Sophie Moynihan
7B
Noise pollution questions
Mrs. Medenica
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is a growing epidemic in countries all over the world. It is disturbing, Irritating, and sometimes even has health effects on people. There are many companies and organizations that are trying to help get noise pollution under control, but there are many factors that keep them from doing so.
What is noise pollution: The scientific term for Noise pollution is a human, animal, or machine made noise that disrupts activities and is not pleasing to the ear. Sounds are really made up of two components, pitch and timbre. The pitch is how high or how low something sounds to a person. Timbre is the quality of the sound you are hearing. When the pitch and timbre mesh together, the sound can make a pleasing sound. Noise on the other hand has no recorded pitch or timbre. There is no specific list as to which sounds are noise pollution, but if it disrupts or destroys physical hearing, it can be considered as pollution. Because you can’t smell, taste, touch, or any other physical disturbance to Noise pollution, it isn’t taken as seriously as air or water pollution.
Who or what does it affect? The effect of noise pollution depends on where you are, what you are, and what your level of hearing is. Noise pollution can disrupt animal habitats and behavioral patterns, causing a change in animal hunting and mating patterns. In urban areas, transportation, entertainment, and other types of noise pollution can cause loss of sleep, hearing loss, heart problems because of stress, and in very severe cases, mental health issues. Patters show that sometimes whales will beach themselves because of the Noise pollution in the ocean. Although there are many forms of pollution, there are also many people trying to take care of it. Government associations like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are working on ways to prevent noise pollution. There are new hybrid cars being invented that make almost no noise. As for entertainment pollution (loud music) the police force of your area is generally in charge of keeping that under control and it is a criminal offence.
What is the problem or issue with Noise pollution? Noise pollution is a little thing that would probably be ignored if it didn’t affect so much of our lives and our behavior. Noise pollution is described as irritating and annoying and has the power to disrupt human behavior. Noise pollution is not only irritating and distracting, but is can also affect your health. Scientists have found exact links between noise and disorders like sleep loss, stress related problems like a heart attack, speech disruption, hearing loss, and loss of interest or productivity. Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is the most common disorder related to Noise pollution, but living in places where there are constantly high levels of noise pollution can cause a variety of dysfunctions in the body Although Noise pollution is a growing problem, there are many different organizations and inventions being produced to help reduce Noise pollution.
How is science and technology being used to help lower noise pollution?
Although Noise pollution is already a big problem, there are many new inventions being produced to help lower the affects of noise pollution. Headphones will often be shaped to fit only your head and not spread sound. Also, companies like Panasonic and Apple are coming up with ways to soundproof your walls, windows, speakers, and TV so that you can play loud music at parties, but not disturb you neighbors. The designs are built so that they neither reflect or deflect sound eaves, but detect and mimic opposite sound waves to cancel them out. The designs allow a happy compromise for both you and your neighbors, and some of the products are even proven to have reduced the amount of hearing loss. There are many different varieties of technology that are designed to keep sound in a contained area.
What limitations are coming up in the designs of Noise pollution proof designs?
Although technology that can prevent noise pollution would probably sell hugely on the market and prevent a growing epidemic, there are certain limitations when it comes to designing noise proof technology. One of which, is the basic way of how sound travels. Sound is naturally going to spread out, and your ears are naturally going to detect it. No matter how sound proof your home is, it will still travel and reach your neighbors ears no matter what. And noise proof headphone will do the same of turned up too loud. So although noise proof technology could be hugely successful, nothing will eliminate the sound completely. Another factor that could cause people to turn towards ordinary headphones and speakers is that soundproof items are usually very expensive. Headphones alone can cost up to several hundred dollars, and will probably break just as fast as the regular five dollar pairs you can buy. And sound proof windows can be up to twice as much money as regular windows would cost. These are some of the factors that would cause people to turn against soundproof features.
What is being done to stop Noise pollution?
People in all different departments of education are working to help find a solution to noise pollution. We have come up with several different types of technology that will help lessen hearing loss and in many ways mute the sound of the stereo, and organizations like the EPA are working with local police forces to try and put an end to noise pollution in the community. Although we are still working on ways to perfect noise pollution, we have come a long way since even the early 20th century. My grandmother’s friend Ed worked on planes during his twenties. They didn’t pass out earplugs, so now his hearing is severely damaged and he has to wear a hearing aide to even be able to participate in conversation. We have discovered that by doing something as simple as plugging your ears, you are soundproofing your ears and saving yourself from future hearing loss. If we have come this far in just a period of years, I assume that once noise protection has been perfected there will be things like silencers on jackhammers, or stereos that only produce noise to certain sets of ears. If this is the goal then we will someday be able to eliminate hearing loss.
