Photo credit: RDNE Stock project
by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition, and Honorary Chair, Quiet American Skies
In a recent Atlanta Voice article, reporter Clayton Gutzmore writes about research that the Community Noise Lab at the Brown University of Public Health is conducting that looks into how people of lower economic status are affected by noise pollution. Gutzmore interviewed Erica Walker, assistant professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health, whose research has focused on impacts of noise pollution. That research shows that noise is a “significant environmental stressor that’s negatively impacting the health and well-being of all of us.”
After explaining that noise is a stressor that triggers physiological responses that can lead to “severe health impacts,” Gutzmore said that Walker and the Community Noise Lab found that “people with lower economic status are affected the most by noise pollution.” Black and brown communities live closer to sources of noise like airports, highways and train stations, partially due to bad urban planning. The article recognizes that a child’s cognitive development may be impacted negatively if he or she lives near these noise sources.
Walker spoke to people living in noisy communities and concluded that residents’ right to quiet was sacrificed for economic activity. To try and bring some peace and quiet to Boston residents, Walker and her associates worked for a year with residents to collect data on the loud sounds at Fenway Park during Red Sox games and concerts. The Red Sox, in response, asked Walker to set up a monitoring system at Fenway Park to capture sound levels of all events held at the park.
Walker said, in conclusion, that researchers need to work with communities and civic leaders to combat noise pollution. As a researcher who has worked with community residents and public officials, I heartily agree.
