Not only children, but even the elderly are sensitive to noise
I have no in-depth knowledge of the impact of loud noises on children. All I know is that when my son was small, he would be constantly scared of loud noises. For example, during Diwali, last year, he cried constantly. He was very restless also. We actually had to give him medicine to help him relax. Even this year, during Diwali he cried a lot. He gets disturbed by loud noises and is then scared to go out of the house. However, not only my child faces such a problem. Even the elderly are sensitive to loud noise. No one takes responsibility of the noises created. Some even create a lot of noise during the afternoon hours when almost everyone rests.
—Ashok Chavan, real estate consultant
Noise pollution leaves my son cranky and restless
My son is greatly affected by loud noises. His schedule goes upside down due to the noise pollution. He simply stops doing whatever he is doing and gets extremely restless. It is not just during Diwali that he gets disturbed. Even if there are construction sounds around, he cannot handle it. He has trouble sleeping in the night as well. In fact, he wakes up in the middle of the night because he is too scared or gets disturbed. My son starts getting cranky and behaves in an erratic manner as well. Last year, due to high levels of noise, I had to take him to see a doctor. He recommended a few things, but my son was not put on medication. These noises become a great nuisance in the lives of children.
—Anushree Paliwal, IT professional
During Diwali, my son was scared of the noise created by firecrackers
In day-to-day life, I am not aware of the effects mentioned by the doctors when children hear loud noises. However, during Diwali I noticed that my three-year-old son was scared of the noise created by firecrackers. He was too scared to even get out of the house. Previously, even my daughter, who is now six-year-old, was scared, but not anymore. Though Diwali is supposed to be the festival of lights, the loud noise created by bursting crackers, prevent kids from enjoying the true essence of the festival. I have heard of children with major illness like heart problems being affected by loud noise during the festive days. Such things might be happening, but luckily my children have not experienced
anything like this so far.
—Anitha Jerard, homemaker
Environmental noise should not exceed more than 75 decibels
The sources of sound can be divided into two basic types, one is the environmental noise and other is the noise from entertainment devices. The first type of noise, which includes sound of vehicles and factories, cannot be avoided as a child needs to be exposed to the outer world. If you see around, you will realise that all the environmental noises are beyond the accepted norms. In fact, the state noise pollution guidelines mention that environmental noise should not exceed more than 75 decibels. However, this is never maintained. The second source of noise can be controlled. Various devices like TV, sound system and iPods, used by children, are capable of causing severe damage to the ears. Parents must take measures to limit their child’s exposure to these devices.
Using helmet while driving two-wheelers is helpful as it keeps the ear safe from environmental noises.
—Dr Sumit Bhatti, ENT surgeon
Loud noise ends up affecting the biological rhythm of body
Noise pollution is one of the most unnecessary and unavoidable factors in the world, which ends up affecting human beings, especially children. Loud noise ends up affecting the biological rhythm of the body. It affects concentration, attention, learning power and also causes sleeping disorders, high blood pressure and distraction. The way soft music heals the mind and soul, similarly loud noise can make one deaf. Noise above a certain decibel is harmful as human ear is not used to harsh and loud sound. Hence, loud sound causes stress. The worst thing is one cannot avoid the loud noise and pollution around. The only way parents can take precaution is by not exposing children to unwanted noise, which can be easily avoided. Make your kids listen to music or TV at minimum sound.
—Dr Nitin Dalaya, psychiatrist, Nityanand Rehabilitation Centre
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