How our noisy world is seriously damaging our health

[Mike Sales]

I have always hated noise. Traffic, loud parties, even shouting.

We are surrounded by an invisible killer. One so common that we barely notice it shortening our lives.

It's causing heart attacks, type 2 diabetes and studies now even link it to dementia.

What do you think it could be?

The answer is noise - and its impact on the human body goes far beyond damaging hearing.

"It is a public health crisis, we've got huge numbers of people exposed in their everyday life," says Prof Charlotte Clark, from St George's, University of London.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crmjdm2m4yjo

[axel_knutt]

Noise
Air pollution
Sleep
Processed food
Internet

I think the list will only get longer, a lot of things can look harmless until you've been running a large scale experiment for half a century or more.

[irc]

Who knew? The suburbs may be boring but they are good for your health. Another benefit for double glazing as well.

In my street there is no noise after around 10pm. No traffic. If I open the window I am as likely to hear an owl as anything else.I think perhaps the article confuses the upsides and downsides of city centre living with the majority of places that are quiet at night.

Even when I lived in the west end of Glasgow in a flat there was no night-time noise. Good design with the main bedroom looking out onto a courtyard rather than the street and good neighbours.

[irc]

Air pollution? Vastly better than a few decades ago.

.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-envi ... 074303.amp

[axel_knutt]

Air pollution? Vastly better than a few decades ago.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-envi ... 074303.amp

Really?

[mattheus]

Noise
Air pollution
Sleep
...

"Everyone knows sleep gives you cancer." Neil The Hippy - The Young ones.

[irc]

Air pollution? Vastly better than a few decades ago.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-envi ... 074303.amp

Really?

What point are you making? I posted a link showing air polution going down. Your link showed global temps going up. They are both true.

[Biospace]

Noise
Air pollution
Sleep
Processed food
Internet

I think the list will only get longer, a lot of things can look harmless until you've been running a large scale experiment for half a century or more.

Birth rates are declining around the world, especially so in the Northern Hemisphere. The fall in the UK's rate is reflected not just in other Western nations, but also in Russia and China.

I'd add 'Toxins' to your list which could include air-borne ones - hyper-capitalism is driving our world to produce more and more.

[mattheus]

Air pollution? Vastly better than a few decades ago.

_100043851_trend-nc.png
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-envi ... 074303.amp

This could do with some context! Like where? for starters ...

[irc]

Air pollution? Vastly better than a few decades ago.

_100043851_trend-nc.png
.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-envi ... 074303.amp

This could do with some context! Like where? for starters ...

" a wide range of air pollutants - including ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particles, hydrocarbons and metallic pollutants - are measured at over 600 urban, suburban, roadside, industrial and rural locations throughout the UK. Automatic and non-automatic measurement techniques are used."

https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/

[CyberKnight]

having worked in an environment that requires mandatory hearing protection and hearing tests for over 20 years i wonder what effects i have suffered long term .

[Vantage]

I live on a social housing estate. The noise is ridiculous.
I've non stop music playing from any one of 4 or 5 neighbours, constant dirt bikes being raced about, cars being raced about, neighbours shouting at their disrespectful brats, dogs barking from yards etc etc.
It's no bloody wonder I'm so tightly wound up all the time.
If Putin invades us, I hope he hits this estate first...while my family and I are far away of course...

[mjr]

Who knew? The suburbs may be boring but they are good for your health. Another benefit for double glazing as well.

In my street there is no noise after around 10pm. No traffic. If I open the window I am as likely to hear an owl as anything else.I think perhaps the article confuses the upsides and downsides of city centre living with the majority of places that are quiet at night.

Good city centres are quiet at night: see the Netherlands:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTV-wwszGw8

Meanwhile, most British suburbs are terrible, surrounded by moats of big roads that mean nobody is far enough away from the roar of motor traffic and rumble of tyres to open their windows and have a silent night. In some places, idiot traffic engineers have even elevated the major roads and used concrete to help shower an even wider area with noise.

[Stevek76]

Air pollution? Vastly better than a few decades ago.

_100043851_trend-nc.png
.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-envi ... 074303.amp

This could do with some context! Like where? for starters ...

" a wide range of air pollutants - including ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particles, hydrocarbons and metallic pollutants - are measured at over 600 urban, suburban, roadside, industrial and rural locations throughout the UK. Automatic and non-automatic measurement techniques are used."

https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/

Local air quality (CO2 is not usually considered a pollutant in this context) has generally improved dramatically across the country over the years*. There's some misconception here as the more recent focus on it and introduction of ULEZ CAZ etc has resulted in a collective perception that it's got worse when it hasn't. What has happened is that our understanding of the health harms of poor AQ have increased as dramatically as the improvement in the absolute AQ numbers.

*though we've not really been measuring ultrafines: https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20 ... all-to-see

[Stevek76]

Who knew? The suburbs may be boring but they are good for your health. Another benefit for double glazing as well.

In my street there is no noise after around 10pm. No traffic. If I open the window I am as likely to hear an owl as anything else.I think perhaps the article confuses the upsides and downsides of city centre living with the majority of places that are quiet at night.

Good city centres are quiet at night: see the Netherlands:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTV-wwszGw8

Meanwhile, most British suburbs are terrible, surrounded by moats of big roads that mean nobody is far enough away from the roar of motor traffic and rumble of tyres to open their windows and have a silent night. In some places, idiot traffic engineers have even elevated the major roads and used concrete to help shower an even wider area with noise.

Quite a lot of good cities are actually quiet even during the day or at least have substantial quiet areas where the sounds are limited to footsteps, chatter and birdsong.