(Subway departing)
This is not healthy.
When you hear about pollution, you might picture exhaust fumes,
littering,
or oil spills.
But there's another kind of pollution you might not know:
noise pollution.
Like any other pollution, it's a nuisance to society.
Plus, everyone hates it.
Ted Rueter: "A few years ago, the [U.S.] Census Bureau"
"did a survey on what people like and dislike"
"about their neighborhoods."
"What they found was that noise was Americans number one complaints about their neighborhoods"
"and the number one reason why they wish to move."
But comfort isn't all that's at stake.
Our hearing, overall health,
and well-being of our children is in jeopardy.
In 2016, 54.5% of the world's population lived in cities.
By 2030, it's estimated that population will grow to be 60%.
Noise pollution can be found anywhere,
but it's especially bad in cities.
Here's a map of the loudest places in the U.S.
Not surprising, cities top the list.
They have background levels between 55 - 67 decibels.
That's about as loud as the hum from your air conditioner.
It sounds like this.
(Air conditioner hum)
You'll notice, that's not including random spikes of noise you hear throughout the day.
Like this.
(Car honk)
The human ear can tolerate noise up to 85 decibels without damage.
Anything louder poses a risk of permanent hearing loss.
Yet, studies show that anything at or above 65 decibels
can trigger an increase in blood pressure,
heart rate, and stress hormones in the blood.
This is what average New Yorker hears
every day.
(Times Square noise)
(Music playing)
(Downtown sidewalk sound)
(Train hub sound)
(Subway station sound)
Over time, we can get used to these sounds but that doesn't make them any less dangerous.
Kit Frank: "My name is Kit Frank, I am an audiologist at NYU Langone."
"So, I don't think we build-up a tolerance to sound."
"Anatomically, there's nothing that changes that can protect you from sound in your ear"
"just because you're around it a lot."
"It's probably more of a psychological affect"
"that you just don't notice it because you hear it all the time."
In 2007, researchers released results from their study
on 200,000 hearing tests worldwide.
They discovered that city residents had noticeable levels of hearing loss.
Their hearing was what it should have been, if they were 10 to 20 years older.
Once the damage is done, it's irreversible.
We have microscopic hairs in our ears that relay sound to the brain.
They're fine-tuned to detect vibrating frequencies from our eardrum.
If those vibrations are too strong,
it can bend, break, or even destroy these delicate hairs.
But, unlike the hairs on your head, these don't grow back.
Since we cannot see or feel these hairs,
the damage from noise pollution can go unnoticed for years, even decades.
According to the World Health Organization,
noise is an underestimated threat
that can cause a number of short and long-term health problems,
such as sleep disturbance, cardiovascular effects, and poorer work and school performance.
One of the most famous studies on noise pollution was in 1974.
It happened here at P.S. 98 in New York City.
The east side of the building faces the subway.
When trains passed, the noise pollution in the classroom went from
an average of 59 decibels to 89.
Teachers had to shout over the noise.
This happened about every 4.5 minutes for 30 seconds at a time.
The two researchers compared test scores and reading levels of students on the east
versus the west sides of the building.
While students on the west side weren't affected,
students on the east side were on average
four months behind on reading level
and they performed worse on achievement tests.
More studies have gone on to show that
children who live in noisy environments
have elevated blood pressure and stress hormones.
There is one silver lining to all of this.
A pair of inexpensive earplugs are an easy, temporary fix to this problem.
For more short-term solutions, various cities have started implementing quiet hours
(Shush)
or ticketing people for noise pollution, under the category of "quality of life" fines.
Ted Rueter: "What one great example is, Germany.
"There, they banned lawn mowing on Sundays."
"You know, Sunday's are supposed to be a day of rest."
"So, who can rest when all of your neighbors are blasting away"
"with their lawn mowers and leaf blowers?"
"Also in Europe, the European Union generally,"
"they have significant noise restrictions on commercial products like"
"dishwashers, refrigerators and other household items and lawnmowers and leaf blowers."
"I also understand that India has now banned the two-stroke gas engine."
"So, definitely there are other countries that are taking this issue"
"much more seriously than the U.S. is."
If there ever is a permanent fix to this problem,
it hinges on one question:
when will we start taking noise pollution seriously?