Cast your mind back, if you can stomach it, to the days of lockdown. Covid was rampant, the world was in fear and no one went anywhere except for their prescribed hour of exercise in the socially-distanced outdoors. It was, I think we can all agree, the grimmest of times. But if there was a tiny sliver of positivity to be taken from it all it was the fact that the sometimes overpowering noise of the day-to-day suddenly vanished.
Roads were empty, trains barely ran, construction sites stopped. The ever-present rumble that marks the lives of everyone who lives in an urban area simply wasn't there any more. Instead there was quiet, punctuated perhaps by the sound of birds or the voices of children playing in a garden. Or sometimes there was just nothing. It was odd, disconcerting even, but also rather nice.
The quiet didn't last, of course, and nor should it have. It's just a shame that we haven't remembered the benefits of having less clamour in our lives now things are back to normal. A new study unveiled this week has found a clear link between road noise and Parkinson's disease.
The hidden dangers of noise pollution
The research, which followed more than three million Danish participants, found a consistent effect between noise levels and an increased risk of developing the condition. Although this research is fresh, the idea of din being detrimental isn't. Last year The European Environment Agency announced that more than 110 million people across the continent suffer high levels of health-damaging noise pollution. It pinpointed physiological stress and sleep disturbance leading annually to 66,000 early deaths from issues such as heart disease, diabetes and depression.
The harm caused by noise was, it said, greater than that from exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. And it's not just the racket from traffic. Perhaps it's me but pubs, cafés and restaurants feel noisier than ever these days. In London the other week the screech from the tracks of the Tube train I was on almost made my ears bleed while the general chaos of the city – honking horns, shouting, late night taxis and early morning lorries kept me awake.
Noise, it seems, is an inescapable part of modern life. But the evidence that it is damaging our health is mounting. The Danish study is just the latest to link environmental noise to serious illness. Previous research has associated noise with heart disease, stroke, and mental health problems. The European Environment Agency's report highlighted that noise is not merely an annoyance but a real public health threat.
The poorest pay the highest price
Some noise is inevitable, of course, and often rather welcome. The occasional blast of Wham! from next door's party isn't going to harm anyone, music venues have to operate and road repairs and work on building sites must happen. I'm not advocating that we all should live in silence like members of a religious order. But long term exposure to high levels of sound – when you have no way of getting away from it – is now proven to be bad for human health.
Sadly, it's those with the least who suffer the most. Richer folk can afford big houses with long drives and double glazing or a move to the country. But for those living on busy roads or near industrial estates, there is often nowhere to escape. Poorer housing is typically less well-insulated, meaning the noise seeps in through thin walls and windows. This is a public health issue that hits the most deprived communities hardest.
We live in a world dominated by rules and regulations. There are limits on everything from vehicle emissions to smoking in public places. Isn't it about time we make some noise about harmful sound? The evidence is clear: noise pollution is more than a nuisance, it's a environmental hazard. If we can ban smoking in pubs to protect health, why can't we take steps to reduce noise exposure for the most vulnerable?
Retail's race to the future
One more thing... Out buying some heatwave-friendly bedding, I came across an entire shop aisle of Halloween goods. Yes, plush pumpkins, witchy decorations and ghostly ornaments on sale as the temperature outside climbed past 25 degrees.
I then caught my local card shop proudly displaying a selection of Christmas money wallets. 'We like to get ahead,' said an assistant rather sheepishly. I enjoy being organised but I also like to have my summer holidays before ordering a turkey. Perhaps this drive to hurtle into the future is down to what psychologists call 'the arrival fallacy' – the false belief that reaching a milestone or goal will bring happiness.
Maybe we need something to look forward to. Or perhaps retailers, with one eye on the bottom line, terrify us into buying stuff early in case the world runs out of plastic skeletons and sprouts. All I know is it's all gone too far. We're so busy rushing towards the next thing that we forget to enjoy the present. And if we're not careful, we'll end up like the noise pollution we ignore – harmful and overwhelming.
