Effects of Noise Pollution on Human Health
In the 21st century, people everywhere face pollution on a daily basis. And of all the different forms of pollution, noise pollution is both overlooked and damaging, making it an unnoticed threat.
The health dangers of noise pollution are many and, though rarely fatal, can lead to extreme discomfort and deafness. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to combat noise pollution and its harmful effects.
So, What Is Noise Pollution?
According to the EPA, noise is usually defined as “unwanted or disturbing sound.” Noise pollution is noise that intrudes into a place where the sound is unwanted and harmful. And noise pollution is more than annoying — it’s dangerous. In order to better understand that danger, we use decibels to measure the intensity and loudness of sound.
The level of decibels that cause noise pollution effects on humans is relatively low. For instance, anything louder than 85 decibels can harm your ears and cause long-lasting hearing damage. Something as mundane as city traffic, or even a lawnmower, produces decibels in the 80-90 range.
So, we know what constitutes noise pollution, but how does noise pollution affect humans?
The way we perceive sound is also the way we are harmed by sound. Fundamentally, sound is vibrations in the air. These vibrations are “read” by tiny hair cells in your ears which transmit the vibrations to your brain. When those vibrations are too big (i.e. high decibels), they can damage those hair cells permanently. They can’t be repaired, and they don’t regrow. This sort of damage is known as Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL).
Besides NIHL, noise pollution can cause high blood pressure and subsequent heart problems. The high-decibel signals that get sent to the brain can stimulate the brain in such a way that it releases adrenaline which can over-excite your heart and cause stress.
Children are especially susceptible to noise pollution. Studies have shown that noise pollution leads to impaired memory, attention, and reading skill.
Now that we know how noise pollution affects human health, we can learn how to combat it and prevent it.
What You Can Do About It
Noise pollution poses an obvious threat. The trick with fighting hearing loss is not to treat damage, but to prevent it.
Protecting your hearing can be as quick as slipping in a pair of earplugs when mowing the lawn or when you’re using loud products to clean your home. However, there are noises out of your control that can infiltrate your house. Plus, it’s not really that fun to wear earplugs all day long in your own home. The solution? Get earplugs for your house itself.
With all the everyday noises, it can be hard to actually tell if those sounds are putting your hearing in danger. Most people don’t have a decibel meter on hand to see if the traffic outside has been damaging their ears and hearing.
In short, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you find yourself feeling stressed or annoyed from the nearby airport, the train that passes right by your backyard, or the hum of the interstate fifty yards away, then you are suffering from noise pollution.
The good news is that you’ve done the first step to solving the problem: identifying it.
If the noise pollution source is external to your home, you always have the option of filing a noise complaint, but that’s a short-term fix for a long-term problem. Before you set about combating noise pollution, it’s important to identify the source. Is the pollution coming from within the house or outside of it? The source of the sound will determine whether or not you need to use sound-absorbing or soundproofing methods.
Sound Absorbing
Sound absorption deals with reducing the noise that occurs within a room or enclosed space. Sound waves bounce off of surfaces, and the harder and flatter the surface, the more the waves will bounce. Here are a few ways to soften up a room and increase sound absorption:
Carpets and Rugs:
A nice rug can really tie the room together and reduce noise pollution to boot. They’re stylish, take almost no effort to install, and are a quick way to neutralize a highly reflective surface.
Tapestries and Curtains:
Walls and ceilings love soundwaves, that’s why auditoriums are typically designed to have highly concave stone surfaces to really trap that sound and amplify it. You can flip those properties on their heads and modify your walls to be convex and soft. Use tapestries, bookshelves, curtains, even industry-grade noise-canceling panels , anything to reduce the hard, flat surface area that sound waves love.
Soundproofing
In most cases, noise pollution is an external problem. We live in a noisy world, but your house should be for peace and quiet. Soundproofing is a great way to keep all the annoying and damaging noise out of everything ranging from your home office to your whole apartment. Let’s review the pros and cons of a few simple methods that will do wonders for your hearing.
Bookshelves:
If you share a wall with a noisy neighbor, bookshelves are a great way to block out their conversations and loud music. The only prerequisite here is a bookshelf and enough books to fill it.
Seal Your Doors:
If you live in an apartment with an adjoining hallway, you know the pains of people walking up and down that hallway at all hours of the day. Replacing your apartment door with something substantially thick, as well as caulking the edges of the frame, will cut that noise in half.
Install Window Inserts:
Un-insulated windows let in a ton of noise pollution, almost more than any other part of your house. Window inserts are a boon for homeowners and renters alike who either can’t or don’t wish to make substantial renovations to their windows. They’re easy to install and brands like Indow offer up to a 70% reduction* in noise .
Out of all the available soundproofing materials, window inserts provide some of the best sound insulation money can buy. They’re inexpensive, easy to install, and offer more than just protection against noise pollution. Indow is renowned throughout the industry not only for their window inserts, but the lengths they go to ensure that their inserts will fit your window frames and will provide the best protection possible.
We’ve seen the effects of noise pollution on human health and now we know the methods and the means necessary to keep our homes and our ears safe from unwanted and damaging noise.
If you’re confident that inserts are an affordable, efficient, and easy solution to the garbage trucks driving by in the morning or the lawnmowers in the afternoon, head over to Indow and get an estimate today to be one step closer to some peace and quiet. Or check out our FAQ page for more information on window inserts, their benefits, and more.
*We want to ensure our inserts help solve your noise problem. Overall noise reduction depends on the amount of noise coming through your walls, ceilings, floors, doors, and existing windows. Noise reduction will be less when placed over double-pane windows. Read our full Noise Reduction Sheet to learn more.
Customer Reviews
4.49 Average 1505 Reviews
Anonymous
WE just took delivery of the two window inserts we ordered. they both fit perfectly. The most difficult part of the process was me trying to hold the laser measuring device still while taking the diaginal measurment! The Indow team was helpful and the ordering process was catch free. the finished product is just as they described. once installed, you can not even tell that they are there. I will warn you, if you have larger sizes they will come in a pretty large packing crate/box to protect them so be prepared. The only reason for 4 stars insted of 5 is they have just been istalled and we shall see how effective they are at reducing cold air, but they fit so snug that I anticipate they will be very effective. Just in time too, because our area is in a low temp/low wind chill pattern at the moment.
Craig F
The Indow I ordered was a perfect fit. It looks great and is an extremely well made product. The ordering process was seamless.
Catherine J
Noise reduction by at least 50%! I cannot hear most car that drives by now. My bedroom is so quiet! Thank you!
Walter M
Easy to order and install.
Dianne F
Window inserts help with sound since I live facing the street and the highway
Dianne
This is a 5 star company from beginning to end. I purchased the I inserts in 2017 because the bedroom on the second story faced the street. These are very effective for street noise. Noticed a problem on one of the windows recently and they quickly took care of it due to their warranty. Customer service personnel are very helpful. The price of the windows was acceptable for top quality of sleep and less noise during the day
Charles C
Recently purchased the acoustic window inserts for a couple of old windows facing a busy street and they've made a huge difference in terms of noise reduction! The measuring process was relatively easy with the laser measuring tool that Indow sent and the windows were delivered faster than expected. Martin was easy to work with and we would highly recommend Indow to those looking for window inserts.
Dean C
Installed noise canceling acrylic Indow window inserts to deal with the road noise at my condo, 4 lane state road is 40 feet from the condo. Expensive custom fit, but oh my gosh, they cut the noise by 75%! Decibel meter app I trust shows a 6 Decibel noise reduction, average Db over 30 minutes. Turns out 6 Db is letting only 25% of noise through! I am one happy camper…
Harry T
The Indow team was great from start to finish! They were very clear about each step. After installing the inserts my home has been significantly while still preserving the fabulous city views. For anyone who lives in a noisy street or city like NYC I would highly recommend it. Leave the chaos outside and come home to piece and quiet.
Paula S
From start to finish, we were very pleased with our rep, Reed, and the other staff at the PDX will call! The inserts themselves are stupendous! We purchased six total for the noisiest, road side(s) of our home. The outcome was beyond our expectations! Not only did the three rooms that bordered the road become at least 70% quieter, the other end of our home did as well! I cannot recommend Indow inserts more! The technology makes sense to add the inserts rather than purchasing new windows. Great results and thank you! Paul and Paula Spilsbury
JD
Brian was very helpful & informative. He helped me order the correct windows for my needs. They were shipped with the utmost of care & arrived ahead of schedule. Ultimately, the Indow Windows have been very helpful in muffling unwanted noises & they have helped save on our energy costs. Thank you, Indow Window!
Cynthia M
Very happy with the reduction in noise. Easy to install and use. Great customer service.
Juli E
We are thrilled with our Indow window inserts! I'd been on the lookout for a more permanent solution to leaky windows in our third floor living space. I discovered Indow on social media but since then have learned of friends who'd had Indow recommended to them by their rennovation contractor. The entire process went smoothly with friendly reps at hand to talk through questions during measuring, etc. They fit perfectly and help us to maintain the beautiful design of the windows on our 100 year old home! Highly recommend!!
Jen F
Worth the money!
Elizabeth H
For townhouse living, this solved my problem with noise from my neighbor's with my kitchen window. A considerable decrease of noise indeed! Measurements were a bit frustrating so I recommend using a laser measurement device and following directions to use a string for the diagonal. They look great and were easy to push into place. I highly recommend as an alternative to buying a new window.