Noise. It Can Take Years Off Your Life

KQED's Forum

KQED

News Commentary, News, Politics

4.2 • 727 Ratings

🗓️ 28 June 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Noise can take years off your life. The louder the environment, the higher the risk of cardiac disease and death. We have long known that loud noises can affect our hearing, but studies have shown that it can impact our mental health, our ability to learn, and our chance to live longer lives. California has made inroads in combating noise pollution — in 2024, gas- powered leaf blowers will be banned, and the state has laws to restrict car exhaust noise. But as the world gets noisier, noise is becoming a public health problem. We talk to experts and hear from you: how do you quiet the world around you? Guests: Erica Walker, assistant professor of epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health Emily Baumgaertner, national health correspondent, New York Times - She was part of the team on the project "Noise Could Take Years Off Your Life. Here's How." Les Blomberg, founder and executive director, Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, a nonprofit focused on creating a quieter world Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:33.5	From KQED.
0:50.3	The From KQED. From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Marisa Lagos and Formina Kim.
0:54.3	Coming up on forum, we all know that too much alcohol or fatty foods or a sedentary lifestyle can lead to heart disease.
1:01.4	But what about that passing train, your neighbor's power drill, or a landscaper's leaf blower?
1:06.7	Research shows that noise can take years off your life by triggering stress responses in the body that ultimately can lead to cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks.
1:15.9	It's a problem most likely to affect impoverished communities and communities of color.
1:20.5	In the next hour, we're going to talk about why all the noise around us is affecting your health and what we can do to quiet the world.
1:27.9	That's next after this news.
1:32.8	Welcome to Forum. I'm Marisa Lagos and Fermina Kim.
1:40.4	In the spring of 2020, when the world locked down, something interesting happened on my San Francisco
1:45.5	Street. It got really quiet. Buses no longer ran all night. Heavy trucks halted their deliveries.
1:51.7	Fewer people passed by. The ambient noise of the city fell. And while it was strange, it was also really
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