When someone mentions pollution, there's usually only a few images that come to mind: smoke pouring out of factories, chemicals being dumped into rivers, trash being strewn on the side of the road. This association is understandable, seeing how this is the type of pollution most people talk about (and rightly so). However, there are other forms of pollution that, in certain circumstances, can be just as damaging as the one we already know about. One of these forms, named noise pollution, often goes under the radar when talking about big environmental issues. However, while it may not seem like a problem at first, it actually poses major consequences for both wildlife and humans alike, so let's talk about it.
What is Noise Pollution?
The name's pretty self explanatory. Just by looking at it one can get a fairly good idea of what the problem is: noise has some kind of effect on wildlife. That's right, but it's a little bit more nuanced then that. The definition of noise pollution, according to environmentalpollutioncenters.org is, "Regular exposure to elevated sound levels that may lead to adverse effects in humans or other living organisms." So, it's not really sound itself that causes the problem, but an excess of that sound. Funny how most environmental issues seem to follow the same theme: a little bit of something is fine, but put too much in and we begin to see some problems.
What's interesting about this issue though, and what separates it from many other environmental issues, is that it actually often goes unnoticed. It's easy to see a piece of trash strewn on the ground, but less so to detect unhealthy sound. And what even is an "unhealthy sound" anyway? Well, according to the World Health Organization, it's a sound with a volume above 85dB (although one has to be exposed to that particular sound for more than 8 hours daily for it to be unhealthy). As the sound gets louder, less time is needed in order for it to have an effect.
What Causes It?
The reason that sound pollution so often goes under the radar of so many people is because it can actually come from elements of our lives that we've grown quite accustomed to. Street traffic, train stations, loud music, fireworks, and much more can all be sounds that exceed 85 dB, and thus can be considered noise pollution. While one might think it's unlikely that anyone would be exposed to these for more than 8 hours in a day, you'd be surprised at just how how often we encounter these loud sounds.
Usually, these noises (as discussed above) are created by everyday activities: construction, transportation, factories, etc, meaning people who work in those areas are more at risk. However, poor urban planning (as discussed here) may have also played a role in making the problem much worse.
The Effects?
But how, you might be asking, does this relate to the environment? After all, I've really only been talking about the effects on humans so far (and not that much at that). So, let's talk about the effects sound pollution has for both the environment and humans, and why exactly it's a problem worth being concerned about.
On the Environment
Sound is a vital part of any ecosystem. Predators use it to hunt, prey use it to avoid being hunted, and many animals communicate with each other through the use of it. So, it makes sense that, when such a vital part of these animals' lives is disturbed, that we will begin to see some problems. Populations begin to dwindle for both predators and prey: prey because they cannot hear well enough to avoid being hunted, and predators because they cannot detect animals to hunt. While one might think that this would balance itself out, analysis of ecosystems have proven this not to be the case. In many areas, predators and prey are affected unequally, and this imbalance causes catastrophe within an ecosystem.
Additionally, many animals rely on sounds outside of hunting. For instance, animals that utilize mating calls cannot be heard over the same distances they used to be, and thus they cannot reproduce for the next year. This leads to an increase in the decline of various animal populations. Excess sound may even affect our pets, as they're typically more aggressive and anxious when exposed to loud noises.
But sound pollution may have an greater effect on our ocean ecosystems. Many sea creatures (as well as some on land) rely on echolocation to travel along proper migration routes. Excess noise hampers this process, and animals are typically forced to become louder to hear their signals, further exaggerating the issue. Additionally, scientists are just beginning to discover that many sea creatures that don't use echolocation still use sound to communicate with each other, and the excess noise generated from objects like boats prevents them from doing this properly, making them more susceptible to predators.
Effects on Humans
Unfortunately, the negative effects noise pollution brings do not stop there, and extend to humans as well. In fact, there are various diseases that have been linked to or believed to be caused by excess exposure to noise pollution. You can check out a list of some of them by clicking here. I mean, just looking at the issue from a logical standpoint, it makes sense that loud noises are unhealthy. After all, no one likes to hear a loud noise for a long time, it hurts! So, if these noises physically hurt, then they're not helping us, and they're definitely not helping the creatures around us.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, as of now there really aren't too many ways we can help to stop this problem outside of our individual decisions. Obviously, we can prevent it for ourselves by avoiding areas that are loud, or by wearing earplugs when needing to travel through them or participate in an activity that typically generates such a noise. But for our environment, the best we can do is avoid blasting music from our devices. Scientists and researchers are hard at work trying to understand the issue, but until we have a complete scope of the problem it's really hard to develop a reliable solution. My only suggestion is to use your common sense, and treat our environment with the respect it deserves. Thanks for reading.
All credit for information used in this post goes to:
https://www.environmentalpollutioncenters.org/noise-pollution/
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-and-effects-of-noise-pollution.php
Images:
https://buzznigeria.com/contents-articles-may-find-interesting/
http://spandan.nmims.edu/2017/05/15/an-idea-that-can-control-noise-pollution/
https://www.iaspaper.net/noise-pollution/
https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-maharashtra-to-map-urban-noise-levels-2387071
https://blog.nus.edu.sg/seekingserenity/2016/08/22/variations-of-noise-pollution/
https://www.jimsinsurance.net.au/services/construction-insurance/
https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/leopard-prey1.htm
https://onehearthealingcenter.com/3-tips-to-help-your-pets-during-firework-thunderstorm-season/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_ecosystem
https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-why-sonu-nigam-s-tweet-against-loudspeakers-is-a-tiny-spoke-in-a-huge-wheel-of-noise-pollution-2405214
http://www.mystudycorner.net/essay-on-noise-pollution-speech-on-disadvantages-of-noise-pollution/
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