ABSTRACT
There is no challenging the reality that noise causes hearing loss, especially when it is both loud and continuous. However, the major scientific issue is what noise contributes to non-hearing loss-related consequences, such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke that are typically attributed to diet, lack of exercise, smoking and many other behaviors. Chapter 5 shows that during the 1970s when environmental protection became a core federal government issue, the U.S. EPA started a small program to invigorate the science, monitor sound and to collaborate with states and local governments to reduce this ubiquitous environmental hazard. While studies report that this effort was effective, the program was discontinued and the responsibility for sound has defaulted to states and local governments with California and Portland (OR) serving as the exemplary state and local government, respectively. We contrast the U.S.’s position with those of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and selected other counties and cities such as Hamburg, and other places that have taken aggressive action to reduce exposure. Aircraft noise is a special case that has required an ongoing federal interest with the Concorde as the illustration of how technological optimism led to the construction of this fleet of planes.
