Decreasing Noise Exposure Should Be a Public Health Priority

Stewart WH. Keynote address: noise as a public health hazard. In: Ward DE Fricke JE , eds. Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC; June 13-14, 1968.

US Environmental Protection Agency. Information on levels of environmental noise requisite to protect public health and welfare with an adequate margin of safety. 1974. Accessed May 23, 2025. https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=2000L3LN.txt

Office of Noise Abatement and Control. Protective Noise Levels: Condensed Version of EPA Levels Document. US Environmental Protection Agency; 1978. Report EPA 550/9-79-100. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=20012HG5.txt

US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Noise Abatement and Control. Noise: A Health Problem. US Environmental Protection Agency; 1978.

Fink D. A new definition of noise. Hearing J. 2023;76(11):6-7. doi:10.1097/01.HJ.0000995260.15519.9e

Sliwinska-Kowalska M Davis A. Noise-induced hearing loss. Noise Health. 2012;14(61):274-280. doi:10.4103/1463-1741.104893

Hahad O Kröller-Schön S Daiber A Münzel T. The cardiovascular effects of noise. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(14):245-250. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0245

Basner M Babisch W Davis A , et al. Auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on health. Lancet. 2014;383(9925):1325-1332. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61613-X

Paul KC Haan M Mayeda ER Ritz BR. Ambient air pollution, noise, and late-life cognitive decline and dementia risk. Annu Rev Public Health. 2019;40:203-220. doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040218-044058

Ventriglio A Bellomo A Di Gioia I , et al. Environmental pollution and mental health: a narrative review of literature. CNS Spectr. 2021;26(1):51-61. doi:10.1017/S1092852920001303

Yang L Gutierrez DE Guthrie OW. Systemic health effects of noise exposure. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2024;27(1):21-54. doi:10.1080/10937404.2023.2280837

Lusk SL McCullagh M Dickson VV Xu J. Reduce noise: improve the nation’s health. Nurs Outlook. 2017;65(5):652-656. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2017.08.001

American Public Health Association. Noise as a public health hazard. October 25, 2021. Accessed May 23, 2025. https://www.apha.org/policy-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-briefs/policy-database/2022/01/07/noise-as-a-public-health-hazard

Themann CL Masterson EA. Occupational noise exposure: a review of its effects, epidemiology, and impact with recommendations for reducing its burden. J Acoust Soc Am. 2019;146(5):3879. doi:10.1121/1.5134465

Hammer MS Swinburn TK Neitzel RL. Environmental noise pollution in the United States: developing an effective public health response. Environ Health Perspect. 2014;122(2):115-119. doi:10.1289/ehp.1307272

Münzel T Kröller-Schön S Oelze M , et al. Adverse cardiovascular effects of traffic noise with a focus on nighttime noise and the new WHO noise guidelines. Annu Rev Public Health. 2019;41:309-328. doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-081519-062400

US Environmental Protection Agency. Air quality—national summary. 2024. Accessed May 23, 2025. https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-national-summary

Willis MD Casey JA Buonocore JJ . Potential health hazards of cryptocurrency mining: protecting health in a “digital oil boom.” JAMA. 2024;332(16):1329-1330. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.15917

Hänninen O Knol AB Jantunen M , et al. Environmental burden of disease in Europe: assessing nine risk factors in six countries. Environ Health Perspect. 2014;122(5):439-446. doi:10.1289/ehp.1206154

European Union. Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise—declaration by the Commission in the Conciliation Committee on the directive relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise. Document 32002L0049. 2002. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2002/49/oj/eng

Graydon K Waterworth C Miller H Gunasekera H. Global burden of hearing impairment and ear disease. J Laryngol Otol. 2019;133(1):18-25. doi:10.1017/S0022215118001275

Haile LM Orji AU Reavis KM , et al. Hearing loss prevalence, years lived with disability, and hearing aid use in the United States from 1990 to 2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study. Ear Hear. 2024;45(1):257-267. doi:10.1097/AUD.0000000000001420

Tao Y Zhang H Wang D Li W. The prevalence and related factors of hearing loss among adults: a systematic review and meta-analyses. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2025;134(2):93-101. doi:10.1177/00034894241293045

Liu C He L Shan X , et al. The burden of occupational noise-induced hearing loss from 1990 to 2019: an analysis of Global Burden of Disease data. Ear Hear. 2024;45(5):1138-1148. doi:10.1097/AUD.0000000000001505

Shehabi AM Prendergast G Guest H Plack CJ. The effect of lifetime noise exposure and aging on speech-perception-in-noise ability and self-reported hearing symptoms: an online study. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022;14:890010. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.890010

Henderson N Hodgson S Mulhern B Page K Sampson C. A qualitative systematic review of the impact of hearing on quality of life. Qual Life Res. 2025;34:879-892. doi:10.1007/s11136-024-03851-5

Murthy VH. Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. Office of the Surgeon General; 2023.

Huang AR Reed NS Deal JA , et al. Loneliness and social network characteristics among older adults with hearing loss in the ACHIEVE Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2024;79(2):glad196. doi:10.1093/gerona/glad196

Livingston G Sommerlad A Orgeta V , et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care. Lancet. 2017;390(10113):2673-2734. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31363-6

Jafari Z Kolb BE Mohajerani MH. Age-related hearing loss and tinnitus, dementia risk, and auditory amplification outcomes. Ageing Res Rev. 2019;56:100963. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2019.100963

Cantuaria ML Pedersen ER Waldorff FB , et al. Hearing loss, hearing aid use, and risk of dementia in older adults. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024;150(2):157-164. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2023.3509

Walling AD Dickson GM. Hearing loss in older adults. Am Fam Physician. 2012;85(12):1150-1156.

Dzhambov AM Dimitrova DD. Occupational noise and ischemic heart disease: a systematic review. Noise Health. 2016;18(83):167-177. doi:10.4103/1463-1741.189241

He J Smith LM Shkembi A Neitzel RL. Evaluating the impact of occupational noise exposure on workplace fatal and nonfatal injuries in the U.S. (2006-2020). Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2025;263:114468. doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114468

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Criteria for a recommended standard: occupational noise exposure. DHHS (NIOSH) pub. no. 98-126. 1998. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/98-126/default.html

Cantley LF Galusha D Cullen MR , et al. Does tinnitus, hearing asymmetry, or hearing loss predispose to occupational injury risk? Int J Audiol. 2015;54(Suppl 1):S30-S36. doi:10.3109/14992027.2014.981305

Tufts JB Vasil KA Briggs S. Auditory fitness for duty: a review. J Am Acad Audiol. 2009;20(9):539-557. doi:10.3766/jaaa.20.9.3

Jiang W Zhao F Guderley N Manchaiah V. Daily music exposure dose and hearing problems using personal listening devices in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review. Int J Audiol. 2016;55(4):197-205. doi:10.3109/14992027.2015.1122237

World Health Organization. Deafness and hearing loss. February 26, 2025. Accessed May 23, 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss

Stansfeld S Clark C. Health effects of noise exposure in children. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2015;2(2):171-178. doi:10.1007/s40572-015-0044-1

Roberts B Neitzel RL. Noise exposure limit for children in recreational settings: review of available evidence. J Acoust Soc Am. 2019;146(5):3922. doi:10.1121/1.5132540

Balk SJ Bochner RE Ramdhanie MA Reilly BK. Preventing excessive noise exposure in infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2023;152(5):e2023063753. doi:10.1542/peds.2023-063753

Haines MM Stansfeld SA Job RF Berglund B Head J. Chronic aircraft noise exposure, stress responses, mental health and cognitive performance in school children. Psychol Med. 2001;31(2):265-277. doi:10.1017/s0033291701003282

Shan A Ting JS Price C , et al. Hearing loss and employment: a systematic review of the association between hearing loss and employment among adults. J Laryngol Otol. 2020;134(5):387-397. doi:10.1017/S0022215120001012

Patel SR Bouldin E Tey CS Govil N Alfonso KP. Social isolation and loneliness in the hearing-impaired pediatric population: a scoping review. Laryngoscope. 2021;131(8):1869-1875. doi:10.1002/lary.29312

Hugh SC Wolter NE Propst EJ Gordon KA Cushing SL Papsin BC. Infant sleep machines and hazardous sound pressure levels. Pediatrics. 2014;133(4):677-681. doi:10.1542/peds.2013-3617

Hong SA Kuziez D Das N Harris D Brunworth JD. Hazardous sound outputs of white noise devices intended for infants. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;146:110757. doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2021.110757

De Jong RW Davis GS Chelf CJ Marinelli JP Erbele ID Bowe SN. Continuous white noise exposure during sleep and childhood development: a scoping review. Sleep Med. 2024;119:88-94. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2024.04.006

Hahad O Kuntic M Al-Kindi S , et al. Noise and mental health: evidence, mechanisms, and consequences. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2025;35(1):16-23. doi:10.1038/s41370-024-00642-5

Tortorella A Menculini G Moretti P , et al. New determinants of mental health: the role of noise pollution. A narrative review. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2022;34(7-8):783-796. doi:10.1080/09540261.2022.2095200

Münzel T Daiber A Engelmann N Röösli M Kuntic M Banks JL. Noise causes cardiovascular disease: it’s time to act. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2025;35(1):24-33. doi:10.1038/s41370-024-00732-4

Selander J Rylander L Albin M Rosenhall U Lewné M Gustavsson P. Full-time exposure to occupational noise during pregnancy was associated with reduced birth weight in a nationwide cohort study of Swedish women. Sci Total Environ. 2019;651(pt 1):1137-1143. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.212

Collins TW Grineski SE. Race, historical redlining, and contemporary transportation noise disparities in the United States. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2025;35(1):50-61. doi:10.1038/s41370-024-00682-x

Dreger S Schüle SA Hilz LK Bolte G. Social inequalities in environmental noise exposure: a review of evidence in the WHO European region. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(6):1011. doi:10.3390/ijerph16061011

Shkembi A Smith LM Neitzel RL. Linking environmental injustices in Detroit, MI to institutional racial segregation through historical federal redlining. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2024;34(3):389-398. doi:10.1038/s41370-022-00512-y

Shkembi A Zelner J Park SK Neitzel R. Workplace exposures vary across neighborhoods in the US: implications on social vulnerability and racial/ethnic health disparities. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2024;12(5):3388-3400. doi:10.1007/s40615-024-02143-5

Park S Johnson MD Hong OS. Analysis of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) noise standard violations over 50 years: 1972 to 2019. Am J Ind Med. 2020;63(7):616-623. doi:10.1002/ajim.23116

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Standard no. 1910.95: occupational noise exposure (1971). Accessed September 23, 2025. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-84/pdf/STATUTE-84-Pg1590.pdf

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Occupational noise exposure: hearing conservation amendment, 29 CFR 1910.95 (1981). Accessed September 23, 2025. https://archives.federalregister.gov/issue_slice/1983/3/8/9723-9777.pdf

Forouharmajd F Pereira MA Fuente A Pourabdian S Asady H. Erratum: is enough attention paid to the health effects of low-frequency noise in today’s society? Int J Prev Med. 2023;14:76. doi:10.4103/2008-7802.378887

Noise Control Act, Pub L No 92-574, 86 Stat 1234 (1972).

Quiet Communities, Inc v US Environmental Protection Agency . June 7, 2023.

World Health Organization. Safe listening devices and systems: a WHO-ITU standard. September 18, 2019. Accessed May 23, 2025. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241515276

Neitzel RL Fligor BJ. Risk of noise-induced hearing loss due to recreational sound: review and recommendations. J Acoust Soc Am. 2019;146(5):3911. doi:10.1121/1.5132287

Balk SJ Bochner RE Ramdhanie MA Reilly BK ; Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change; Section on Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Preventing excessive noise exposure in infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2023;152(5):e2023063752. doi:10.1542/peds.2023-063752

Griest SE Folmer RL Martin WH. Effectiveness of “Dangerous Decibels,” a school-based hearing loss prevention program. Am J Audiol. 2007;16(2):S165-S181. doi:10.1044/1059-0889(2007/021)

New York City Administrative Code. Title 24, Ch 2: noise control (1998).

City of Ann Arbor Michigan Code of Ordinances, Title IX: police regulations, Ch 119: noise control (1998).

Office of the Surgeon General. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Office on Smoking and Health; 2006.