Quiet please (thank you)

Press, 18 October 1980, Page 15

Quiet please (thank you)

By

DR C. G. BALACHANDRAN,

principal

noise control officer, Department of Health; reprinted from the department’s quarterly magazine, “Health.”

The social consequences of noise can be divided into two main categories. First, at work, noise levels may be sufficiently high to cause long term physical damage to hearing. Second, within the community environment, noise intrudes on the privacy of the individual.

It is universally, accepted that noise or “unwanted sound” is one of the most wide-spread nuisances of our modem technological society. Day and night, at home, at work and at play, we are surrounded by noise and this can "cause physical and psychological stress. The annoyance we feel when- faced with noise is the most common outward symptom of the stress building up inside us. The more subtle and serious health hazards associated with stress caused by noise have traditionally received less attention. When we are annoyed or made irritable by noise, we should consider it fair warning that stress may be affecting us in other ways, some of which may be damaging to our health. The effects of noise on our health and our quality of life make its control an important social problem. However, before we can consider how to control noise, we have to agree on an acceptable noise level. This is not easy. Everyone reacts to noise differently, and this has hampered progress towards setting realistic noise levels in the community. In any neighbourhood, there will be a small number of people who are extremely sensitive to noise. To these people real hardship is often caused by relatively low levels of noise compared with levels of noise from, say, aircraft or. construction sites.

The most acceptable solution is to ensure that new noise legislation allows local authorities to adopt powers in response to the needs and aspirations of residents of their district. Because noise is so widespread in the community, and occurs in so

many different situations, its control is complex. . Depending on the situation, the answer to a noise problem may be to reduce the amount of noise an activity makes,, to restrict its hours, or even to shift it somewhere else.

Research into environmental noise (noise from motorways, factories, building sites, and the like) will no doubt be essential to any programme •of noise control in the community. A great deal can be done to avoid future problems by planning to reduce the risk of intrusion of noisy development. & To meet existing problems, the 'possibility of

relocating existing sources of noise which are unsuitably sited must not be overlooked where redevelopment is to take place or resources allow. Noise will often be a factor in the evaluation of planning alternatives, both in considering the major issues in the over-all

plans and working out the more detailed proposals in local plans. In the long run, however, the most effective element in noise control is to reduce noise at the source itself. The increase of noise nuisance is largely a by-product of our growing dependence on machinery. Industry and market forces must be encouraged to develop quieter products and to provide proper insulation to noisy machinery. For instance, if manufacturers of some consumer products were required to specify noise levels on the label, this might provide further incentives to minimise noise. It would also allow

consumers to take noise into account when making their choice. With regard to noise created by individuals, we should be primarily concerned with the anti-social noise patterns such as the slamming of car doors late at night, loud radios, television, and noisy parties with amplified music, trail-bikes in residential areas, the do-it-yourself enthusiast working in the house or garage long into evening using power equipment. Reducing these activities will not bring about a noticeable reduction in the background noise of an. area but will improve the local environment. . Whatever the source of community noise, the key to control ultimately lies with . public opinion. People, must be continually stimulated to recognise the importance of noise and the possibilities for .its reduction. They must also accept that they themselves are noisy — it is not always someone else who is causing the disturbance. Enlightened public opinion will also help to bring about changes in product design and in town planning. We must encourage a social climate that will lead to a community saying “No!” to noise.