Emily's Awesome Blog!

Sunday, February 25, 2007

groups for eliminating noise pollution!

The Right to Quiet Society
established in 1982
out of Vancouver, Canada
want to promote noise pollution awareness, and the dangers of noise pollution
want nature's sound to be heard more
don't want excess noise such as the sounds of machines etc
for a reasonable amount of noise

NoiseOFF-The Citizens Coalition Against Noise Pollution
diverse group of people from all over the U.S
represents all age groups
work to pass laws and enforce laws
want people to join from all over the U.S and other countries
goal is to outlaw boom cars, car alarms, and muffler pipes on vehicles
free membership!

Noise Tasmania
non-profit organization
want to eliminate noise that causes health problems, discomfort, and/or stress
want nature to be respected ex: air that we breathe
want to educate the public
want to carry on research

Noise Pollution Clearinghouse
want to create more civil cities and more natural rural and wilderness areas by reducing noise pollution
raise awareness
distribute information
make noise laws stronger
out of Montpelier Vermont

Monday, February 12, 2007

reflection

After looking at my posts, I have mixed feelings about noise pollution. I think that it is bad because it can harm our health, and annoy us to our breaking point! It also could turn into something bigger someday. I feel that the laws aren't strong enough. On the other hand, do the laws need to be strong? There are so many other issues going on in the world right now, but i question noise pollution. Is it as important as other issues such as global warming for example?
Should we be focusing on other issues right now instead? I'm riding the fence on this. I do think though, that any problem that is effecting our lives today should be watched.

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

noise pollution & the law

viewed as more of a personal issue (annoyance)

not viewed really as an environmental issue

laws vary in states, cities, towns etc

in some towns, no regulations for noise

rules usually include: level of noise allowed at different times throughout the day, regulations for the noise of activities, etc.

during the day, noise at a higher decibel level may be allowed

keeping regulations can be hard, society fails to follow

sometimes warnings will just be passed, no action taken

not a "high priority"

civil courts might come into use if someone frequently does not follow regulations

Personally, I think more needs to be done! It feels like steps aren't being taken to solve this problem. Sure, it might not be as big as other problems in our world today, but what could it turn into? After all, the word pollution is included in its name. That must say something.

Saturday, February 3, 2007

noise pollution and health

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/wiseears.asp

no matter what age, noise can still do the same amount of damage
decibels measured from 0-150
normal conversation = 60 decibels
construction usually over 100 decibels
even hearing a sound one time can cause Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
for protection, use earplugs
ringing, buzzing, or roaring are effects of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
over 30,000,000 Americans are exposed to sound that can damage their hearing on a regular basis
out of 28,000,000 Americans who have hearing loss, 1/3 suffer because of noise

http://familydoctor.org/226.xml

noise can damage the soft tissue, and kill cells and nerves inside of the ear
a symptom of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss is not being able to hear high pitched noises

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/abouthlp/noisemeter_flash/soundMeter_flash.html

^ really cool site! allows you to play around with noise, and lets you see how much is TOO much