NOISE/NOTES (Sept 2019)

Eoin A. King, NNI Editor,
Eva Von Dell, NNI Social Media Assistant, and
Brianna Cervello, NNI Social Media Assistant

NNI is on Facebook and Twitter. We try to keep our readers informed with noise news from all across the globe by highlighting interesting research and projects. Here is a roundup of some of the stories that have been making headlines. Follow @NNIEditor to stay up to date with all noise-related news!

Student Project Tracks Noise Pollution in Colorado
A Colorado college study is monitoring sounds (and noise, unfortunately) around natural spaces in Colorado Springs. One of the researchers observes, “You’ll start to hear the noise pollution. And eventually, you won’t be able to unhear it.”

Hand Dryers Can Hurt Children’s Ears
According to research recently published in the Canadian journal Paediatrics and Child Health, noise from hand dryers in restrooms may be harmful to children’s ears. The study found that Xlerator hand dryers were the loudest type, with all noise measurements in excess of 100 dBA with hands in the airstream, while the Dyson Airblade recorded the single loudest measurement of 121 dBA. Hand dryers are all the more serious for children, as their ears will usually be closer to the noise source than adults. The author of the study, Nora Louise Keegan, is writing from experience: she is only 13 years old!

Cruise Liners Warned to Keep the Noise Down in Ireland
Cruise liners docking in Cobh, Ireland, have been warned to keep quiet by the port authority. The busy port sees up to 100 cruise liners docking in the town of Cobh, and the surrounding topography is being blamed for amplifying sounds coming from the cruise liners.

The Importance of Avoiding Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
A study by researchers at Purdue University with the University of Rochester that was recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience shows that the source of hearing loss may have a large impact on a person’s ability to understand speech and enjoy music. The study measured differences in neural processing between the two most common sources of hearing difficulty: noise trauma and age-related metabolic loss. Results suggest that noise trauma causes substantially greater changes in the neural processing of complex sounds compared with age-related metabolic loss.

Tickets for Noise—Toronto Is Cracking Down on Noise
From October, the police in Toronto will be cracking down on noisy vehicles. Through the Awareness and Enforcement for Unnecessary Noise campaign, the police will hand out tickets for everything from modified mufflers to excessively loud music. Tickets for noise offences will range from $110 to $155.

Using Sound to Save Eagles from Wind Turbine Blades
Researchers at the University of Minnesota are trying to deter eagles from hitting wind turbines’ blades by using natural and synthetic acoustic stimuli. Early results show that the eagles paid closer attention to natural calls rather than synthetic signals. The study is ongoing, but the authors hope that it provides a step toward reducing the number of deaths of bald and golden eagles when they inadvertently fly into wind turbine blades.