Noise pollution or noise nuisance is the perception of noise as annoying: also called noise. Most people are mainly bothered by noises coming from neighbors or parties. Noise pollution can also occur in your own home, for example a buzzing appliance or a ticking clock. When does hearing damage occur and what to do in case of noise pollution from the neighbors?
What is noise pollution?
Noise pollution is the psychological annoyance that people experience when acoustic vibrations are perceived. This can often also cause physiological damage. Physiological damage means damage to hearing. But noise at a lower level can also be experienced as a nuisance and often causes stress, insomnia or restlessness and irritation.
Noise pollution at home
You may be bothered by noise in your own home. This is especially the case during the night hours, as a result of which people cannot fall asleep. Noise pollution can be caused by a ticking clock or alarm clock, heating pipes that make noise, a barking dog, a buzzing device or the snoring of your partner. Although these sounds do not have high decibels, they can cause nuisance. The sounds cause irritation and unrest. During the day, people may experience noise pollution in their own home from, for example, the crying baby, the cat that meows, the television that is too loud or loud music. But a vacuum cleaner can also cause irritation for someone else.
Noise pollution: nuisance from the neighbors
Neighbors sometimes throw a party. This in itself does not have to cause any problems, as long as the neighbors have reported this in advance and stick to the agreed times. However, if the party continues for a long time, other neighbors may become irritated and unable to sleep. Sometimes this results in a dispute between neighbors.
Barking dogs from the neighbors can cause a lot of noise pollution. Not only at night, but especially during the day, many dogs bark when their owner is not at home all day. A barking dog cannot be silenced quickly and it can often take months before the neighbors have trained their dog so that it no longer barks in the absence of the owner.
Sometimes a home is not properly insulated from a structural point of view. causing noise pollution. This is, for example, the case with floors that extend in one piece to the next home. Especially with tiled floors, neighbors can hear clearly when people walk on the floor or drop something. It is also possible that you can hear the toilet flushing at the neighbors, or the shower running. Home insulation will often have to be applied.
If you are often bothered by the neighbors, the most logical and simple solution is to have a conversation with the neighbors. Sometimes, however, this conversation does not help or the neighbors are unwilling to do anything about the noise pollution. In this case, the housing association or an intermediary can be called in. Sometimes sound insulation is a solution, in other cases other measures will have to be taken. Only call the police in extreme cases: calling the police does not improve relations with the neighbors, but sometimes this action is necessary to realize the seriousness of the matter.
Damage to hearing due to noise pollution
Sound is displayed in loudness, with decibels (dB). A person cannot hear anything below 0 decibels. A normal living room emits approximately 40 decibels. People normally talk at about 60 decibels. Hearing damage can occur from 100 decibels. A nightclub can be 105-115 decibels. The pain threshold is 120 decibels. The pain threshold means experiencing pain when hearing a loud sound.
The noise level at the facade of the home may not exceed 50 decibels. This means that the level in the home can be higher, but ultimately must be reduced to 50 decibels on the facade. A barking dog can emit as much as 90 decibels. Screaming children also produce approximately 90 to 100 decibels. These sounds can be experienced as very annoying by the neighbors. Although they do not damage hearing, they do cause irritation, insomnia and restlessness.
A street party or a home party attended by oneself can cause hearing damage if the level is above 100 decibels. This can cause noise-induced hearing loss, especially if one is exposed to it for a long time. Therefore, agree with each other how loud the sound system will be: not only to protect your own hearing, but also so as not to cause too much nuisance to neighbors. Be prepared for complaints from neighbors at a party: if possible, invite the neighbors to the party yourself, this will certainly prevent complaints.