Parade Magazine

05/30/10


The increasing volume of American life -- from construction sites, car alarms, and barking dogs to booming stereos -- is leading lawmakers across the country to issue tough new restrictions on how much noise residents can make.

The federal Noise Control Act set some broad guidelines against noise pollution in 1972 and was followed by many local laws.

Yet the country is getting noisier, and Americans are feeling the effects.

According to the National Institute on Deafness, 30 million people in the U.S. are exposed to dangerous noise levels each day and 10 million have suffered gradual hearing loss as a result.

"People continuously exposed to loud sounds experience elevated stress levels, hypertension, depression, and lost sleep and productivity," says Richard Tur, founder of NoiseOFF, a website for people who want quieter communities. 

Now, some cities are issuing tough new laws to get residents to turn down the volume.

A Richmond, Va., ordinance passed in February makes it illegal to "cause a disturbance" that can be heard 50 feet away. Violators could face jail time. In New York City, dog owners are subject to fines of up to $175 if their pets bark for more than 10 minutes. Until recently, drivers accused of blasting their radios in Sarasota, Fla., had their cars impounded. City officials stopped enforcing that policy after the American Civil Liberties Union sued to overturn a Florida law banning noise that can be heard 25 feet away.

While the ACLU agrees that nuisance noise should be regulated, "the Florida law leads to arbitrary enforcement," says ACLU attorney Andrea Mogensen. "Almost any radio will be audible at 25 feet, so police pick and choose whom they'll target."

In the end, common sense may be more effective than a legal crackdown. "It's unlikely that we'll have a massive police force armed with noise meters," says George Prochnik, author of a book on the pursuit of silence. "Instead, we should educate people about the benefits of quiet and the risks that noise poses to our ears, hearts, and minds."