Photo credit: Jose Francisco Fernandez Saura
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
This article onVurb Wellness discusses what you can do about noise pollution. Unsurprisngly, the Quiet Coalition’s Arline Bronzaft, PhD, is cited in the first sentence of the article.
The article makes several suggestions, but I would add one more: become a noise activist and work at making your city or town a quieter place. Get to know your local elected representatives. Educate them and their office staff about the dangers of noise. Pester them–politely, of course–to enforce existing noise ordinances, especially those regulating noise from businesses and local and state laws governing vehicle exhaust noise. If there are existing laws about the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, ask that those be enforced. If there aren’t, ask that such laws be passed, as activists did in Washington, D.C.
Modern urban life is noisy, but it can be made quieter without much adverse impact on commerce, transportation, or daily life.
And a quieter city or town will be a healthier place for all.
