It is a matter of life or death

by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition This piece from Business Standard states that secondhand noise is a problem but isn’t a matter of life or death. That may be the only statement I disagree with in it. The hearing sense evolved from a primitive vibration sense that single cell organisms used to find food or to avoid being eaten. Exquisitely sensitive hearing was important to survival. Other than a few marine mammals that can close their ears, mammals including humans evolved no protection against loud noise. In the 1980s research in animal models and in humans showed that noise has major involuntary physiological stress impacts on mammals, including humans, such as faster heart rate, high blood pressure, and increases in stress hormone levels. More recent epidemiology studies, using advanced statistical techniques and the processing power of modern computers, shows that noise causes hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and increased death rates. This is not new information and it is not a secret. The scientifically inclined may want to read these two excellent review articles on environmental noise pollution in the U.S. and auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on health. These health impacts are small for each person exposed to excess noise, but have a large population health impact because of the hundreds of millions–if not billions–of people affected. It’s long past time for the public to demand quieter cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, and trains, and for those sworn to protect the public–elected officials and public health authorities–to take action to make the world quiet. After all, it’s still national policy (in the Noise Control Act of 1972) to promote an environment for all Americans free from noise that jeopardizes their health and well-being.