New York City & Noise Pollution
Invisible Harm Can Go A Long Way
Jhoanna Fernandez Correa
Department of English, City College of New York
ENGL 21003: Writing for the Sciences
Caitlin Geoghan
April 25th, 2022
New York City & Noise Pollution
- Noise Pollution is “any unwanted or disturbing sound that affects the health and well-being of humans and other organisms.” (National Geography) When a person loses sleep, can not concentrate on their tasks, or can not relax for a few minutes after a heavy day, it leads to serious issues with how they continue in their lifestyle. The importance of reducing loud noises needs to become a common conversation within the state and within the city’s communities in itself. New York City, but more specifically the Bronx, has one of the highest noise complaints, and the majority can be addressed on NYCOpenData.“Noise complaints have increased by 279 percent since February 2020.” (Heinz, 2020) As of a year ago, the data had risen enormously, imagine how it is now in 2022.
- 311. If you are in a situation where the noise of loud music, construction, or even the yelling of people are bothering you, that is who you would call. In some situations, the cases would be solved and closed ASAP but in some other, sadly there is probably no way of cooperating. This then affects the being of the person who complained and the others around who feel the same way but know that in reality, noise pollution is not as important as everything else, in order to fully have a fix.
- The year 2020, where the pandemic started and took over everyone’s life, is where complaints started to sky rocket.
- Between 2019 and 2020, in March calls increased from 33,567 to 37,396, a 11.41% difference. In May, 40,339 calls increased to 77,628, with a 92.44% difference. And June, where the sun hits every part of the city and protests were immersing into every community, in every borough, calls went from 58,845 to 105,240 calls, with an increase of 78.84% change.
- When you are stuck working at home, students are forced to learn over a screen now, and elders have nothing to do but sit in bed all day, it was easy to find the time to make a call and complain.
- The year 2020, where the pandemic started and took over everyone’s life, is where complaints started to sky rocket.
- 311. If you are in a situation where the noise of loud music, construction, or even the yelling of people are bothering you, that is who you would call. In some situations, the cases would be solved and closed ASAP but in some other, sadly there is probably no way of cooperating. This then affects the being of the person who complained and the others around who feel the same way but know that in reality, noise pollution is not as important as everything else, in order to fully have a fix.
- PURPOSE
- The purpose of bringing awareness to Noise Pollution is so that as a community, there can be an understandable agreement that it is common, but there are ways to reduce it drastically. But also to be aware that New York City has always had a noisy and vibrant reputation, so it is a matter of respect for our neighbors and for the state to be considerate that not everyone has a way to find quiet when needed, especially as everything is slowly transitioning out of a pandemic.
- Noise Pollution can ultimately lead to long term health issues for young and elder people. No specific demographic can truly escape the impact of loud sounds that disturb their sleep, or that interrupts their concentration. It has led to results of “Twenty-three precent of people with any noise-related sleep disturbance… reported using medical interventions because of the noise” (Epi Data Brief, 2018) Having to rely on medication to sleep for the next day can be dangerous and shouldn’t be the last resort. If you notice noise is affecting your hours of sleep, there should be a difference in how the state responds to the complaint.
- The purpose of bringing awareness to Noise Pollution is so that as a community, there can be an understandable agreement that it is common, but there are ways to reduce it drastically. But also to be aware that New York City has always had a noisy and vibrant reputation, so it is a matter of respect for our neighbors and for the state to be considerate that not everyone has a way to find quiet when needed, especially as everything is slowly transitioning out of a pandemic.
- BACKGROUND
- Open Data New York City is an actively updated site where any records of noise complaints are made in the city. From Washington Heights to near the beach in Queens. It shows how reports are in progress from being fixed or from working out a solution to not let it happen again to closed cases where the police might have shut down the event or situation to comply with the neighborhood. This helps to keep track of the growth of noise pollution in New York City and it helps me to better show you which borough is struggling the most to keep quiet.
- New York City, for one of the cities that never sleeps, does make a lot of complaints about getting better sleep. Especially in impoverished boroughs, where the diversity in culture makes the loudest noises. The Bronx, the Boogie Down Bronx, has a very well-known reputation of being one of the louder sides of New York City. Thus knowing this, many individuals are mentally prepared for loud nights, busy streets, and Spanish music blasting to its fullest volume from a sports car. However, even with this knowledge, residents have a right to call reinforcement to calm down the noise and make it a better rest night for our family or for ourselves.
- DEMOGRAPHICS
- DISCUSSION
- POINT
- SUBPOINT
- SUBPOINT
- POINT
- COMMUNITY HEALTH CONCERNS
- Relying on sleeping medication
- Over 50-70 Million people have a sleeping disorder. (American Sleep Association) A cause of this is the dependency of sleeping aids that are not supposed to continue as a long term solution. After struggling to sleep consistently at the same time, for a good amount of time, and overall having an unbalanced sleep hygiene, the drowsiness of the pills can help you to fall asleep quicker.
- SUB1
- SUB2
- SUBPOINT
- SUB1
- SUB2
- Over 50-70 Million people have a sleeping disorder. (American Sleep Association) A cause of this is the dependency of sleeping aids that are not supposed to continue as a long term solution. After struggling to sleep consistently at the same time, for a good amount of time, and overall having an unbalanced sleep hygiene, the drowsiness of the pills can help you to fall asleep quicker.
- Younger children’s non ability to concentrate
- When a 7 year old does not have their full 10 hours, or more, of sleep then their behavioral actions are not common or could be considered abnormal for a child.
- A study shows “road traffic noise (Lden) was modeled at all present and historical addresses. Behavioral problems were assessed by the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Associations between pregnancy and childhood exposure to noise and behavioral problems were analyzed by multinomial or logistic regression and adjusted for potential confounders.” (Environmental Health Perspectives, 2016)
- SUB2
- When a 7 year old does not have their full 10 hours, or more, of sleep then their behavioral actions are not common or could be considered abnormal for a child.
- The older you get, the more rest you require, if less, it leads to sleep deprivation
- “Side effects associated with sleep aid medications include dry mouth, urinary retention, blurred vision, confusion and constipation. Dr. Patel added, “The use of these medications is especially concerning in older or elderly individuals as they may be at a higher risk for confusion, dizziness and falls.” (Boland, 2021
- SUB1
- SUB2
- “Side effects associated with sleep aid medications include dry mouth, urinary retention, blurred vision, confusion and constipation. Dr. Patel added, “The use of these medications is especially concerning in older or elderly individuals as they may be at a higher risk for confusion, dizziness and falls.” (Boland, 2021
- Relying on sleeping medication
- CONCLUSIONS
- POINT
- SUBPOINT
- SUB 1
- SUB2
- SUBPOINT
- POINT
References
American Sleep Association. (n.d.). Sleep Statistics: Data About Sleep Disorders. American Sleep Association. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www.sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/sleep-statistics/
Heinz, A. (2020, July 21). NYC Noise Complaints Increase 279% in Just 4 Months | ApartmentGuide.com. Apartment Guide. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www.apartmentguide.com/blog/new-york-noise-complaints/
National Geography Society. (2019, July 16). Construction Noise Pollution. National Geographic Society. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/noise-pollution/
NYC Health. (2018, September 4). Effect of Noise and Light on Sleep in New York City. NYC.gov. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/databrief105.pdf
311 Noise Complaints | NYC Open Data. (n.d.). NYC Open Data -. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Social-Services/311-Noise-Complaints/p5f6-bkga
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