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Describe human activities that result in noise pollution and its effects.

Noise Pollution

All human activities that produce enough sound to be a nuisance are considered noise pollution. Noise pollution can have impacts on humans and animals. Some research has even been done on the effects of noise on plants.

Infographic illustrating the loudness of common noises in decibels and their potential to cause hearing damage. — **Long-term exposure to noises louder than 85 dB can cause permanent hearing loss.**

Common noise pollutants are...

🚙 vehicle traffic

🚉 railways

✈️ airplanes

🛫 airports

🚨 car alarms

⚙️ machinery

🏡 lawnmowers, weed eaters, etc.

🏍️ motorcycles

🐶 barking dogs

🎶 music

Poor urban planning can aggravate noise pollution. For example, airports should be located near industrial areas that are already loud, rather than by residential areas.

Essential Knowledge

Noise pollution is sound at levels high enough to cause physiological stress and hearing loss.

Sources of noise pollution in urban areas include transportation, construction, and domestic and industrial activity.

Effects of Noise Pollution

Noise pollution can cause a slew of health effects. Below are some of the most common effects of noise pollution. Have you ever experienced these effects?

👂 Hearing Damage (click to reveal)

Prolonged exposure to loud noise can lead to permanent hearing loss or impairment.

Inforgraphic of costliness of hearing loss and its preventability, via a line graph of hearing loss by age group. — **Hearing loss can be prevented by wearing hearing protection when exposed to loud noises.**

Once, when I was a teenager, I went to a concert in a bar/restaurant. On the way to the concert, my friends and I blasted the band's music. During the concert, we stood right next to the speakers. On the way home, the car was quiet - none of us heard any music. The next morning, when my friend got in his car, the music was still blasting. We'd suffered temporary hearing loss!

😕 Anxiety (click to reveal)

Constant noise disrupts peace of mind, leading to stress, anxiety, and irritability.

💤 Sleep Disturbances (click to reveal)

Noisy environments interfere with sleep quality, affecting overall health.

🫀 Heart Problems (click to reveal)

Chronic noise exposure is linked to high blood pressure and heart problems.

🏞 Ecological Effects (click to reveal)

Noise affects animals too. It can alter predator-prey interactions, interfere with reproduction, and cause permanent hearing loss. It can also disrupt ecosystems and affect the well-being of wildlife.

A significant amount of human-generated noise occurs in the ocean, caused by drilling, submarines, ships, and other activities.

Research has primarily focused on marine mammals, but recent studies explore invertebrates’ responses to anthropogenic sounds in marine environments.

Essential Knowledge

Some effects of noise pollution on animals in ecological systems include stress, the masking of sounds used to communicate or hunt, damaged hearing, and causing changes to migratory routes.

Mitigating Noise Pollution

There are ways to mitigate the effects of noise pollution. Below are some of the most common ways we mitigate noise pollution.

🌲 Vegetation (click to reveal)

Well-planned landscapes can reduce noise pollution, especially in areas where neighborhoods and shopping centers are close to construction and industrial areas.

Additionally, planting vegetation screens along highways and freeways where they are close to neighborhoods can greatly reduce noise pollution in those residential areas.

When we lived in rural Georgia, we could hear traffic noise much better in the winter, when the leaves on our trees were gone. In the summers, we could barely hear vehicle noise.

🛠 Servicing Machinery (click to reveal)

Servicing autos, motorcycles, and machinery to make sure they are working well can also reduce noise pollution.

🏢 Inside Buildings (click to reveal)

Buildings can be designed so that they reduce noise. For example, carpet reduces noise more than tile. My husband used to work in a big building with a large, marble-floored atrium. Sometimes, our baby and I would visit him at work and have lunch with him. When we did, his colleagues on the second floor said they could hear our baby chattering and squealing in their offices because the tiled atrium caused the sound to echo and reverberate.

Special noise absorbing ceiling tiles can also be installed to cut down on noise.

🎧 Ear Protection (click to reveal)

If workers are exposed to very loud noises at work, federal law requires that they are provided with ear protection.

My husband used to work at an airplane-manufacturing facility and even though he worked with computers and not in the manufacturing part of the facility, he was provided with ear protection and eye protection on his first day at work. The facility also provided bins of ear plugs near the doors of the manufacturing areas, where sound was loudest.

AP Exam Tip

Even though noise pollution does not involve chemicals or pollutants, it can still harm people and animals.

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