I have learned of a new type of pollution that I would have never thought of. As a percussionist myself, learning about Noise pollution and what it can do was a new discovery. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that noise could cause these issues, but it does. By definition, "What is noise pollution?" : Noise pollution is noise that has surpassed ambient noise levels and hurts humans and animals (https://www.treehugger.com). Our problem as humans is that we seem to get used to the noise (which is still bad for us), but other issues that affect the environment, as well as the wildlife, and even contribute to the global warming issue.
(www.greenmatters.com) What issues does Noise Pollution cause? Noise pollution threatens the survival of over 100 species. The facts are that animals/insects use noise that the animals use for mating and foraging for food, as well as the marine life that use echolocation to hunt or even track down lost family. A lot of these problems from Fracking for Oil may have caused mass beaching events based on noise pollution. Noise Pollution doesn't just hurt the wildlife, but the planet too. Due to human activities, industrialization, gas flaring, transportation, disposal and treatment of garbage, etc, a lot of carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere, and it traps a lot of heat, so much so that the earth temperature begins to get warmer than necessary and thus we have global warming. (Noise pollution is a link that connects human activities to global warming. What do all of these human activities cause.......NOISE!!!!!!!!!!! Since humans are so used to noise, we seem unfazed by this, right? WRONG!!!!!!
Human health issues from Noise pollution are something I had no idea could cause several health problems we humans could face and have already had to deal with.
The third most common chronic physical condition in the United States is hearing loss, cardiovascular diseases can also play a factor. (CDC)
Noise over 70 dB over a long time can damage your hearing, and noise above 120 dB can cause immediate damage to your ears. The average sound of a firework is 140 dB, and the average sound of traffic (from inside the car) is 80 to 85 dB. (CDC)
Learning from this topic I have learned that our loud asses seem to cause more damage then we realised not just to typical types of pollution which makes me wonder what else are we not looking at that is causing issues for our environment. Makes me think of concerts and music festivals that are in the woods, what is being done to the animals that live in those forests (Electric Forest, wrestling events, even sport events like Motocross, outdoor sports, etc)
This is a great point since anthropogenic climate change stems from our invasive nature on earth. Humans are stepping in creating the most noise and damage than any other species a million times over. We lack the ability to look inward as a society, or critically analyze why the methods we use to get by are harming those we do not see on a day to day basis. It is easy to get trapped in bubble, and tune out the noise, but this post makes it evident that the smallest things can cause more damage than we could ever know.
ReplyDeleteSo many animals can be hurt and changed from noise pollution. I remember reading about birds specifically. It can hinder their mating attempts being heard and leave some areas underpopulated since birds will opt to be in less noisy places.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think about how noise can affect wildlife. Affecting their mating, finding their food, and finding each other. Great post.
ReplyDeleteNoise pollution is something most people don’t think about, but it clearly has a huge impact on both wildlife and human health. Most people don’t realize how much constant exposure to noise affects our bodies.
ReplyDeleteI never realized how serious noise pollution is! Your post really highlights its impact on wildlife, ecosystems, and even global warming. It made me rethink how events like concerts affect the environment. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis was a super interesting post! In the construction industry, hearing loss is super prevalent, but I had no idea that daily human activities are above the threshold for hearing loss. It's ironic to me that our president complained about noise pollution from wind farms but continues to push oil fracking.
ReplyDeleteWow. The sound level of a firework can do immediate damage to the ear. That is so alarming. I imagine that that statistic is based on a typical firework and not that tiny ball of light that sounds like a cannon. I'm sure that's even more. I was so surprised to see the damages of just noise. I had no idea it could interfere with animals in that way. So interesting and yet so sad.
ReplyDeleteNoise pollution, often overlooked, poses significant threats to both wildlife and human health, contributing to the decline of species and increasing risks of hearing loss and cardiovascular diseases, while also linking human activities to broader environmental issues like global warming.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing this up, I don't really think about noise pollution as much as I should and the impact that it has on both wildlife and humans could be the last straw to cause some species to go extinct.
ReplyDeleteThis makes a lot of sense. I love to be by the beach, but the secluded beaches where I cannot hear a single car or train. Nothing irks me more than enjoying a nice nature walk only for the nature sounds to be drowned by the freeway or someone playing their own music. It definitely is not talked about as much as air or light pollution so its good you discussed it.
ReplyDeletePeople do not understand the emphasis on noise and light pollution and the impacts on wildlife and natural settings. Just because they are not tangible waste, we do not consider the impacts that these pollutions have on the environment. Noise pollution is actually dangerous and hazardous in certain conditions and can impact and cause negative effects from things like hearing loss.
ReplyDeleteWow, I never truly knew how big of an impact noise pollution can make. I feel it tends to be overlooked as a form of pollution, and I know I myself personally have put noise pollution on the back burner of my brain. I found this blog has informed me better on the severity of noise pollution, and I think I will be quicker to take noise pollution into account in future discussions.
ReplyDeleteThis connects very well to a paper I wrote for an ornithology class concerning noise pollution and breeding birds. Birds commonly use different distinct calls (like their own species-specific languages) to communicate with each other. Noise pollution disrupts their lives immensely.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that noise pollution had such a big impact on wildlife. I have always thought about noise from neighbors and how it negatively affects my day. But to know that all of these noises can be dangerous to animals is another thing entirely.
ReplyDeleteI heard that the wind turbines that were put in the ocean were causing so much vibration and noise that it was killing whales. I haven't looked into it any further but it's insane how something we get so used to can be so harmful to other species.
ReplyDeleteI have been left in the dark because this is the first time I have ever heard about noise pollution and to see how it is such a big problem is very worrying. I believe more people need to hear about this
ReplyDeleteI have been aware of noise pollution, but I did not realize the effects it has on other species besides humans. From reading your blog, it make complete sense that the amount of noise especially produced by urban cities, would in turn disrupt the mating patterns of species, and cause harm to those that are not adapted to noise. This is very sad because I feel like the world just keeps getting louder and louder, and we miss out on the beauty of hearing the sounds of nature.
ReplyDeleteInteresting connection to fracking. Even human water noise in the oceans has deleterious impacts on animals, including whales.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic! I know how annoying noise pollution can be, but I have never looked at it from the perspective between life or death. After reading this I can see how that could be the case for smaller species, but I can also now see how cases of noise pollution could lead to the same ultimatum for humans.
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