Sound is one of the environmental influences for all living organisms, including humans. Machines, propagating systems, and transport systems are easily argued to be the grassroots sources of loud sounds (Morillas 214). In nature, loud sounds are rare, and the noise is relatively weak and short-lived. The combination of sound stimuli gives animals and humans the time necessary to assess their character and form a response. But high-power noises affect the hearing aid and nerve centers (Black). Noise surrounds us everywhere: at home, on the street, at school, but few people know how noise affects the human body.
Compared to other various surroundings, noise pollution is mainly concentrated in urban areas. Noise that causes pollution in urban areas comes from different sources including, transport systems, construction activities, poor urban planning, industrialization, and various social events. This essay will cover the main types of noise pollution and the potential effect they might have on the health of the world’s population. Moreover, it will outline the solutions which can cause positive and negative outcomes to this issue.
People lived surrounded by noise for their entire existence, but natural sounds can hardly be called an irritating factor. One of the root causes of noise pollution is the noise from transport (Brown). It has a negative impact on a person around the clock, and especially it is felt at night when the body requires rest. My friend said about this, “the noise from cars and equipment is a big problem, but there is no getting away from it.” People are constantly trying to make their lives better, but it becomes difficult to overcome negative consequences. A person who constantly falls under the influence of sounds may have a mental health disorder and insomnia. My aunt explained, “I started having trouble sleeping as soon as I moved to the city.” Therefore, sound pollution is a problem that people should take seriously.
Another reason for the noise is loud parties at night. Even though it is illegal, it does not stop teenagers. The noise interferes with the residents of neighboring houses; moreover, small children wake up because of the noise (Howard). My sister notes, “when I put my child to bed, I’m afraid that he will wake up because someone has started a party.” Moreover, loud noises at night and insomnia reduce concentration and cause headaches. Children may also become affected by loud sounds which affect immature body. My uncle believes that “if I could somehow isolate myself from the noise, then my work would proceed much better, and I would not suffer from headaches.” Therefore, noise significantly affects our physical condition.
Industrialization is also among the main causes of sound pollution in an urban setup and, more specifically, Los Angeles. Industries produce a lot of noise that is even considered a pollution of noise due to the relentless use of big machines in the industries (Bilaşco 214). The sound is too much that even the workers in those industries are forced to find means of preventing the loud noises from harming them. These sounds emanating from these industries affect the people in Los Angeles in various ways. My friend notes, “the area around industries is out of bound to him because of his hearing problems.”
Industries produce the loudest noise compared to other sources of noise pollution (Smith). However, most of the industries are located away from the human population. Most people I have interacted with believe that “industries in Los Angeles should be even moved further.” These industries hinder the growth of the city to some extent, even due to their location. Indeed, noises from the industries should be avoided at all costs.
The poor urban planning of the city contributes significantly to noise pollution. This occurs in different ways including, big families forced to share a small space, not enough parking lots, congested houses, and proximity between residential and industrial buildings (Anees 10). This factor does not produce a lot of noise considered to others, but then it is almost impossible for someone to avoid the noise pollution caused by poor urban planning.
My parent believes that “if we had grown in a rural urban setup, we would be better health-wise”. This is because they have tried as much as they could, but nothing has worked. Therefore, we are forced to live with this noise pollution. My brother says, “my hearing process is compromised due to the noise pollution.” The noises pollution due to this factor lead to hearing problems. Clearly, living with this kind of noise pollution seems normal, but it causes a lot of harm.
Construction activities in urban areas are constant, and they lead to noise pollution. People are daily putting up new infrastructures, and these activities contribute to the noise pollution in cities (Bilaşco 219). Compared to other causes of noise pollution, construction activities are less disturbing since the construction of a certain infrastructure takes a certain period of time. There is no other construction there, and therefore no noise pollution caused.
However, when there is a construction activity, a lot of noise is produced by this activity. My friend said, “constructions happening in city always have many negative impacts.” Constructions often lead to a traffic of cars leading to more noise in the surrounding. However, we have to adapt to survive with construction activities taking place. My colleague narrates to me, “constructions in the city has affected me a lot and in a negative way.” Construction has made him get late to his business late and feel uncomfortable. When there is no control of traffic, construction can lead to a lot of delays.
Noise from air traffic in a city setup is also enough to cause noise pollution. Transport through the air is most common in the cities, and therefore a lot of noise is produced (Di 120). The noise pollution may not be as much as the pollution due to other factors, but it is significant. My friend who lives near the airport notes,” it is not easy to live in such an area.” The noise from the air traffic is very disturbing. In the city, airplanes are constantly landing and taking off; hence there is no time the place has silence. My brother once noted,” living beside an airport must be very uncomfortable.” The discomfort is due to the noise caused by the airplanes. Air traffic causes a lot of noise that cannot be neglected.
Even though intensive air traffic is one of the major types of noise pollution, people still cannot live without it. My friend who works in the IT sphere states that “the world’s population has to adjust to these changes and find solutions to decrease the negative effect of this issue”. One of the most common resolvers can be distant locations and the construction of airports from the centers of big cities (Tong). Small airports with less intensive traffic should also be relocated to places away from the town to ensure that even sounds from landing and departing airplanes do not disturb citizens. The technology progress is also developing at a high rate, making it possible to construct planes that do not produce loud sounds.
My brother believes that “many surrounding people are becoming more interested in the work of technology and the way it helps out society.” This belief can be considered as a positive point which makes people more conscious about their future. Also, it becomes more possible to construct a greater number of airports outside centers of huge cities to decrease the heavy traffic in other aircraft ports.
Specialists are still trying to find out how noise pollution cause health problems and what parts of the human body should be deeply analyzed to decrease the effect of this issue. Before starting to treat health problems raised by noise pollution, specialists should find solutions to the increased number of technologies that produce an enormous amount of noise. My granny says that “many years ago the number of health problems in the surrounding society was not high.” Some actions might not be helpful, and they can cause more harm than benefit. For instance, my cousin states, “the attempt to decrease the use of technology might not the best solution”.
This fact might be correct as every year people are using more devices to make their lives comfortable (Stewart). This plan might not have a successful outcome as technology in such cities as Los Angeles is the main type of system which brings money to its citizens. Moreover, the use of technology usually helps people cope with global problems, and the decrease in technology improvement might cause more issues.
However, other steps to decrease a high level of noise pollution like planting trees and installing high-quality windows can save people from this global problem. The noise becomes lost between the branches or leaves by planting trees, and my friend thinks that “it makes the atmosphere in huge cities more relaxed.” People can take a rest and decrease the risk of health problems like depression and heart strokes. Also, those who live in skyscrapers and have many neighbors on the same floor can use special windows with a double-protection system to ensure that nobody disturbs the calmness (Ning 220).
Moreover, individuals should feel cozy in their homes, and nothing should irritate people to make them pay less attention to the busy environment outside their houses. Soft sofas and rugs can help with the creation of a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. My mom said that “small decorations at home create a positive mood for the day.” When people are surrounded with things that make them happy, the negative effect of noise pollution decreases.
The US government is currently creating plans to save cities from noise pollution and keep the health of the population at a high rate. “Government should play a crucial part in finding the solution to the noise pollution problem”, my dad states. Local authorities in every state take specific actions like expanding the cities and decreasing the pollution from constructing equipment to ensure that the noise problem does not continue to grow (EPA).
The EPA’s main strategy is to carry investigations about the health problems caused by noise pollution and develop exact solutions that can fit specific locations of the United States. The government should pay attention to the changes in the environment as my friend says that “people become affected by them and the general performance of work produced by the US’s citizens.” With the support of local society, governmental representatives will be able to protect the world. When governmental authorities create special plans to decrease the level of noise pollution, the trust of ordinary people increases.
In conclusion, people cannot notice that they are exposed to noise, which leads to negative consequences. The effects of noise pollution are still being studied, but the issue has been identified as a significant concern for public health and safety. Noise pollution comes from different sources including, transport systems, construction activities, poor urban planning, industrialization, and various social events. Industries produce the loudest noise compared to other sources of noise pollution.
Noise pollution causes many physical, mental, and physiological disorders. Indeed, noise pollution is a key issue that needs to be addressed with an immediate effect. In a fast-changing world, some solutions might be helpful, but others may even make the situation worse. When governments pay attention to this problem, it is possible to keep noise pollution under control.
Works Cited
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Brown, Rosy. Personal interview. 2021.
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EPA. “Clean Air Act Title IV – Noise Pollution”. United States Environmental Protection Agency (2021).
Howard, Jessika. Personal interview. 2021.
Morillas, Juan Miguel Barrigón, et al. “Noise pollution and urban planning.” Current Pollution Reports 4.3 (2018): 208-219.
Ning, Xin, et al. “Reducing noise pollution by planning construction site layout via a multi-objective optimization model.” Journal of Cleaner Production 222 (2019): 218-230.
Smith, Helen. Interview. 2021.
Stewart, John, et al. Why Noise Matters: A Worldwide perspective on the Problem, Policies and Solutions. Routledge, 2016.
Tong, Ka Po. “Offline Flight Tracking system with noise pollution measurement.” Run Run Shaw Library (2016).