Noise issues generated a lot of buzz in in 2018
In chronological order, here’s a list of some notable articles on noise-related issues, in case you missed them.
January 2018
Planetizen made a case with “Why We Need to Reduce Noise Levels in Cities.” They cited the cardiovascular health risks of prolonged exposure to urban noise.
February 2018
Time magazine also published an article on the connection between heart disease and excessive noise: “How Loud Noise Exposure is Linked to Heart Disease.”
March 2018
The Guardian offered “Where is the World’s Noisiest City?,” which referenced the World Hearing Index, and the impact of noise pollution on residents of the world’s noisiest cities. At the top of that list? Guangzhou, China.
April 2018
Huffington Post ran an article on why “noise is the new secondhand smoke.” Basically, noise is a form of environmental pollution.
Julia Belluz, a health correspondent for Vox, covered a topic that many of us experience: restaurant noise. “Why restaurants became so loud, and how to fight back” offered helpful suggestions for restauranteurs and customers.
May 2018
Horizon Magazine stated “Noise pollution is one of the biggest health risks in city life.” Noise pollution exceeds air pollution in some cities.
Food and Wine magazine shared how “Noisy Restaurants Actually Influence How Diners Order.” A new study showed that noisier environments can cause customers to order less-healthy food.
June 2018
One in four American adults shows signs of hearing loss, as we learned in “The noise all around us that’s destroying our hearing, explained.” And some types of hearing loss are caused by prolonged exposure to noise in our environment.
July 2018
The Guardian covered an epidemic of noise issues in the UK with “Sonic doom: how noise pollution kills thousands each year.”
August 2018
Author Jan L Mayes published a list of available mobile apps to help people with tinnitus (ringing in the ears) called “Accessible Tinnitus Mobile Wellness Apps.”
September 2018
The Wall Street Journal ran an article on “How Sound Affects Our Health.”
October 2018
The New Yorker magazine ran a story about SoundPrint: “Yelp for Noise: A new app helps noise-averse diners find the quietest bars and restaurants.” (You can also listen to the Soundproofist interview with its creator, Greg Scott.)
November 2018
The Atlantic ran a story by Kate Wagner on “How Restaurants Got so Loud,.” This is a problem we need to solve, one restaurant at a time.
The New Statesman also covered restaurant noise in “Eating out loud: why restaurants are getting noisier,” by Caroline Crampton.
And…check out a book online
Now you can read a book from The Internet Archive: “Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute Silence,” by George Michelson Foy. Described as “A lively tale of one man’s quest to find the grail of total quiet,” it’s sponsored by the Archive of Contemporary Music. Sign up to check out the book for up to two weeks.
Happy reading!