Noise Pollution

Transcript: HEY THERE, I’M NOISE POLLUTION. OH SORRY WAS I YELLING?! I am any unwanted and disturbing sounds that interfere with normal activities such as sleeping, conversation, or disrupts or diminishes anyone’s quality of life. While many may consider noise to be just an annoyance, I can lead to detrimental health effects. I can come from all sorts of things, from transportation, such as trains, planes, and automobiles, to construction activities happening right next-door to your home or office. In addition, I can come directly from noises inside your building, such as from an HVAC system or from your noisy coworker. While it might seem like you are only exposed to me through auditory systems (what we hear), I also impact non-auditory systems, specifically your stress response and cognitive load (aka your nervous system). Because I expose your auditory and nervous system to undue stress, I can also cause a variety of auditory and non-auditory health outcomes. I can cause temporary/permanent hearing loss, sleep disturbance, child development, and mental distress. And the constant activation of the nervous system’s stress response increases oxidative stress and inflammation, which can lead to obesity, CVD, high blood pressure, and diabetes. The built environment can dictate how you are exposed to noise pollution through zoning of transportation modes proximal to residential homes and construction ordinances (eg, permitted working hours). Building interiors can also impact acute noise pollution through programming of interior spaces. Proximity to sources of pollution, such as airports and heavy industrial sites, has been a contributing factor to enduring disparities in health for communities of color and low-income communities in the U.S. Designers can help reduce these disparities by protecting occupants from noise pollution both from the outside as well as the interior, such as noisy HVAC and mechanical systems.