It adversely affects future generations by degrading residential, social, and learning environments with corresponding economic losses. The aim of enlightened governmental controls should be to protect citizens from the adverse effects of airborne pollution, including those produced by noise. People have the right to choose the nature of their acoustical environment; it should not be imposed by others.

Full text

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“Noise Pollution & Human Health: A Review”
Hiral J. Jariwala1*, Huma S. Syed2, Minarva J. Pandya3, Yogesh M. Gajera4
1*Student of M.E.(Environmental Management), L. D. College of Engineering, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
2,3,4Associate Professor, Departme
nt of Environmental Engineering,
L. D. College of Engineering, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
*E-Mail: jariwalahj@yahoo.com, TP: +91-7779019399
Abstract: Noise pollution is a major problem in cities around the world. Noise is defined as unwanted sound.
Environmental noise consists of all the unwanted sounds in our communities except that which originates in the
workplace. Environmental noise pollution, a form of air pollution, is a threat to health and well-being. It is more
severe and widespread than ever before, and it will continue to increase in magnitude and severity because of
population growth, urbanization, and the associated growth in the use of increasingly powerful, varied, and highly
mobile sources of noise. It will also continue to grow because of sustained growth in highway, rail, and air traffic,
which remain major sources of environmental noise. In factory workplace workers are exposed to high noise due to
machinery in routine. The potential health effects of noise pollution are numerous, pervasive, persistent, medically
and socially significant. Noise produces direct and cumulative adverse effects that impair health and that degrade
residential, social and working environment with corresponding real (economic) and intangible (well-being) losses.
Noise represents an important public health problem that can lead to hearing loss, sleep disruption, cardiovascular
disease, social handicaps, reduced productivity, negative social behaviour, annoyance reactions, absenteeism and
accidents. It can impair the ability to enjoy one's property and leisure time and increases the frequency of antisocial
behaviour. Noise adversely affects general health and well-being in the same way as does chronic stress. It
adversely affects future generations by degrading residential, social, and learning environments with corresponding
economic losses. The aim of enlightened governmental controls should be to protect citizens from the adverse
effects of airborne pollution, including those produced by noise. People have the right to choose the nature of their
acoustical environment; it should not be imposed by others.
Keywords: Annoyance; Cardiovascular disease; Hearing loss; Noise; Public Health; Urbanization
1. Introduction
Florence Nightingale recognized noise as a health
hazard in 1859 when she wrote “Unnecessary noise
is the most cruel abuse of care which can be
inflicted on either the sick or the well” [5]. Noise
pollution; an urban territorial phenomenon is
assuming serious proportions in every city. The
frequency and intensity of pollution has been
increasing day by day [6]. Noise pollution is an
annoyance to human beings. The noise is usually
machine-created sound that disrupts activity or
balance of human’s way of life. It is a growing
environmental problem that is increasingly
becoming an omnipresent, yet unnoticed form of
pollution not only in developed countries but also
in the developing countries. The word noise is
derived from Latin word ‘‘Nausea’’ implying
‘‘unwanted sound’’ or sound that is loud,
unpleasant or unexpected. It can be defined as
wrong sound, in the wrong place and at the wrong
time [3].
The noise problems of the past pale in significance
When compared with those experienced by modern
city dwellers; noise pollution continues to grow in
extent, frequency, and severity as a result of
population growth, urbanization, and technological
developments [5]. Due to exposure of noise people
are suffering from difference kinds of diseases like
Hearing Impairment, Interference with spoken
communication, Sleep disturbances, cardiovascular
disturbances, Annoyance etc [1].
2. Adverse Health Effects of Noise
The WHO has documented seven categories of
adverse health effects of noise pollution on
humans. Much of the following comes from the
WHO Guideline on Community Noise and follows
its format. The guideline provides an excellent,
reasonably up-to-date, and comprehensive
overview of noise-related issues, as do the other
recent reviews on this subject [2].
2.1 Hearing Impairment
Hearing is essential for well-being and safety.
Hearing impairment is typically defined as an
increase in the threshold of hearing as clinically
assessed by audiometry. Impaired hearing may
come from the workplace, from the community,

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and from a variety of other causes (eg, trauma,
ototoxic drugs, infection, and heredity) [5]. There
is general agreement that exposure to sound levels
less than 70 dB does not produce hearing damage,
regardless of the duration of exposure. There is
also general agreement that exposure for more than
8 hours to sound levels in excess of 85 dB is
potentially hazardous; to place this in context, 85
dB is roughly equivalent to the noise of heavy
truck traffic on a busy road. With sound levels
above 85 dB, damage is related to sound pressure
(measured in dB) and to time of exposure. The
major cause of hearing loss is occupational
exposure, although other sources of noise,
particularly recreational noise, may produce
significant deficits. Studies suggest that children
seem to be more vulnerable than adults to noise
induced hearing impairment [2].
Noise induced hearing impairment may be
accompanied by abnormal loudness perception
(loudness recruitment), distortion (paracusis), and
tinnitus. Tinnitus may be temporary or may
become permanent after prolonged exposure.[1] The
eventual results of hearing losses are loneliness,
depression, impaired speech discrimination,
impaired school and job performance, limited job
opportunities, and a sense of isolation [6].
2.2 Negative Social Behaviour and Annoyance
Annoyance is defined as a feeling of displeasure
associated with any agent or condition believed by
an individual to adversely affect him or her.
Perhaps a better description of this response would
be aversion or distress. Noise has been used as a
noxious stimulus in a variety of studies because it
produces the same kinds of effects as other
stressors. Annoyance increases significantly when
noise is accompanied by vibration or by low
frequency components [1]. The term annoyance
does not begin to cover the wide range of negative
reactions associated with noise pollution; these
include anger, disappointment, dissatisfaction,
withdrawal, helplessness, depression, anxiety,
distraction, agitation, or exhaustion. Lack of
perceived control over the noise intensifies these
effects [4].
Social and behavioural effects of noise exposure
are complex, subtle, and indirect. These effects
include changes in everyday behaviour (eg, closing
windows and doors to eliminate outside noises;
avoiding the use of balconies, patios and yards; and
turning up the volume of radios and television
sets); changes in social behaviour (eg,
aggressiveness, unfriendliness, nonparticipation, or
disengagement); and changes in social indicators
(eg, residential mobility, hospital admissions, drug
consumption, and accident rates); and changes in
mood (increased reports of depression) [7].
Noise exposure per se is not believed to produce
aggressive behaviour. However, in combination
with provocation, pre-existing anger or hostility,
alcohol or other psychoactive agents, noise may
trigger aggressive behaviour [6].
The results of annoyance are privately felt
dissatisfaction, publicly expressed complaints to
authorities (although underreporting is probably
significant), and the adverse health effects already
noted. Given that annoyance can connote more
than slight irritation, it describes a significant
degradation in the quality of life, which
corresponds to degradation in health and well-
being. In this regard, it is important to note that
annoyance does not abate over time despite
continuing exposure to noise [2].
2.3 Interference with Spoken Communication
Noise pollution interferes with the ability to
comprehend normal speech and may lead to a
number of personal disabilities, handicaps, and
behavioural changes [1]. These include problems
with concentration, fatigue, uncertainty, lack of
self-confidence, irritation, misunderstandings,
decreased working capacity, disturbed
interpersonal relationships, and stress reactions.
Some of these effects may lead to increased
accidents, disruption of communication in the
classroom, and impaired academic performance.
Particularly vulnerable groups include children, the
elderly, and those not familiar with the spoken
language [6].
2.4 Sleep Disturbances
Uninterrupted sleep is known to be a prerequisite
for good physiologic and mental functioning in
healthy individuals. Environmental noise is one of
the major causes of disturbed sleep. When sleep
disruption becomes chronic, the results are mood
changes, decrements in performance, and other
long-term effects on health and well-being. Much
recent research has focused on noise from aircraft,
roadways, and trains. It is known, for example, that
continuous noise in excess of 30 dB disturbs sleep.
For intermittent noise, the probability of being
awakened increases with the number of noise
events per night [2].

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The primary sleep disturbances are difficulty
falling asleep, frequent awakenings, waking too
early, and alterations in sleep stages and depth,
especially a reduction in REM sleep [1]. Apart
from various effects on sleep itself, noise during
sleep causes increased blood pressure, increased
heart rate, increased pulse amplitude,
vasoconstriction, changes in respiration, cardiac
arrhythmias, and increased body movement. For
each of these, the threshold and response
relationships may be different. Some of these
effects (waking, for example) diminish with
repeated exposure; others, particularly
cardiovascular responses, do not. Secondary
effects (so-called after effects) measured the
following day include fatigue, depressed mood and
well-being, and decreased performance. Decreased
alertness leading to accidents, injuries, and death
has also been attributed to lack of sleep and
disrupted circadian rhythms [3].
Long-term psychosocial effects have been related
to nocturnal noise. Noise annoyance during the
night increases total noise annoyance for the
following 24 hours. Particularly sensitive groups
include the elderly, shift workers, persons
vulnerable to physical or mental disorders, and
those with sleep disorders [6].
2.5 Cardiovascular Disturbances
A growing body of evidence confirms that noise
pollution has both temporary and permanent
effects on humans (and other mammals) by way of
the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems [7].
It has been postulated that noise acts as a
nonspecific biologic stressor eliciting reactions that
prepare the body for a fight or flight response. For
this reason, noise can trigger both endocrine and
autonomic nervous system responses that affect the
cardiovascular system and thus may be a risk
factor for cardiovascular disease. These effects
begin to be seen with long-term daily exposure to
noise levels above 65 dB or with acute exposure to
noise levels above 80 to 85 dB. Acute exposure to
noise activates nervous and hormonal responses,
leading to temporary increases in blood pressure,
heart rate, and vasoconstriction. Studies of
individuals exposed to occupational or
environmental noise show that exposure of
sufficient intensity and duration increases heart
rate and peripheral resistance, increases blood
pressure, increases blood viscosity and levels of
blood lipids, causes shifts in electrolytes, and
increases levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine,
and cortisol. Sudden unexpected noise evokes
reflex responses as well [4].
Cardiovascular disturbances are independent of
sleep disturbances; noise that does not interfere
with the sleep of subjects may still provoke
autonomic responses and secretion of epinephrine,
norepinephrine, and cortisol. These responses
suggest that one can never completely get used to
night-time noise [6].
Temporary noise exposure produces readily
reversible physiologic changes. However, noise
exposure of sufficient intensity, duration, and
unpredictability provokes changes that may not be
so readily reversible. The studies that have been
done on the effects of environmental noise have
shown an association between noise exposure and
subsequent cardiovascular disease. Even though
the increased risk for noise-induced cardiovascular
disease may be small, it assumes public health
importance because both the number of people at
risk and the noise to which they are exposed
continue to increase [2].
Children are at risk as well. Children who live in
noisy environments have been shown to have
elevated blood pressures and elevated levels of
stress-induced hormones [1].
2.6 Disturbances in Mental Health
Noise pollution is not believed to be a cause of
mental illness, but it is assumed to accelerate and
intensify the development of latent mental
disorders. Noise pollution may cause or contribute
to the following adverse effects: anxiety, stress,
nervousness, nausea, headache, emotional
instability, argumentativeness, sexual impotence,
changes in mood, increase in social conflicts,
neurosis, hysteria, and psychosis [2]. Population
studies have suggested associations between noise
and mental-health indicators, such as rating of
well-being, symptom profiles, the use of
psychoactive drugs and sleeping pills, and mental-
hospital admission rates. Children, the elderly, and
those with underlying depression may be
particularly vulnerable to these effects because they
may lack adequate coping mechanisms. Children in
noisy environments find the noise annoying and
report a diminished quality of life [1].
Noise levels above 80 dB are associated with both
an increase in aggressive behaviour and a decrease
in behaviour helpful to others. The news media
regularly report violent behaviour arising out of
disputes over noise; in many cases these disputes

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ended in injury or death. The aforementioned
effects of noise may help explain some of the
dehumanization seen in the modern, congested, and
noisy urban environment [4].
3. Conclusions
The ultimate goal should be to identify ways to
improve the acoustic environment, but generally
only rudimentary measures (dBA) have been
reported. These acoustic metrics may be overly
simplistic for hospital environments [5].
Additionally, a number of “mechanism” studies
evaluating changes in the acoustic environment are
needed in order to optimize the effectiveness of
acoustic or behavioural alterations [7]. We should
prevent exposure of noise in working environment
to save our precious life.
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my special thanks of
gratitude to Prof. Yogesh Gajera for giving
continuous motivation. Also thanks to Prof. Huma
Syed and Prof. Minarva Pandya for helping to find
out opportunities.
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