Noise laws should be vehemently enforced

EDITOR: It has been encouraging to see so many letters and op-ed pieces written about the recent escalating levels of noise pollution in SVG.

While most of the articles on the subject have concentrated on the psychological effects of noise, especially from extremely loud music, let us not forget about the physiological harm that continuous exposure to noise can do. Hearing loss, of course, tops the list. This, in itself, is a serious matter, in that there is no cure for deafness. Once the hearing cells die, they do not re-generate.

However, hearing loss is not the only health effect. According to Professor Mathias Basner, secretary of the International Commission of the Biological Effects of Noise, social noise exposure poses a serious threat to public health. Noise has been associated with sleep disturbance, cognitive impairment in children, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Their research has been published in The Lancet.

Basner states that noise can function as an unspecific stressor on the body. Prolonged periods of unwanted noise can cause the body to release stress hormones – like adrenaline, and can negatively affect blood hormones – like cholesterol, which, in the long run, may lead to hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Clearly, there is a need to increase awareness about the dangers of noise, and as such, noise laws should be vehemently enforced.

Can a country whose medical system is already strained by the epidemic of hypertension and other metabolic diseases handle these additional health challenges?

Ivona Bradley