DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 202 685 SE 034 917

TITLE Noise: A Health Problem.INSTITUTION Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.

Office of Noise Abatement and Control.BEPORT NQ EPA-335PUB DATE Aug 78NOTE 25p.; For Spanish version of this document, see SE

034 918.

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Acoustical Environment; Classroom Environment;

Elementary Secondary Education; EnvironmentalEducation; Environmental Influences; EnvironmentalStandards; Health; *Health Conditions; HealthEducation; Heart Disorders; *Physical Environment;Prenatal Influences; *rublic Health; Science"Education; *Urban Environment; Work Environment

IDENTIFIERS *Noise (Sound) ; Noise Pollution

ABSTRACTThis booklet contains nine sections aescribing ways

in which noise may endanger health and well-being. Secions areincluded on: (1) hearing loss; (2) heart disease; (3) other reactionsby the body; (4) effects on the unborn: (5) special effects onchildren; (6) intrusion at home and work: (7) sleep disruption; (B)

mental and social well-being; and (9) danger to life and limb.(CS)

***********************************************************************Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made

from the original document.***********************************************************************

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Introduction

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Racket, din, clamor, noise.Whatever you wa,:t to call it, un-wanted sound is America's mostwidespread nuisance. But noise ismore than just a nuisance. It con-stitutes a real and present dan-ger to people's health. Day andnight, at home, at work, and atplay, noise can produce seriousphysical and psychologicalstress. No one is immune to thisstress. Though we seem to ad-just to noise by ignoring it, theear, in fact, never closes and thebody still responds sometimeswith extreme tension, as to astrange sound in the night.

The annoyance we feel whenfaced with noise is the most com-mon outward symptom of thestress building up inside us. In-deed, because irritability is so ap-parent, legislators have madepublic annoyance the basis ofmany noise abatement programs.The more subtle and more serioushealth hazards associated withstress caused by noise tradi-tionally have been given muchless attention. Nonetheless, whenwe are annoyed or made irritableby noise, we should considerthese symptoms fair warning thatother things may be happening tous, some of which may bedamaging to our health.

Of the many health hazards re-lated to noise, hearing loss is themost clearly observable andmeasurable by health profes-sionals. The other hazards areharder to pin down. For.many ofus, there may be a risk that ex-posure to the stress of noise in-creases susceptibility to diseaseand infection. The more suscept-ible among us may experiencenoise as a complicating factor inheart problems and other dis-eases. Noise that causes annoy-ance and irritability in healthy per-sons may have serious conse-quences for those already ill inmind or body.

Noise affects us throughout ourlives. For example, there are ind-cations of effects on the unbornchild when mothers are exposedto industrial and environmentalnoise. During infancy and child-hood, youngsters exposed to highnoise levels may experience learn-ing difficulties and generally suf-fer poorer health. Later in life, theelderly may have trouble fallingasleep and obtaining necessaryamounts of rest.

Why, then, is there not greateralarm about these dangers? Per-haps it is because the link be-tween noise and many disabilitiesor diseases has not yet beenconclusively demonstrated. Per-haps it is because we tend to dis-miss annoyance as a pries to payfor living in the modern world. Itmay also be because we still thinkof hearing loss as only an occupa-tional hazard.

The effects of noise on healthare often misunderstood or un-recognized. Well-documentedstudies to clarify the role of noiseas a public health hazard are stillrequired, but we at least knowfrom existing evidence that thedanger is real. In the followingnine sections, this booklet de-scribes the ways that noise en-dangers our health and well-being:

Hearing LossHeart DiseaseThe Body's Other ReactionsNoise and the UnbornSpecial Effects on ChildrenIntrusion at Home and Work

Sleep DisruptionMental and Social \Aleil-BeingDanger to Life and Limb

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"Deafness. like poverty. stunts anddeadens its victims.- Helen Keller

Hearing Loss

Noise loud enough to causehearing loss is virtually every-where today. Our jobs, our enter-tainment and recreation, and ourneighborhoods and homes arefilled with potentially harmfullevels of noise. It is no wonderthen that 20 million or more Amer-icans are estimated to be ex-posed daily to noise that is per-manently damaging to theirhearing.

When hearing loss occurs, it isin most cases gradual, becomingworse with time. The first aware-ness of the damage usually be-gins with the loss of occasionalwords in general conversationand with difficulty understandingspeech heard on the telephone.Unfortunately, this recognition

comes too late to recover what islost. By then, the ability to hearthe high frequency sounds of, forexample, a flute or piccolo or eventhe soft rustling of leaves willhave been permanently dimin-ished. As hearing damage con-tinues, it can become quite sig-nificant and handicapping. Andthere is no cure. Hearing aids donot restore noise-damaged hear-ing, although they can be of lim-ited help to some people.

People with partial deafnessfrom exposure to noise do notnecessarily live in a quieter world.The many sounds still audible tothem are distorted in loudness,pitch, apparent location, or clar-ity. Consonants of speech, es-pecially high frequency soundssuch as "s" and "ch," are oftenlost or indistinguishable fromother sounds. Speech frequentlyseems garbled, sounding as ifthe speaker has his or her "headin a barrel." When exposed to avery loud noise, people with par-tial hearing loss may experiencediscomfort and pain. They alsofrequently suffer from tinnitusirritating ringing or roaring in thehead.

There is even further pain thehard-of-hearing person faces: theemotional anguish caused, per-haps Unintentionally, by friendsand associates who become lesswilling to be partner's in conversa-tion or companions in other activi-ties. Indeed, the inability to con-

verse normally makes it difficultfor partially deaf people to partici-pate in lectures, meetings, par-ties, and other public gatherings.For a person with hearing loss,listening to TV, radio, and the tele-phone important activities ofour lives is difficult, if notimpossible.

As hearing diminishes, a severesense of isolation can set in. Thegreater the hearing loss, thestronger the sense of being cutoff from the rest of the world.What eventually may be lost isthe ability to hear enough of theincidental sounds that maintainour feeling of being part of a liv-ing world. The emotional depres-sion following such hearing lossis much the same, whether theimpairment has been sudden orgradual.

The idea that hearingloss is solely the result of in-dustrial noise is dangerously er-roneous. Noise levels in manyplaces and in some of the trans-portation vehicles we use are wellabove the levels believed to causehearing damage over prolongedperiods. As a rule, whenever weneed to raise our voices to beheard, the background noise maybe too loud and should be avoided.

Noise can cause permanenthearing damage

People with hearing loss suffer dis.comfort and social isolation

Hearing loss is not solely an occu-pational hazard

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We now have .millions with heartdisease, high blood pressure, andemotional illness who need protec-tion from the additional stress ofnoise.- Dr. Samuel Rosen.Mt. Sinai Hospital

Heart Disease

While no one has yet shown thatnoise inflicts any measurabledamage to the heart itself, a grow-ing body of evidence strongly sug-gests a link between exposure tonoise and the development andaggravation of a number of heartdisease problems. The explana-tion? Noise causes stress and thebody reacts with increased adren-aline, changes in heart rate, andelevated blood pressure.

Noise, however, is only one ofseveral environmental causes ofstress. For this reason, research-ers cannot say with confidencethat noise alone caused the heartand circulatory problems they

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have observed. What they canpoint to is a statistical relation-ship apparent in several field andlaboratory studies.

The best available studies arethose that have been conductedin industrial settings. For ex-ample, steel workers and machineshop operators laboring under thestress of high noise levels had ahigher incidence of circulatoryproblems than did workers inquiet industries. A German studyhas documented a higher rate ofheart disease in noisy industries.In Sweden, several researchershave noted more cases of highblood pressure among workersexposed to high levels of noise.

Some laboratory tests have pro-duced observable physicalchanges. In one instance, rabbitsexposed for 10 weeks to noiselevels common to very noi3y in-dustries developed a muchhigher level of blood cholesterolthan did unexposed rabbits onthe same diet.

Similarly, a monkey subjectedto a day-long tape recording of thenormal street noises outside ahospital developed higher bloodpressure and an increased heartrate. In a test on humans, peoplesubjected to moderately loudnoise during different states ofsleep exhibited constriction of theouter blood vessels.

Among the more serious re-cent findings in settings otherthan the laboratory or industry isthe preliminary conclusion that

grade school children exposed toaircraft noise in school and athome had higher blood pressuresthan children in quieter areas. Theexact implications for these chil-dren's health are not known, butcertainly this finding is cause forserious concern.

Because the danger of stressfrom noise is greater for those al-ready suffering from heart dis-ease, physicians frequently takemeasures to reduce the noise ex-posure of their patients. For in-stance, a town in New Jerseymoved a firehouse siren awayfrom the home of a boy with con-genital heart disease when hisdoctor warned that the sound ofthe siren could cause the boy tohave a fatal spasm. Another doc-tor ordered a silencing device forthe phone of a recuperating heartpatient.

As William Stewart, former Sur-geon General of the United States,has pointed out, there are manyincidents of heart disease occur-ing daily in the U.S. for which "thenoise of twentieth century livingis a major contributory cause."While the precise role of noise incausing or aggravating heart dis-ease remains unclear, the illnessis such a problem in our societythat even a small increase in thepercentage of heart problemscaused by noise could provedebilitating to many thousands ofAmericans.

Noise may produce high bloodpressure, fasterheart rates, and in-creased adrenaline

Noise may contribute to heart andcirculatory disease

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"Lobd noises once in a while prob-ably cause no harm. But chronicnoise situations must be patholog-ica Constant exposure to noiseis negative to your health."Dr. Gerd Jansen, Ruhr university

The Body'sOtherReactions

In readiness for dangerous andharmful situations, our bodiesmake automatic and unconsciousresponses to sudden or loudsounds. Of course, most noise inour modern society does not sig-nify such danger. However, ourbodies still react as if thesesounds were always a threat orwarning.

In effect, the body shifts gears.Blood pressure rises, heart rate

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and breathing speed up, musclestense, hormones are released intothe bloodstream, and perspirationappears. These changes occureven during sleep.

The idea that people get usedto noise is a myth. Even when wethink we have become accus-tomed to noise, biologicalchanges still take place inside us,preparing us for physical activityif necessary.

Noise does not have to be loudto bring on these responses.Noise below the levels usually as-sociated with hearing damagecan cause regular and predictablechanges in the body.

What happens to the humanbody when confronted with ever-present noise? In a world wheresteady bombardment of noise isthe rule rather than the exception,the cumulative effects of noise onour bodies may be quite exten-sive. It may be that our bodies arekept in a near - constant conditionof agitation. Researchers debatewhether the body's automatic re-sponses build on each other, lead-ing to what are called the "dis-eases of adaptation." These dis-eases of stress include ulcers,asthma, high blood pressure,headaches, and colitis.

In studies dating back to the

1930s, researchers noted thatworkers chronically exposed tonoise developed marked digestivechanges which were thought tolead to ulcers. Cases of ulcers incertain noisy industries have beenfound to be up to five times asnumerous as what normally wouldbe expected.

Similar research has identifiedmore clearly the contribution ofnoise to other physical disorders.A five-year study of two manufac-turing firms in the United Statesfound that workers in noisy plantareas showed greater numbers ofdiagnosed medical problems, in-cluding respiratory ailments, thandid workers in quieter areas of theplants.

From a study done withanimals, researchers concludedthat noise may be a risk factor inlowering people's resistance todisease and infection.

To prevent aggravation ofexisting disease, doctors andhealth researchers agree thatthere is an absolute requirementfor rest and relaxation at regularintervals to maintain adequatemental and physical health. Con-stant exposure to stress fromnoise frustrates this requirement.In doing so, it has a potentiallyharmful effect on our health andwell-being.

Noise can cause regular and pre-dictable stress in the human body

People do not get used to noisethe body continues to react

Noise may aggravate existingdisease

109

"rhere is ample evidence Mat en-vironment has a role in shaping thephysique, behavior and function ofanimals, including man, from cooceptton d not merely from birth.The fc.,,,tus is capable of perceivingsounds ,sand responding to them bymotor activity and cardiac ratechange.-Lester W. Sontag, The FelsF1'esearch 'fist/lute

Noise and theUnborn

While still in its mother's womb,the developing child is responsiveto sounds in the mother's en-vironment. Particularly loudnoises have been shown tostimulate the fetus directly,causing changes in heartrate.Related work also has demon-strated that, late in pregnancy,the fetus can respond to noisewith bodily movements such askicking.

Just as the fetus is not com-pletely protected from environ-mental noise, the fetus is

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not fully protected from itsmother's response to stress,whether it be caused by noise orother factors. When her bodyreacts to noise, the physicalchanges she experiences may betransmitted to the fetus. And it isknown that the fetus is capable ofresponding to some changes inthe mother's body of the typeproduced by emotion, noise, orother forms of stress.

In contrast to the more directrisk, this indirect fetal responsemay threaten fetal development ifit occurs early in pregnancy. Themost important period is about 14to 60 days after conception.During this time, importantdevelopments in the central ner-vous system and vital organs aretaking place. Unfortunately,women are often unaware thatthey are pregnant for much of thisperiod, and are thus unlikely totake extra precautions.

While very little research hasaddressed these questions, dueto the difficulties of studyinghumans in this respect, certainsuggestive human research hasbeen done.

A Japanese study of over 1,000births produced evidence of ahigh proportion of low-weightbabies in noisy areas. These birthweights were under 51/2 pounds,the World Health Organization's

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definitionof prematurity. Low birthweights and noise were alsoassociated with lower levels ofcertain hormones thought to af-fect fetal growth and to be a goodindicator of protein production.The difference between thehormone levels of pregnantmothers in noisy versus quietareas increased as birth ap-proached.

Studies have also shown thatstress causes constriction of theuterine blood vessels which sup-ply nutrients and oxygen to thedeveloping baby. Additional linksbetween noise and birth defectshave been noted in a recentpreliminary study on people livingnear a major airport. The abnor-malities suggested includedharelips, cleft palates, and de-fects in the spine.

Taken together, this infor-mation points to the possibility ofserious effects of noise on thegrowth and development of theunborn child. While it cannot besaid at what level maternal ex-posures to industrial and en-vironmental noise are dangerousto the fetus, these findings docreate some concern. It is knownthat extreme stress of any typewill certainly take a toll on thefetus, but, in the case of noise, itis not known how much isrequired to have an effect.Whatever the effect, the risk ofeven a slight increase in birthdefects is considerablydisturbing.

The fetus is not fully protectedfrom noise

Noise may threaten fetal develop-ment

Noise has been linked to low birthweights

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"Levels of noise which do riot inter-fere with the perception of speech byadults may interfere significantly,vith the perception of speech bychildren as well as with theacquisition of speech. language. andlanguage-related skills." NationalAcademy of Sciences Report

Special Effectson Children

Good health includes the abilityto function mentally as well asphysically. This is especially trueduring growth and development.

Adults have worried about theeffects of noise on children eversince the early 1900s when "quietzones" were established aroundmany of the nation's schools.These protective areas were in-tended to increase educationalefficiency by reducing the variouslevels of noise that were believedto interfere with children's learn-ing and even hamper their think-ing ability.

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Today's worries are littlechanged from those of the past.Researchers looking into the con-sequences of bringing up childrenin this less-than-quiet world havediscovered that learning dif-ficulties are likely byproducts ofthe noisy schools, play areas, andhomes i.n which our children growup. Two primary concerns arewith language development andreading ability.

Because they are just learning,children have more difficulty un-derstanding language in thepresence of noise than adults do.As a result, if children learn tospeak and listen in a noisy en-vironment, they may have greatdifficulty in developing suchessential skills as distinguishingthe sounds of speech. For exam-ple, against a background ofnoise, a child may confuse thesound of "v" in "very" with the"b" in "berry" and may not learnto tell them apart. Another symp-tom of this problem is the ten-dency to distort speech by drop-ping parts of words, especiallytheir endings.

Reading ability also may beseriously impaired by noise. Astudy of reading scores of 54youngsters, grades two throughfive, indicated that the noiselevels in their four adjacent apart-ment buildings were detrimentalto the children's readingdevelopment. The influence ofnoise in the home was found tobe more important than even the

parents' educational background,the number of children in thefamily, and the grades theyoungsters were in. The longerthe children had lived in the noisyenvironment, the more pro-nounced the reading impairment.

Assuming a child arrives atschool with language skills under-developed because of a noisyhome, will he or she fare anybetter at school? Again, the an-swer may depend on how noisythe classroom is. In a schoollocated next to an elevatedrailway, students whoseclassrooms faced the track didsignificantly worse on readingtests than did similar studentswhose classrooms were fartheraway. In Inglewood, California,the effects Of aircraft noise onlearning were so severe thatseveral new and quieter schoolshad to be built. As a sr ,.00l of-ficial explained, the disruption oflearning went beyond the timewasted waiting for noisy aircraftto pass over. Considerable timehad to be spent after each flyoverre-focusing students' attention onwhat was being done before theinterruption.

But the problem may be wellbeyond the capacity of theschools to correct. Children wholive in noisy homes and play innoisy areas may never developthe ability to listen well enough to

learn once they are of school age.To avoid this prospect, our con-cern for the health and welfare ofthe nation's children must bebroadened to address the totalenvironment in which they growup.

Ncise may hinder the developmentof language skills in children

Noise disrupts the educationalprocess

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Intrusion AtHome andWork

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If there is one commondenominator degrading thequality of all our lives, it may wellbe the almost constant intrusionof noise in the home, at work,and in public areas. One of themost bothersome aspects of thisintrusion is its interference withconversation. We may not alwaysbe aware of it, but we frequentlymust speak up to be heard. Others

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must often do the same to be un-derstood by us.

Loss of the ability to speak at anormal level and be heard may befar more damaging than werealize. People who live in noisyplaces tend to adopt a lifestyledevoid of communication andsocial interaction. They stoptalking, they change the contentof the conversation, they talk onlywhen absolutely necessary, andthey frequently must repeatthemselves. These reactions areprobably familiar to all of us.

Interference with indoor con-versation tapresents only a smallpart of the intrusion problem.Outdoors, the combination ofcontinuous daytime noise causedby street traffic, constructionequipment, and aircraft interruptsspeech and can discourage con-versation there as well. Formillions of Americans residing innoisy urban areas, the use of out-door areas for relaxed conver-sation is virtually impossible.

Noise not only makes conver-sation difficult indoors or out

it also seems to hinder work ef-ficiency. In general, noise is morelikely to reduce the accuracy ofwork rather than the total quan-tity. And it takes a greater toll oncomplex compared to simplertasks. When noise is particularlyloud or unpredictable, errors inpeople's observation tend to in-crease, perception of time may bedistorted, and greater effort isrequired to remain alert. Loudnoise also can increase the

variability of work, leading tobreaks in concentrationsometimes followed by changesin work rate.

Even when noise does not inter-fere with the work at hand, workquality may suffer after the noisestops. Studies and reports fromindividuals also suggest thatpeople who work in the midst ofhigh noise levels during the dayare more, rather than less,susceptible to frustration andaggravation after work. Relaxingat home after a noisy workdaymay not be an easy thing to do.When the home is noisy itself, thetired and irritated worker maynever be able to work out theday's accumulated stress duringthe course of the evening.

Noise in industrial settings mayhave the most pronounced effectson human performance and em-ployee health. A coal industrystudy indicated that intermittentnoise conditions during mininghave a great likelihood forcausing distraction leading topoorer work. Other studies haveconfirmed additional effects ofnoise exposure, includingexhaustion, absentmindedness,mental strain, and absenteeism

all of which affect worker ef-

ficiency. In the words of LeonardWoodcock, former president ofthe United Auto Workers, "They(auto workers) find themselvesunusually fatigued at the end ofthe day compared to their fellowworkers who are not exposed tomuch noise. They complain ofheadaches and inability to sleepand they suffer from anxiety . . .

Our members tell us that the con-tinuous exposure to high levels ofnoise makes them tense, irritable,and upset."

Noise interferes with conversationand social interaction

Noise hampers work efficiency

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The din of the modern city [includes]noises far above levels for optimumsleeping. Result: insomnia and in-stability.-Dr. Edward F. Crippen, FormerDeputy Health Commissioner ofDetroit

SleepDisruption

Sleep is a restorative time oflife, and a good night's sleep isprobably crucial to good health.But everyday experiencesuggests that noise interfereswith our sleep in a number ofways. Noise can make it difficultto fall asleep, it can wake us, andit can cause shifts from deeper tolighter sleep stages. If the noiseinterference with sleep becomesa chronic problem, it may take itstoll on health.

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Human response to noisebefore and during sleep varieswidely among age groups. Theelderly and the sick are par-ticularly sensitive to disruptivenoise. Compared to young people,the elderly are more easilyawakened by noise and, onceawake, have more difficulty retur-ning to sleep. As a group, theelderly require special protectionfrom the noises that interfere withtheir sleep.

Other age groups seem to beless affected by noise at bedtimeand while asleep. But their ap-parent adjustment may simply bethe result of failing to rememberhaving awakened during thenight. Sleep researchers haveobserved that their subjects oftenforget and underestimate thenumber of times they awakenduring sleep. It may be that loudnoises during the night continueto wake or rouse us when wesleep, but that as we becomefamiliar with the sounds, wereturn to sleep more rapidly.

Factors other than age can in-fluence our sleep. Studiessuggest that the more frequentnoise is, the less likely a sleeperis to respond. Certain kinds of

noises can cause almost certainresponses, however.. A mothermay wake immediately at thesound of a crying baby, but maytune out much louder traffic noiseoutside.

Disruption of sleep does notnecessarily include awakening.Shifting in depths of sleep may bemore frequent than awakening.For instance, recent studies haveshown that shifts from deep tolight sleep were more numerousbecause of noise, and that lightsleep became lengthened at theexpense of deep sleep.

Studies have also been made ofnoise complaints and what kindsof annoyance led people to filethem. Surveys taken in com-munities significantly affected bynoise indicated that the interrup-tion of rest, relaxation, and sleepwas the underlying cause ofmany people's complaints.

When noise interferes with oursleep whether by waking us orchanging the depth of sleep itmakes demands on our bodies toadapt. The implications of thesedemands for our general healthand performance are not well un-derstood. Nonetheless, we needrestful sleep and many of us arenot getting it. As a result, formillions of Americans, trying togeta good night's sleep stillmeans reaching for sleeping pills.

Noise affects the quantityand quality of sleep

The elderly and sick are more sen-sitive to disruptive noise

When sleep is disturbed by noise,work efficiency and health maysuffer

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"The Noise, The Noise. I just couldn'tstand the Noise."Suicide rote left by a despEratehomeowner.

Mental andSocialWell-Being

The most obvious price we payfor living in an overly noisy worldis the annoyance we frequentlyexperience. Perhaps because an-noyance is so commonplace, wetend to take our daily doses of itfor granted not realizing thatthe irritability that sometimes sur-faces can be a symptom of poten-tially more serious distress insideus. When noise becomes suffi-ciently loud or unpredictable, or ifthe stress imposed is greatenough, our initial annoyance canbecome transformed into more ex-treme emotional responses andbehavior. When this happens, ourtempers flare and we may "fly off

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the handle" at the slightestprovocation.

Newspaper files and policerecords contain reports of in-cidents that point to noise as atrigger of extreme behavior. Forinstance, a night clerical worker,upset about noise outside hisapartment, shot one of the boyscausing the disturbance after hehad shouted at them, to no avail,to "Stop the noise." As otherexamples, sanitation workershave been assaulted, construc-tion foremen threatened, andmotorboat operators shot atall because of the noise theywere producing.

Such extreme actions are notthe usual responses to noise andstress. Some people cope withloud noise by directing their angerand frustration inward, by blam-ing themselves for being upset,and by suffering in silence. Othersresort to a denial of the problemaltogether, considering them-selves so tough that noise doesnot bother them. Still others dealwith noise in a more direct man-ner: they take sleeping pills andwear ear plugs, increase theirvisits to doctors and keep theirwindows closed, rearrange theirsleeping quarters and spend lesstime outdoors, and write letters ofcomplaint to government of-ficials.

Most of the time these waysof contending with noise are notlikely to eliminate the noise orany underlying annoyance. Shortof taking extreme action whichis unlikely to solve the problem

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either most people who cannotcope with noise in these waystypically direct their anger andfrustration at others and becomemore argumentative and moody,though not necessarily violent.This noise-induced, anti-socialbehavior may be far moreprevalent than we realize.

Indeed, noise can strainrelations between individuals,cause people to be less tolerantof frustration and ambiguity, andmake people less willing to helpothers. One recent study, forexample, found that, while alawnmower was running nearby,people were less willing to help aperson with a broken arm pick upa dropped armload of books.Another study of two groups ofpeople playing a game found thatthe subjects playing under noisierconditions perceived their fellowplayers as more disagreeable,disorganized, and threatening.Several industrial studies indicatethat noise can heighten socialconflicts both at work and athome. And reports from in-dividuals suggest that noise in-creases tensions betweenworkers and their supervisors,resulting in additional grievancesagainst the employer.

Although no one would say thatnoise by itself brings on mentalillness, there is evidence thatnoise-related stress can aggravatealready existing emotional disor-ders. Research in the United

States and England points tohigher rates of admission topsychiatric hospitals amongpeople living close to airports.And studies of several industriesshow that prolonged.noise ex-posure may lead to a largernumber of psychologicalproblems among workers.

Noise can cause extreme emo-tions and behavior

Anti-social behavior caused b\noise may be more prevaleniis realized

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"inability to hear auditory warningsignals or shouts of caution becauseof noise has also been implicated inindustrial accidents." AlexanderCohen, National Institute for Ocouca-tional Safety and Health

Danger toLife and Limb

Two people were killed whenSenator Robert Kennedy's funeraltrain passed through Elizabeth,New Jersey. Because of the noisefrom Secret Service and newsmedia helicopters, they did nothear the warning blasts from thetrain that hit them.

Although the evidence is scan-ty, the inability to hear warningsignals because of highbackground noise is thought to bethe cause of many accidents eachyear. For example, traffic ac-

2

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cidents occur and lives are lostbecause drivers are unable tohear the sirens from nearby orpassing emergency vehicles.One study has estimated thatwhen a fire truck or ambulance isin the process of passing a truck,the truck driver is able to detectthe siren for only a very short time

three seconds or less. The restof the time the truck's noisedrowns out the siren, and thewarning is undetected.

Nowhere is the concern overpreventable accidents greaterthan in industrial settings, wherenoise levels not only can interferewith concentration and can causehearing loss, but can hindercommunication between em-ployees as well particularly intimes of emergency. A study ofmedical and accident records ofworkers in several industriesfound that a significantly highernumber of reported accidents oc-curred in noisier plant areas.The Federal Railroad Administra-tion is aware of this hazard andhas identified "high noise-levelconditions" as a possible contri-butor in 19 accidents causingdeaths of 25 railroad employees,in a 22-month period.

Reports from industrial of-ficials also indicate that the ef-fectiveness of warning signalsand shouts in noisy areas is con-siderably diminished and that ac-cidents and injuries are more fre-

quent. The effects of masking rackand speech interference can be TI-dramatic, as in the case of an ac- of hicident in an auto glass manufac- thatturing plant. Noise levels were so life zhigh that a worker whose hand theywas caught in manufacturing proaequipment received no aid since alarrno one heard the screams. As a .

result, the hand was lost. As ad- Noisditional examples, two press- nals,

room auto workers in Ohio were Noispermanently disabled when they help,failed to hear approaching panel

"It is truly a serious problem ,oescape from noise."Milian) Dean Howells, America :7Author

A Final Word

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cu vrul iiluiiyand diseases, which include

rt disease, high blood pres-), headaches, fatigue andability.oise is also suspected to in-are with children's learningwith normal developmentle unborn child. Noise;ported to have triggeredemely hostile behaviormg persons presumablyering from emotional)ss. It is suspected)wer our resistance, in somees, to the onset of infectiondisease.owever, most Americans areely unaware that noise poses

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solute proof comes late. To waitfor it is to invite disaster or toprolong suffering unnecessarily.I submit that those things withinman's power to control which im-pact upon the individual in anegative way, which infringe uponhis sense of integrity, and in-terrupt his pursuit of fulfillment,are hazards to public health."

It is finally clear that noise is asignificant hazard to publichealth. Truly, noise is more thanjust an annoyance.

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While this booklet contains reliable andimportant information on Noise, it is notpublished in support of any specific EPANoise Regulation. The technical supportingdocumentation for any specific EPA Noiseregulation will be published in a backgrounddocument which accompanies the regulation.

"Calling noise a nuisance is likecalling smog an inconvenience.Noise must be considered a hazardto the health of people everywhere."

Dr. William H. Stewart, former U.S.Surgeon General

Cover Photo, Al WhitleyPage 4, Al WhitleyPage 7, H. Armstrong RobertsPage 9, Al WhitleyPage 10, Linda BartlettPage 13, Al WhitleyPage 14, Paul ConklinPage 17, Al WhitleyPage 19. Al WhitleyPage 21, Paul Conklin 25