Noise Pollution

What is noise pollution? Noise pollution is not actual pollution in the commonly used sense of the word. It is a series of sounds that affect the ears in a negative way. It can cause health and behavioral effects on people AND animals. There are a variety of things that can cause noise pollution such as, different types of large machinery, jet engines, rail noises, automobiles, car alarms, office equipment, factory machinery, construction work, entertainment systems, a busy metropolitan, a large office building, and/or a small residential building etc...Noise Pollution Effects on Humans:
Noise pollution as a variety/wide range of negative effects on humans some of these are, hearing problems, cardiovascular issues, sleep disturbances, interference in verbal communication, and mental health problems.Hearing Damage: Exposure to unplesent loud noises can damage your hearing. Hearing impairment due to noise pollution can sometimes turn out just to be temporary however, sometimes you are unlucky and you loose your hearing permanently. Noise levels of above 80 decibels can cause damaging effects to the ear, however if noise levels above 100 decibels can cause permanent hearing damage or loss.Cardiovascular Issues: Did you know that a noisy environment can be one of the sources of heart related problems? A series of studies have shown that a high sound intensity environment can cause a dramatic rise in blood pressure and the high noise levels have also been known to constrict the arteries (which disrupts the blood flow.) Due to the blood increase, you increase the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases in the future.
Sleep Issues: Though an obvious cause of such loud noises, loss of sleep can effect your overall well being. By losing sleep you can become an incredibly annoying, grouchy, and uncomfortable person to be around. Lack of sleep can also decrease your ability to work efficiently.
Interference in Verbal Communication: Ever been talking to someone and gotten annoyed cause you couldn't hear what they were saying even though they were right next to you? Thats because the environment you were trying to communicate in was producing more than 50-60 decibels of sound. Also, if you can only grab snippets of what a person is saying then this may lead to a misunderstanding which, will cause future issues all due to a noisy environment.
Mental Health Problems: Being exposed to loud and irritating sounds 24/7 can elevate you stress levels and maybe even stimulate violent behavior! While being exposed to continuous loud noises in the area where you live or work can sometimes trigger headaches, cause you to be tense and anxious, and sometimes disturb your emotional balance!
Noise Pollution Effects on Animals: All the man made noise pollution around the world today isn't just effecting us as humans, we are also effecting the animals. Due to noise pollution we have; decreased reproductive activity for many animals,caused discomfort amongs underwater animals due to ships, submarines, and sonars. Birds in some urban areas have developed a sharp hearing ability in order to improve their ability to scout out prey however, thanks to noise pollution the breeding and feeding of these animals has been disrupted causing some species to become extinct! Another common effect on animals due to noise pollution is that, underwater animals communication has been lost in some situation due to them being surrounded by loud disturbing noises (this relates to humans problem of communication as well.)One of the scariest effects for animals in noise polltuion ist that some animals are found to have gone blind due and then been seriously hurt becuase they couldn't see!Ways of Eliminating Noise Pollution:
Though noise pollution is till a huge problem, certain measures are still being taken to prevent it, these are a couple ways that I have found.
Double-paned windows and weather stripping: Some people who live a a noisy city, or near an airport or highway, have installed double panned windows in their houses and added weather stripping. These i think are the best things to do because the weather stripping and double panned windows don't only reduce the noise pollution but they also have been known to reduce your cooling and heating bills, therefore you are also helping the environment!
Turn off the T.V.: When at home many people leave the TV going constantly they don't actually know how much efeect this can have on you. The contant backdrop of TV can work as a distraction and potential stressor.
Popular, Crowded areas: By living near major highways, roads, shopping centers, airports, etc... You are being more exposed to noise pollution than some.

Works Cited

J, Nicks. "Noise Pollution Effects." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. .

Scott, Elizabeth. "Reducing Noise Pollution - How To Reduce Noise Pollution's Negative Effects." Stress Management - Stress Information and Resources from About.com. 17 Nov. 2007. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. .

"What Is Noise Pollution? - What Noise Pollution Is, What Causes Noise Pollution, and Who Regulates It." Recent Questions: - Questions Recently Asked on What-Is-What.com. 09 Dec. 2007. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. .