City noise can be distracting and irritating. It can also lead to health problems.
Noise Pollution in the City Can Be Deadly
According to the UNEP, noise pollution “leads to” 12,000 premature deaths each year in the European Union (EU).
Acceptable noise levels are surpassed in many global cities including Bangkok, Damascus, Algiers, and New York.
“Recreational noise” (i.e., music concerts) caused hearing damage in 21% of Mexico’s high school students.
Kaltenbach et al., showed that exposure to daytime aircraft noise surpassing 50 dBA was associated with adolescent learning difficulties.
Parra et al., found that health-related (HR) “quality of life” was diminished by road traffic noise for people over 60 in Bogota, Columbia.
Ana et al., found that children in Nigeria who attended a school near a noisy road reported “fatigue and lack of concentration” as their prominent noise-related health complaint.
UNEP reports that noise of 60 dB can raise heart rate and blood pressure. It can also cause a lack of sleep.
Sources: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/deadly-wildfires-noise-pollution-and-disruptive-timing-life-cycles https://www.noiseandhealth.org/article.asp?issn=1463-1741;year=2013;volume=15;issue=64;spage=153;epage=159;aulast=van https://www.unep.org/interactive/frontiers-report-2022/frontiers/en/index.php#cities
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