Why scientists who study noise pollution are calling for more regulation

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Noise from roads, airports and equipment like leaf blowers has been linked with serious health impacts. Decades ago, the U.S. government passed a law limiting it, but it has no teeth.

to limit the loud sounds people are exposed to in everyday life. The group is now waiting to hear if it will be able to argue its case in front of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Today, if you live within earshot of an interstate highway, if your child’s school sits next to train tracks, or if your neighbor is out there wielding a gas-powered leaf blower — you’re mostly out of luck. The Ronald Reagan administration began the process of defunding Elkins’ office in 1981, saying local communities rather than the federal government could regulate environmental noise. The office remains defunded to this day.

But because the incidence of cardiovascular death is so high, a 5% increase represents a lot of people. A number from thegives a sense of the magnitude of damage: Traffic noise in Western Europe causes the loss of 1.6 million healthy years of life annually. Major environmental organizations have not stepped in to do research or push for policies as they have for air and water pollution. The reason, suspects Denis Hayes, legendary environmentalist and Earth Day organizer, is money. People inclined to donate to environmental organizations are expecting to save the whales or clean the air, not fight

 

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Why scientists who study noise pollution are calling for more regulationNoise from roads, airports and equipment like leaf blowers has been linked with serious health impacts. Decades ago, the U.S. government passed a law limiting it, but it has no teeth.
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