I used to think that noise was something that grumpy old men complained about. Then I became a grumpy old man. And now I realize that noise really is a pollutant. And so I was pleased to see The Effects of Noise on Health. Spoiler alert; the effects are not positive. Noise has been linked to adverse health effects ranging from cardiovascular disease to impaired cognition. This shouldn’t be a surprise. Noise causes stress – and stress causes a lot of bad outcomes.
One interesting note – because noise has been a poor stepchild among environmental problems, there have not been a lot of resources devoted to investigating noise. One thing we do know that is important even if it’s not surprising?
people in neighborhoods with low socioeconomic status and higher proportions of residents of color bear the brunt of noise pollution in this country.
I may be old and cranky, but at least I can stop apologizing for my increasing obsession with noise pollution.