Noise, light & heat pollution

<Environmental and workplace health: Noise – Health Canada>

 

Noise can be defined as any unwanted sound. It may be unwanted because, depending on the sound level and the exposure duration, it can cause adverse effects on physical, mental or social well-being. Further information on the potential noise-induced health effects from aircraft, recreational noise, and community noise and advice and guidelines for protection against environmental noise can be found on the further links.  

 

<Noise Pollution – US EPA>

Sound becomes unwanted when it either interferes with normal activities such as sleeping, conversation, or disrupts or diminishes one’s quality of life. Problems related to noise include stress related illnesses, high blood pressure, speech interference, hearing loss, sleep disruption, and lost productivity. More information on noise pollution and health effects, protection from noise, resource center is provided in this link.

 

<Noise nuisance, how it affects us and what can we do about it – British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association>

 

Most people are affected by noise exposure more than any other environmental stimulus. The most widespread problem created by noise is nuisance, but recent research has linked noise as a stressor which can produce a range of serious health effects. For more information, please click here.

 

 

<How Light Pollution Affects Human Health-Florida Atlantic University>

 

Because more of us are sleeping in overly lit nights, light pollution is being investigated as a interfering, aggravating factor that suppresses natural melatonin levels in humans at night. This suppression simply ‘pulls out the stops’ to cancer cell growth. More information on light pollution and human cancers can be found in this link.

 

<Light pollution and human health – International Dark-Sky Association>

 

Most people don’t know how excessive light at night negatively impacts many areas of human health. This brochure offers an introduction to this treatable problem. Excessive light could affect human health on the following: glare on the eyes, circadian rhythms, interference with melatonin production and sleep disorders. 

 

<Light Pollution: Adverse Health Effects of Nighttime Lighting – Council on Science and Public Health of the American Medical Association>

 

To evaluate the impact of artificial lighting on human health, primarily through disruption of circadian biological rhythms or sleep, as well as the impact of headlamps, nighttime lighting schemes, and glare on driving safety, a systematic review was reported in this link.  

 

 

<Heat stress-Columbia University>

 

There are many occupations that require workers to be in hot and humid environments. When the body’s system of temperature regulation fails and body temperature rises to critical levels, the potential harmful effects of heat on human body may occur, including heat fatigue, heat rashes, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. For more information, please click here.

 

<Public Health Advice on Preventing Health Effects of Heat- WHO>

 

Adverse health effects of hot weather and heat-waves are largely preventable. Prevention requires a portfolio of actions at different levels: from health system preparedness, coordinated with meteorological early warning systems, to timely public and medical advice and improvements to housing and urban planning. This publication offers detailed information for various target audiences, and on medical advice and treatment practices.

 

<Cold Stress-NIOSH>

 

Workers who are exposed to extreme cold or work in cold environments may be at risk of cold stress. Extreme cold weather is a dangerous situation that can bring on health emergencies in susceptible people. The extremely cold environment may cause serious health problems. For more informaton, please click here.