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38
around, alternately laughing and crying.
But when the phone rings or the gar–
bage disposal - the "last straw" - is
turned on, our harried executive impul–
sively reacts in wrath at the accumulated
racket. The evening mea! is subsequently
very unpleasant. (Wives, take note!)
Dr. Edward
C.
Hews, well-known
psychologist, explains why: "Prolonged
subjection to an unpleasant noise, or
even a pleasant sound which is too
loud or which comes at the end of a
harrowing day, can lead to
SEV.ERE
MENTAL DISORIENTATION,
and in sorne
cases violence."
Experts also blame noise, in part, for
the increased consumption of alcohol,
drugs, tranquilizers and sleeping pills
in advanced Western nations. These
people are turning to these escape com–
modities, in part, as an attempt to
drown out or "turn off" the noises
they don't want to heac.
lnternational Dilemma
The problem of noise pollution goes
hand-in-hand with the leve! of a nation's
industrial development. Heavily indus–
trialized nations usually have the worst
noise problems.
The
PLAIN TRUTH
In Germany it has been found that
abnormal heartbeat rates among German
steelworkers are related to the high
noise levels of their working environ–
ment.
In France, workers who are subjected
to high noise levels complain more fre–
quently about insomnia, heart troubles,
nervousness, impaired motor coordina–
tion and physical illnesses.
Noise costs the British economy
il,OOO
million ($2,400,000,000) each
year
tn
lost production (
Christia11
Science Monitor,
Sept 26, 1968).
In a number of industrial nations,
noise control has become a matter of
national policy. Austria, Belgium, Bul–
garia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark,
England, Finland, France, Germany,
Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Swedef\,
Switzerland, and the U.S.S.R. have
included sound insulation regulations in
their bui lding codes.
The United States currently lags in
the field of architectural acoustics, noise
control in buildings, and is far behind
Canadian, English, and Eu ropean
research. The U. S. is also behind the
theoretical, analytical, and applied
Japanese and Russian research. So
Augusr·Seprember 1970
reports the Federal Council for Science
and TechnoJogy.
What the Housewife Endures
Noise is by no means limited to
industry or the
city
street.
It
has steadily
increased even inside the home. Back–
ground noise reaching into the home
from the outside environment has risen
from 20 to 45 decibels in the past
forty years. Add to this the introduction
of new appl iances and labor-saving
machinery used in the modern home in
the Western world. Surveys indicate the
average U. S. suburban home has as
many as 20 gadgets that make noise.
The noisiest place in the home is the
modern kitchen. The dishwasber rum–
bles at 60 to 70 dccibcls, the grinding
garbage disposal churns at 70 deci bels
and the refrigerator hums away at
between 30 to 40 decibels.
Today's automated k itchen often
reaches a decibellevel of 80 - the same
as the noise leve! made by heavy traffic.
With a fan, dishwasher and garbage
disposal going all at once, the decibel
leve! may d imb al;ove 100 !
One expert observed that the noise
leve! in a modero kitchen is just below