Noise pollution is the exposure to sounds above a certain noise level for a period of time that can end up harming humans and other living organisms. So just how loud does this noise have to be to become harmful? The World Health Organization (WHO), draws the line at 85 decibels (dB). Exposure to noises at or above 85dB for an extended period of time (8+ hours) can begin to pose health hazards. The largest contributors to this noise pollution in our cities are traffic, construction, music, trains, airports, and everyday office sounds. Since we have become so accustomed to hearing these sounds, so much so that we tend to point out the silence whenever there is some, we end up losing awareness of the harm we are doing to our ears. Beyond the effects of noise pollution on humans, which can include hypertension or hearing loss, are the effects of noise on our environment.
So just how is this noise pollution harming our environment? On land, animals that depend on producing noises to find food, attract mates, or even avoid predators, can no longer do so in an environment teeming with artificial noises. These noises are actively disrupting these animals' lifestyles. In our oceans, the effects of noise pollution aren’t so hidden. One of the biggest pollutants of our oceans, sonar, is killing our marine mammals by interfering with their echolocation systems. Whales and dolphins both rely on echolocation, a navigation tool that works by reflecting sounds off of objects. When sonar sounds are set off by ships, they often travel hundreds of miles, affecting any marine mammal's echolocation within that radius; the marine mammal's communication and location services are “turned offline”, leading to their beachings.
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