EARLYSTART: No to Noise!

As parents and concerned citizens, we worry about our children’s exposure to pollutants. Dust and car exhaust cause asthma, while litter and waste matter can affect our water supply and put our children’s health at risk. However, there is another kind of pollutant, one that is just as hazardous, that we write off simply as a nuisance. We find it nearly everywhere we go, from the mall to birthday parties to sidewalk stalls to moving vehicles with the bass pumped up to our very own stereos and televisions. Nowadays, it seems everywhere we go there is noise.

What exactly is noise and what does it have to do with one’s health?

The National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) defines it as “any sound—independent of loudness—that may produce an undesired physiological or psychological effect in an individual and that may interfere with the social ends of an individual or group.” This could include your vacuum cleaner, blender, very loud motorcycle, and fireworks. The Surgeon General considers noise a “hazard to the health of people everywhere.”

There are studies and research conducted by organizations such as the World Health Organization that found the following effects from prolonged exposure to noise: hearing loss or impairment, interference with speech communication, disturbance of rest and sleep, elevated heart rate and blood pressure. But one does not need these studies to understand the effects of noise. Take a walk through one of our city’s malls, where your ears are bombarded by multiple sources of noise-videogames, loudspeaker announcements, blenders making fruit shakes, and competing music from neighbouring stores (not to mention the mall’s own background music)-and notice the effects on your own body.

Parents should be particularly concerned about their children’s exposure to noise. Dr. Lorraine E. Maxwell and Dr. G.W. Evans published an article in the Journal of Environmental Psychology that states that the effects of noise on preschool children go beyond the obvious effects like hearing impairment. Prolonged exposure to noise and subsequent rise in heart rate can actually lead to long-term cardiovascular health problems in adulthood. Too much exposure to noise may affect children’s ability to concentrate and to discriminate speech sounds. For young children, who are just learning to speak, this can affect the development of language skills.

What can parents do?

Pay attention to the noise in your home. Ask yourself, is it necessary to have the radio and TV on while you are talking? Why not play soothing and relaxing music in the house and car?  Give your child (and yourself) some silent time every day. Do not expose your toddlers to devices that deliver sound straight to the ear such as earphones or headphones.

Choose quiet places for your children to spend their time. Avoid places like videogame arcades or very loud children’s areas. Ask hosts at children’s parties to avoid shouting at children. Make sure that the school keeps noise levels under control during recess, assemblies or programs. Talk to mall management and make them aware of the effects of noise on children (and humans in general).

While it may be impossible to eliminate noise completely, there are many sounds in our environment that are unnecessary and which we can reduce or stay away from if we pay close attention. Protect your children’s ears (hearts and brains) and say no to noise!