What is noise pollution?
There are many types of pollution in the world, and all of them negatively affect us, as well as animals, plants and the environment. However, there is one type of pollution that is often being over-looked, and no one really pays much attention to the damage it can cause. It is noise pollution. Noise pollution consists of irritating, distracting sounds that can be heard very easily, and, in most cases, are very loud. Much like other forms of energy pollution, which include heat and light pollution, noise pollution does not pollute our environment through contaminated particles, but through waves, that interfere with the naturally-occurring waves around us. The definition of noise pollution is open to debate, because we do not necessarily know how harmful some sounds are, or which sounds we should consider damaging. So, basically, any sounds that even severely affect the well-being of wildlife and humans, or disturb the natural processes happening in our habitat constantly, should be considered noise pollution. Before, I have never looked at noise pollution in that way and I would have never guessed that even a honk of a car can raise your blood pressure! There are different types of noise pollution. The first type of noise pollution is domestic noise. This includes extremely loud music, which includes overly loud concerts, dogs barking, burglar alarms going off very late at night, as well as night-parties. The next type is commercial noise. Commercial noise includes noise from factories and construction sites, fan noise, chiller noise, and noise from pubs and clubs. Then, there is the noise that you can find on the streets on a daily basis. This is car honking, traffic, machinery operating on the roads, etc. The final type of noise pollution that people do not pay much attention to and that mostly affects wildlife is marine or underwater pollution. Underwater pollution includes submarines, as well as boats and ships. The amount of sound or noise produced is measured in decibels. Decibel is the measurement of sound that determines the loudness of noise created. “Pain threshold” for human hearing is 110 dB – 120 dB, which means that is the point when the noise is so loud, it causes pain, and definite ear damage.
Who does noise pollution affect?
Noise pollution affects both us as human beings, as well as plants and animals around us. Firstly, noise pollution causes hearing problems. Hearing damage can either be permanent or temporary. In very extreme cases, when the level of noise is well above 100 decibels, you can lose your hearing completely. Exposure to noise can also lead to cardiovascular problems. When you are exposed to non-pleasant sounds, that have a high frequency, your blood pressure gets much higher. High blood pressure can affect your arteries, and cause a disruption of your regular blood flow. Noise can also lead to low amount of sleep, or sleep disturbances. When you do not sleep enough, the affects could be extreme fatigue, headaches, as well as the inability to work efficiently. In very severe cases, noise pollution can lead to mental health problems. Loud noise can provoke violent behavior, as well as a lot of stress. Noise pollution also affects animals, though we might not be able to notice it all the time. Animals can get very anxious when exposed to high pitched sounds, and they can start trembling uncontrollably. Cows can also start producing less milk if exposed to loud machinery. Intense noise can affect the reproduction of most animals, decreasing their populations, and disrupting the whole ecosystem and food chain. As for the sea animals, they use sounds to communicate to each other, and some of them use sound waves to locate their prey. However, when man-made sounds from submarines and ships interfere, a lot of confusion occurs, and the ecosystem is, again, disrupted.
What is the problem or issue with noise pollution?
The problem with noise pollution is that it is becoming larger every day, and it is affecting more and more people, especially the ones that live in urban areas. Let’s take Belgrade as an example, the city we live in! There is a great amount of traffic here, and, whenever I see people working on construction sites, or fixing the roads, they have no protective gear on, meaning that their ears are being exposed constantly to loud, high-pitched sounds. Another problem is that not a lot of people know about noise pollution, or are paying attention to the harm it can cause them. Some human beings live around a very dangerous, noise-polluted area, and do not even realize it, because the noise surrounding them occurs on a daily-basis, and it is a part of their every-day life. Countries need to educate their citizens more about noise pollution, in order to prevent further health problems and damages to the environment.
How is science/technology involved in solving these problems?
Many scientists, as well as companies and associations have created and come up with campaigns to teach people about noise pollution, as well as what precautionary measures they should take if they are exposed to noise pollution. Also, there are lots of laws that were created to try and prevent noise pollution from getting any larger. Because of all the modern technology, we were able to create devices to help us reduce noise pollution. The first one is the ear plug, which has helped many people, mostly the ones who work n factories, and next to loud machinery. Those plugs are made out of silicone material, and can nowadays be found everywhere around the world, including pharmacies, drug stores, etc. Those ear plugs are especially effective because the material they are made out of enables them to mold to the ear’s shape, blocking out all the unwanted noise from entering the ear canal. Another great scientific invention was that there are certain materials that absorb sound, such as curtains, carpeting, and others. Scientists have used their knowledge to create sound-proof walls. Those walls absorb the sound created inside your home, and therefore contribute to the society by not letting the waves out. However, if prevention does not work, scientists have also developed hearing aids, that will help people whose hearing has already been affected by noise pollution.
What benefits or limitations does science have in solving these problems?
One of the limitations is that those inventions and discoveries can help reduce, but not completely stop noise pollution. There is no invention, yet, that can block out unwanted sounds completely, though. Another limitation is that in order to help the overall well-being of the society, you have to make a sacrifice. For example, if you want to put sound-proof walls on your house, you would have to pay a lot of money, then you would for regular walls. You need to be very concerned, and very involved in trying to solve this sort of pollution, to sacrifice money and time, for the well-being of society. There are many benefits, as well, of these inventions, however. Those inventions help noise pollution become less dominant, and make the environment at least a tiny bit more peaceful for all organisms to live in, without over-pitched, high-frequented sounds getting in the way of natural processes and lifestyles.
In conclusion, it is very hard to control noise pollution and try to prevent it. However, there are ways that you can help the environment, and decrease noise pollution. Here are a few tips below:
1. Keep your stereo down. Try and not listen to overly loud music. However, if you enjoy very loud music, use headphones, and try not to pollute the environment for your neighbors, and other living things in your community.
2. When you are listening to loud music, roll down your windows, to try and absorb the sound as much as possible.
3. You should try and use electrical gardening tools, because they produce less noise then other gas-powered models.
4. Plant trees, bushes and other plants around your house, to absorb as much noise as possible.
However, some people believe that loud music is very enjoyable, and think that it is not noise pollution. The famous band AC/DC, have that opinion!
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Very well written report! You were clear in your writing, had good sentence structure, and you had good voice in your writing. I like how you referred to noise pollution as a form of energy like heat and light pollution. I also like how you made a connection to the city you live in-Belgrade with traffic, construction sites, etc... Overall, a very well crafted piece of writing which addressed all of the criteria of the assignment. Great work!
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