NEW DELHI: With the city preoccupied with air pollution and AQI levels which are currently swinging between ‘poor’, ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’, it oblivious to another deadly source of pollution: noise pollution.
Talking about the impact of noise pollution, especially post-Diwali, Dr. Swapnil Brajpuriya, senior consultant & ENT head at Asian Hospital said that being exposed to continuous noise can cause both auditory and non-auditory problems in people.
“Exposure to such pollutants over prolonged time can lead to permanent threshold shifts and auditory problems continuing for life. Patients with premorbid conditions like diabetes, dialysis, cancer patients on chemotherapy, industrial workers and people involved in recreational music are at greater risk,” he said.
The winter poses major problems for people suffering with respiratory illnesses like asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease but the aggravated levels of air and noise pollution during festivals brings even otherwise healthy individuals in harm’s way in the context of serious health conditions and diseases.
Dr Brajpuriya said that he saw 4 patients in the last two days suffering from issues such as ear drum perforation and tinnitus attributable to damage to the ears. According to him, if the noise does not settle down in few weeks for the affected patients, there might be a need to operate on the perforated eardrums. As per a DPCC report, the noise level has risen to 84.5 dB in Karol Bagh, the highest in Delhi. The safe limit for humans is 40-50 dB.
Real Time Noise Monitoring was undertaken at 31 different locations in Delhi during Diwali this year. Dr. Abhinit Kumar, senior consultant & head of ENT department at Aakash Healthcare said that ear plugs and good noise cancelling devices could be helpful to protect the ears from unwanted sound generated during the festive season and in general.
All is not well
The aggravated levels of air and noise pollution brings even otherwise healthy individuals in harm’s way in the context of serious health conditions and diseases.