Harmful Effects of Noise Pollution

Unpleasant sounds can affect an individual's concentration, happiness or even health. Noise can originate from a variety of sources, from workers digging outside a flat to an airplane taking off. While often noise is very temporary and so less threatening to a human, especially loud or persistent noise has been linked to a number of harmful effects, and is as much a source of pollution as air or water contamination.

Hearing Loss

• Excess noise pollution can be temporarily or even permanently damaging to the human ear, resulting in hearing loss over time. In many cases, after being exposed to noise pollution, for example at a rock concert, individuals find they can't hear weak sounds; this is known as temporary threshold shift and generally disappears after around a month. Such effects can occur when the sound level is between 80 and 130 decibels, as noted by the Environment and People website; higher sound levels, such as those around 150 decibels, can actually rupture the human drum, resulting in permanent hearing loss.

Stress Problems

• Frequent exposure to noise pollution can cause the body to produce more adrenaline and cortisol, which scientists term stress hormones. These hormones are those produced when the body shifts into emergency gear --- termed fight or flight --- and they can up the body's heart rate as well as a person's blood pressure. The result over time can be negative, as the body triggers this reaction again and again, leading to the loss of blood vessels and later an increased risk of suffering heart complications, the Washington Post reports. Conditions triggered as a result of the stress from noise pollution causes can include ulcers and migraines, too.

On Children

• A noisy environment can have negative consequences for a child's learning and development. The noise pollution affects a pupil's ability to hear the teacher's voice, and prevents the student from understanding verbal commands and sounds. This can result in delays in the time it takes a child to become a competent reader for instance.

On Mental Health

• Long-term exposure to noise pollution can not only grate on a person's nerves, but potentially lead to the individual developing a psychological or emotional disorder. Over time, a person can become especially anxious, stressed to the point where her relationships with others are affected, or particularly irritable.

Sleep Loss

• Localized noise pollution, such as that produced by a washing machine, passing traffic or loud music from a neighbor's house, can have a detrimental effect on the amount of sleep an individual gets. Scientists have calculated that any noise over 55 dBA --- a unit used to measure sound level --- can cause an interruption to human sleep, leading to unpleasant feelings of tiredness in the following days as the individual gets less than the amount of sleep he requires.