The detrimental effects of exposure to noise on health is widely known and acknowledged within the medical circle as well outside of it. However, while the effects on noise on hearing impairment is common knowledge there are also other serious adverse health effects which are related to the noise nuisance.
Noise has been associated with important cardio-vascular health problems. In 1999, the World Health Organization concluded that the available evidence suggested a weak association between long-term noise exposure above 67-70 dB(A) and hypertension. More recent studies have suggested that noise levels of 50 dB at night may also increase the risk of myocardial infarction by chronically elevating cortisol production.

Fairly typical roadway noise levels are sufficient to constrict arterial blood flow and lead to elevated blood pressure; in this case, it appears that a certain fraction of the population is more susceptible to vasoconstriction. This may result because annoyance from the sound causes elevated adrenaline levels trigger a narrowing of the blood vessels (vasoconstriction), or independently through medical stress reactions. Other effects of high noise levels are increased frequency of headaches, fatigue, stomach ulcers and vertigo. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency authored a pamphlet in 1978 that suggested a correlation between low-birthweight babies (using the World Health Organization definition of less than 2,500 g (~5.5 lb) and high sound levels, and also correlations in abnormally high rates of birth defects, where expectant mothers are exposed to elevated sound levels, such as typical airport environs. Specific birth abnormalities included harelip, cleft palate, and defects in the spine. (Source: Wikipedia).

Therefore the disclosure that the Guidelines for noise emission into the environment (GYS 263:2010) was recently approved as a national standard by the National Standards Council is extremely good news.

This mandatory standard, which specifies permissible or allowable noise levels for commercial, industrial, residential, institutional, educational, construction, transportation and recreational receptors in Guyana, for many, is timely and necessary to ensure that the requisite limits are applied in all sectors and communities throughout Guyana. It is expected that the guidelines established in this document will operate under and provide the necessary support to the Environmental Protection Noise Management Regulation of 2000.

In the standard, noise is defined as “unwanted sound which may cause or tend to cause an adverse psychological effect on human beings and includes vibration”. The unit for measuring noise is the decibel (dB) which describes the sound pressure level or intensity of sound. The new guideline values or limits for noise in specific environments, as stated in the standard include for residential, 75 dB in the daytime and 60 dB in the night time; for industrial, 100 dB in the daytime and 80 dB in the night time; and commercial, 80 dB in the daytime and 65 dB in the night time.

The establishment of these limits means that individuals who enjoy playing their music very loudly in residential areas, and commercial businesses and companies operating machines, generators and other sound emitters indiscriminately without the necessary mufflers, must urgently take the necessary steps to reduce these sound emissions to below the acceptable limits of the standard.

It is certainly time now that this noise nuisance be aggressively cracked down upon bec
ause it is getting worse on a daily basis.

Apart from the adverse health effects people should have the common sense to realise that noise is also a security risk because if someone is attacked by criminals his/her screams for help will be drowned and therefore no one would be aware of what is happening thus no assistance would be rendered to the victim(s).

Unfortunately, in our society today common sense apparently has been thrown out of the window and loud music and speech etc seem to have become a part of our national culture.
If this madness is not halted forthwith our society will degenerate into further lawlessness.