Noise pollution dangerous to health …the police need to act

By Pat Dial
NOISE pollution is one of the dangers to the environment little noticed in the media or officialdom as compared with garbage accumulations everywhere on the Coast of Guyana, and in particular in the City of Georgetown.  The problem of garbage accumulations and disposal is being addressed but very little has been done to address the noise problem.Noise pollution is one of the concomitants of modern civilization and accordingly affects the developed world, especially its cities, more than the developing countries.  But though the developing countries do not have the constant noise of aircraft, motor traffic and trains and large industrial machines, they do have their share of noise pollution.  In Guyana, so far, the main source of noise pollution comes from loud and raucous music played on the streets, on public transport and “after hours” during the night.
The dangers of noise pollution are many: 80 decibels and below was what the human ear had been designed to comfortably hear;  the human ear could hear up to 140 decibels.  Noises above 100 decibels could definitely be considered noise pollution and is harmful to health.
Chronic exposure to noise may result in hearing loss or deafness.  Thus those who regularly play loud music or performers in the loud jazz bands very often suffer hearing loss or deafness.
There are other dangers to health from noise: it could induce high stress levels, aggressiveness to others. annoyance, forgetfulness, sleep disturbances and severe depression.
High noise levels could lead to increased blood pressure, sometimes leading to high blood pressure and can contribute to cardiovascular disease.  Among young children, it could hamper cognition and language development resulting in their being low achievers at school.
In Guyana, and particularly Georgetown, loud music is the main noise pollutant.  Several stores, for example one on the northern side of Stabroek Square, have boom boxes on the pavement outside the store, blaring loud and raucous music all day.
But the greatest offenders are the minibuses.  All the minibuses are equipped with disc players and the music they play is vulgar, mostly Jamaican low-life songs,  These discs are played at the loudest levels and many of the “songs”, in addition to being noise pollutants and harmful to health, are explicitly sexual, racist, especially anti-Indian, anti-African and anti-White, and are generally contemptuous of and derogatory of women.
When one speaks with the drivers and conductors of these minibuses, they invariably claim that the passengers desire such music. Actually, the majority of commuters find the loud music disturbing but the conductors and drivers would aggressively threaten any passenger who complains.  The response to this is that those who wish to listen to music while travelling should have their own ear phones and music.
There is legislation passed in Parliament with the enthusiastic support of all political parties allowing the police to seize or ban all disc players from minibuses.  Radios are allowed but not disc players.  Also, the police were enjoined to begin prosecuting minibus drivers and conductors who infringed the law.
Would the Police now act and free minibus travellers from the scourge of noise pollution?