Noise Pollution Can Make Your Life Shorter: 5 questions and answers

Noise pollution is on the increase. Not only from leaf blowers, but also from the hum of air conditioners and dishwashers. The consequences of this are seriously underestimated and endangered. And this while it can guarantee that your life will be shorter. This is what acoustic scientist Tjeerd Andringa from the University of Groningen claims. 5 questions and answers about noise pollution.

1. The short life due to noise pollution looks dangerous. What’s up about that?

“It is very difficult to determine how many people die early on an individual level. But what we do know is that if you are in a lot of stress, you are living less healthy. In other ways. It can be done in all kinds of ways, but the main reason is cardiovascular disease. Bloody. Noise is a stress factor. In the Netherlands it is one of the most important stress factors. If you hear a lot of unpleasant noise, you are always a little nervous. In the end, you will die from one way or another. “

2. What is the type of noise pollution?

“You have occasional noise nuisance, which annoys everyone a little bit, every now and then. And skeletal noise, people who have learned to be vigilant when they hear a certain buzz. Motorcycle, or in my case a mosquito. Sounds can bother people a lot. The problem with that is that they’re actually more.” They are sensitive to those voices from others and cannot ignore them. “

3. Did the annoyance increase as well?

“That has definitely increased. Partly because our country is becoming increasingly crowded with all possible sounds. We have noise standards and under these criteria you can add noise. This means that we have less and less silence. And we have started setting the highest standards. In the past, people used to live in homes. Extremely noisy.Nothing has changed in those homes, but now it is suddenly not enough to live in. Partly because we no longer know our neighbors, but also because we have set higher standards. Safe and unsafe sounds. You can relax when you hear a lot of safe sounds. These are disturbing sounds. Small ones another person makes when they think they are safe Bird sounds sing, the voices of your neighbor cleaning the house, your kids playing in the house The house, which indicates that other living things find it safe and then there is also a reason to feel safe. You can no longer hear it and the environment is no longer safe. So you can no longer relax completely. “

4. Are we not sufficiently aware of this problem?

“As a country it is so, but there are more and more people who consider it an important issue. We want this group to have more and more voice, for example via klankbord.nu. We are trying to ensure that the sound theme plays an increasingly important role and that the makers The policies will do more with it. Because this is one of the ways to really improve the quality of life in the Netherlands. ”

5. What else can we do about noise pollution?

“Lots of little things in particular. Neighbors should make a little less noise that could disturb others, but others should also indicate more about what is bothering them. Governments should protect quieter places better, so that motorcycle clubs don’t suddenly become … Noisy. Quiet street is very nice, because it is very beautiful. Especially the little things are very important. And to show you how to better deal with noise nuisance for people. How can you make sure that your accidental noise nuisance does not become a structural nuisance? It is basically a matter of organization good “.

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