Photo credit: Alex Fu
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
Caitlin Burchill, writing for NBC CT, reports that the state has ordered Reworld (formerly known as Covanta) to reduce noise levels at its waste recycling facility in Bristol, Connecticut. The Bristol-Burlington Health District ordered Reworld to reduce its noise levels to meet state standards and “mitigate the public nuisance.”
Over the last several months, as reported by local media, residents living near the recycling facility complained of smells and low frequency noise. After an investigation and a report from an acoustic consultant, the state took action. Most noise pollution comes from transportation noise, but construction noise and noise from factories and other facilities can bother neighbors and cause health problems.
In some situations, the facility is just across a city or county line and the jurisdiction where the facility is located refuses to take action because of the facility’s economic benefits to the area. In other cases, the appropriate agency just refuses to take action. We are glad that NBC CT — which claims to be the first media outlet to report on this problem — brought it to light, leading to what may finally be a resolution.
According to the American Public Health Association, noise is a public health hazard. Anything government agencies can do to reduce transportation or industrial noise levels will help make the world quieter. A quieter world will be a better and healthier world for all.
