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How noise annoys

What are the world’s worst noises? The top 10, according a survey from Salford University in numerical order are: vomiting, microphone feedback, wailing babies, trains scraping on tracks, squeaky seesaws, poorly played violin, Whoopee cushion, mains hum and the sound of a Tasmanian devil.

Sounds become noisier as we age. My special hates are sirens from whatever source – ambulance, police, fire engines, cars. I first came across them in New York in the late Seventies, and I wondered what they were. Now I certainly know!

And once upon a time in our garden, you could sit in peace, uninterrupted by the sound of low-flying planes. Now, we’re under the flight-path from Heathrow, and I can hear the planes as I write (I am not in the garden).

Noise pollution in our towns and cities is a growing problem and can
have a long-term impact on our health and well-being. Noise not
only annoys but also can raise our stress levels and associated hormone
levels. It can disturb sleep and increase the risk of heart disease and
if the noise is loud enough it can lead to permanent hearing impairment
and tinnitus.

In a quest to find out just how noisy our urban areas are getting, Widex, a hearing aid company, commissioned a survey into the noisiest and quietest urban areas in England, comparing traffic noise.

Noisiest was Newcastle-upon Tyne with the equivalent to a loud alarm clock constantly ringing in your ear - whilst tranquil Torquay was bottom. (Torquay is the bankruptcy capital of the UK. You can’t have it both ways.)

The report’s author Professor Deepak Prasher, of the Ear Institute, University College London comments, “We are all aware of the dangers of air pollution, but
this report reveals that the levels of traffic noise pollution can be as
detrimental to our health.”

London ranked third noisiest, but there was surprise at how noisy smaller towns such as Darlington and Gillingham in Kent ranked. Nine million people in the country are estimated to have some sort of hearing impairment according to the RNID, with two million using hearing aids. Numbers of hearing-impaired are rising as are the numbers wearing aids.

Prof Prasher’s Top Tips for protecting ears are:

• Avoid indecent exposure to noise. What’s indecent? That depends on your
  point of view, but if you have to shout to be heard by someone near you
  then the background noise is too loud.
• Turn down your iPod. When listening to your iPod or MP3 player be
  conscious of the volume, don’t keep turning it up to drown out
  background noise and take regular breaks to give your ears a rest.
• Restrict your time in very noisy places. If you must stay in a noisy
  area, try to take regular time out in a quiet place.
• Protect your hearing from repeated noise pollution. Wear earplugs and
  remember to wear them throughout the time you are exposed to the noise.
• Use carpets and curtains to deaden noise in the home. Homes can be very
  noisy, with children’s toys reaching 140 dB and household appliances
  creating noise levels above 90dB.

Websites:

www.widex.co.uk
www.sound101.org

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