This is the first in a series based on our paper, “User Comfort in Unexpected Acoustic Environments”, co-authored with Philip Faccenda (Faccenda Shopfitters) and Michael Waddington (Acoustic Halo).
We tend to think of noise as a nuisance. But when noise moves beyond annoyance, the research is clear: it affects our health.
It’s not just about hearing
When workplace noise is discussed, the focus is usually hearing loss. Safe Work Australia, for example, notes that both sudden loud noises and constant loud noise can cause permanent or temporary hearing loss and tinnitus. That’s all true, but it’s only part of the story.
Noise is a stressor that affects the whole body. It activates the stress response, which contributes to cardiovascular disease.
What the research shows
This has been studied in detail for rail, aircraft and road traffic noise, which roughly half of people in urban environments around the world have to contend with. A recent review of road traffic noise and health found a growing body of high-quality evidence that prolonged exposure causes:
- cardiovascular disease
- cerebrovascular dysfunction
- age-related degenerative diseases
- mental health disorders
Road traffic noise also leads to the continuous release of stress hormones like cortisol and catecholamines. These affect the human microbiome and metabolism, which can lead to type-2 diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders. The harm can come from the noise itself or from the sleep it disrupts.
A local problem
Around 48% of the urban population in major Australian cities is exposed to road traffic noise above the World Health Organization’s recommendations.
Where traditional solutions fall short
Blocking and insulation are the usual responses, and they help. But they can be too costly, or unsuitable for a particular site. They may also fail to address the stress response triggered by intermittent or low-frequency noise.
In the next post, we look at why the standards we rely on don’t always capture how people experience noise.