A plague of white noise

I can't hear myself think. Jackhammers below me assault my ears as renovators take down a cinder block wall. Who could focus on the task at hand? If someone phones me, I won't be able to hear him.

Unwanted sound is called noise. By definition, noise pollution (or environmental noise) is displeasing human or machine-created sound that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life. The word ‘noise’ comes from the Latin word ‘nausea’ meaning seasickness.

The noisy nuisance below me during office hours causes me headaches and annoyance, but the renovations will end. I read that ongoing noise pollution can damage physiological and psychological health. Noise pollution can prompt aggression, hypertension, high stress levels, hearing loss, sleep disturbance and other harmful effects.

There's noise and then there's noise. Neighbours of Worshippers of Christ the Warrior King Church in Massillion, Ohio petitioned the city in 2006, saying screams and sounds of glory and praise coming from the building were a nuisance. Police responded to noise complaints three consecutive days during a Pentecostal revival after the congregation moved in.

On May 3 of this year officers walked into the church at the end of a long service and wrote the pastor a ticket. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of violating the city’s noise ordinance and was prepared to go to trial in July until the congregation decided to relocate and the charge was dropped.

In England, they've been busy creating noise maps to define the decibel levels of noise pollution in cities like Birmingham. Environment minister Michael Meacher once said that 12 million people in his country are victims of intolerable noise from traffic, railroads, airports or industry.

Doesn’t get quiet at night anymore

In Wolfville, some large construction projects recently have induced what some call more than acceptable levels of noise pollution. A Wickwire Ave. resident recently reported loud noise from an air conditioning system to the police at 8:29 p.m. one evening.

Deitmar Schumacher says that where he lives on Grandview Dr., it doesn't get quiet at night anymore. "There's a carpet of noise. Why should I suffer under this?” he says.

He added that many of his neighbours now sleep on hot summer nights with the windows closed.

"Is this the new norm? What about the dormitories? Constant noise cannot be a good thing for students." Schumacher only knows that the recent creation of noise 24 hours a day in a residential area is astounding.

Another property owner told me, “the noise is aggressive and invasive because the design was ill-conceived. Why did the planners not foresee how grave the problem would be?” This complaint is about a building being touted as one of the most advanced environmentally east of Montreal.

Sustainability comes with a price

Sustainability comes with a price it would seem, one town official has suggested. Development director Gregg Morrison confirmed there are two large property owners in town who have been given notice that the air systems on their new buildings contravene the town's noise bylaw. He says the air systems may be very efficient, but they are quite audible elsewhere.

It is no wonder that expertise is developing noise measurement and management. Environmental noise pollution is an extremely serious issue, according to Cirrus Environmental’s Managing Director, Richard Wright. He says, "market research has shown that though most organizations take their responsibilities with regard to noise seriously and worry about how they might tackle the problem, they simply don’t know where to start.”

My folks built a home with a heat pump attached to the exterior. It struck me as awfully noisy. If you multiply the size of the building and add the appropriate air system, the nuisance factor also increases exponentially. Efficient for the owners, yes, but not conducive to peacefulness for the neighbours.

Ah, the jackhammers have stopped, but the plague of white noise continues on the west side of Wolfville. Take a walk at night or in the early morning before traffic starts and you’ll hear it; a loud hum that fills your ears.