SOUND BYTES

Just a few words about noise

A few more words about noise

Again - Just a few words about noise

The subject is still noise

It's not music to some ears

Noise is not healthy

Sounds from above

Noise is just plain unhealthy

JUST A FEW WORDS ABOUT NOISE

• "Batman and Robin peaked at 112 decibels in one theater, while Contact measured 107 decibels at another - - volumes equal to those produced by a jackhammer."
  Wall Street Journal
  (EPA standards say exposure to sound above 84 decibels for an hour is dangerous.)
  EPA Journal

• "A nationwide study of people ages 45 to 64 found a 26% increase in hearing problems over the last 20 years."
  NBC Nightly News

• "The reason I haven't performed live for a long time is that I have severe hearing damage (from loud rock music.)" Pete Townsend/The Who
  Toronto Star

• "In 1965, 9.2% of respondents (to a University of California San Francisco study) reported they experience difficulty hearing. By 1994, 17% said they had hearing loss."
  L. A. Times

• Because of an increased awareness and concern for noise, the San Francisco Chronicle now includes noise ratings with their restaurant reviews.

A FEW MORE WORDS ABOUT NOISE

• "...hearing loss among members of the baby boomer generation....has nearly doubled in the past 30 years..."
  L.A. Times

• "Noise induced hearing loss is preventable but, unfortunately, not reparable."
  League for the Hard of Hearing

• "More than 50 million Americans experience the head noise or ringing in the ears that is called tinnitus."
  American Tinnitus Association

• The Cardiff County Council in Wales publicly steamrollered many of the stereos and speakers it confiscated from offenders over the past four years.
  Time Magazine International Edition

• In any movie theater, disco, concert hall etc. where the sound level will exceed 90 dB(A), Vancouver, BC requires that a large sign be posted that says, " CAUTION-THE SOUND LEVEL WITHIN THESE PREMISES MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEARING."

AGAIN - JUST A FEW WORDS ABOUT NOISE

• "A six lane highway can produce unhealthy noise levels of 70 decibels or greater, depending on traffic levels." Environmental Protection Agency

• People living along main traffic arteries face a 20 % higher risk of heart attack than other people.
  German Working Group for Noise Abatement

• At noise levels above 70 decibels, the risk of heart attack for those people increases by an additional 20%.
  German Working Group for Noise Abatement

• By one estimate, traffic noise reduced home property values by up to $182 per decibel ( $182 @ 70 dB = $12,740). Breaking the Highway Habit

• People living on streets with light traffic are more friendly, pleasant and cooperative.
  Livable Streets, Appleyard, University of California Press

THE SUBJECT IS STILL NOISE

• Children spend 45% of the school day engaged in listening activities.
  F. S. Berg

• Noise induced hearing loss was documented in children attending a school under an airport flight path.
  T.J. Chen and S.S.Chen

• Chronic exposure to noise has been related to low frustration tolerance and impaired learning ability in children.
  Cohen, Evans, Krantz and Stokols

• Children attending kindergartens situated in areas with high traffic noise had higher blood pressure than children in quiet areas.
  V. Regecova and E. Kellerova

• While Americans' exposure to noise has steadily increased over the last 20 years, research and control of noise have steadily declined since the early 80's.
  American Psychologist

IT’S NOT MUSIC TO SOME EARS

• In a study on the effects of purchasing behavior, researchers found that loud or ill suited music can create an avoidance situation.
  Journal of Applied Psychology

• "Piped" music was removed from London's Gatwick Airport after a survey found people disliked it."
  Newsletter of Right to Quiet Society

• Theater managers are fielding more complaints than ever about aching ears from loud movie soundtracks.
  Newsweek Magazine

• The Christian Science Monitor ran an article on background music headlined,"The Background Debate - Is It Music or Is It Noise."

• It is unlawful to broadcast sound on public property or on public right-of-way so as to be plainly audible 50 feet from the device.
  Salt Lake City Noise Code

NOISE IS NOT HEALTHY

• "Calling noise a nuisance is like calling smog an inconvenience. Noise must be considered a hazard to the health of people everywhere."
  Dr. William Seward (Former U.S. Surgeon General)

• "...excessive noise exposure during pregnancy can influence early embryo development.....which induces congenital defects..."
  Dr. Luther Terry (Former U.S. Surgeon General)

• "Studies show that exposure to noise is associated with elevations in blood pressure."
  League for the Hard of Hearing

• Another study found an increase in the use of antacids and hypnotics, sedatives and antihypertensives in a noisy community as compared to a quiet community.
  Knipschild - 1977

• Yet another study found that, in a six year period, 16 people (and possibly more) were murdered or committed suicide due to chronic noise.
  League for the Hard of Hearing

SOUNDS FROM ABOVE

• Children living in the flight path of a new German airport showed significant increases in blood pressure and stress hormones.
  Cornell University Study - 1998

• After 18 months these same 8 to 9 year-old children reported a decline in the quality of their life.
  Cornell University Study - 1998

• Several studies have been conducted that appear to link lower educational test scores with a significant amount of aircraft noise.
  Natural Resources Defense Council - 1996

• The aviation industry expects current growth trends to continue; most airports are pursuing plans for expansion.
  National Resources Defense Council

• Any noise reduction from new, quieter aircraft will almost certainly be outweighed by the large growth in air traffic which is projected over the next twenty years.
  National Resources Defense Council

NOISE IS JUST PLAIN UNHEALTHY

• People adapt to air pollution - they don't tend to adapt to noise. Problems in reaction to noise (like higher blood pressure) actually increase over time.
  American Psychologist

• Intermittent noise is even more disturbing to people than continuous noise.
  League for the Hard of Hearing

• While people may not be consciously "bothered" by noise, their bodies react physiologically by increases in blood pressure, stress hormones and visits to the doctor.
  American Psychologist

• Some non-auditory effects of noise are: cardiovascular constriction, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, more labored breathing, measurable changes in skin resistance and skeletal muscle tension, digestive system changes, glandular activity altering the chemical content of blood and urine, vesticular effect, balance sense effect, changes in brain chemistry and more...........
  Dr. Luther Terry - Former US Surgeon General

• Unlike air pollution which can be closed out, noise penetrates the walls of people's homes and is seen as a violation of their safety.
  American Psychologist