The Effects of Noise Pollution Railways

With high-speed rail proposals being made across the nation, organizations such as Californians Advocating Responsible Rail Designs worry about the effects of noise pollution on people living near the railways. Noise pollution is considered in each of these proposals and standards have been established by states and the federal government. There also are international standards for tolerable noise levels.

Hearing

• Noise pollution can have serious impacts on a person's hearing. This is especially a problem for children, which is why standards have been set that takes the location of schools and hospitals into consideration. Just as repeated exposure to high levels of noise in industrial environments can cause hearing impairment, repeated exposure due to the proximity of a railway also can damage hearing. OSHA has regulations for industry and for railways as well.

Study and Concentration

• Railway proposals always include mention of the environment and how people in that environment may be impacted by the railway's existence. The productivity of a company's employees could be reduced if the noise of the train interferes with their ability to do their job. In a 1975 study by Dr. Arline Bronzaft, published in "Environment and Behaviour," it was found that students attending school near a railway were one year behind in reading ability and that when the noise was reduced, their abilities improved.

Quality of Life Disruptions

• Exposure to high-level noises interrupts sleep and adds stress to a person's life as well as reducing quality of life. Sleep loss causes lost productivity, distraction and high blood pressure. The effect of the noise and the stress it causes over a long period of time impacts the health of all those within the sound of the railway. Eventually, it will cause property values around the railway to go down. Although there are methods of reducing the noise, the methods merely cause the sound to not travel as long a distance; those nearest the track still suffer the consequence of high-level noise pollution.

Disturbance of Wildlife

• Although moving the railway to locations where people do not live reduces the effects of noise pollution on people, the noise may be relocated to a place where it affects wildlife and domestic animals. Wildlife in parks and prairies surrounding the railway depend on the solitude of their environment to exist and benefit the earth. Farmers and ranchers whose livestock is in the vicinity of the railway also may find the health of their animals and their livelihood impacted by the noise.