NOISE POLLUTION : THE UNSEEN STORM OF HEALTH ISSUES

Noise is an unwanted and disharmonic sound pollutant which has a direct and indirect effect on human health. It is an environmental pollutant but does not affect the air, soil or water environment. With increasing industrialization and modernization over the last decade, the health hazard of this measurable pollutant has increased to label it a "Silent Killer" with lots of health related issues. According to WHO, around 63 million people i.e. around 6.3% of total population is affected by hearing loss in India due to noise pollution. Despite our ability to precisely measure noise, its effects on health have been largely neglected until recently in most countries and unfortunately this neglect continues in most developing countries, including India. Worldwide it is estimated that hundreds of millions of people suffer a range of health effects due to noise pollution but there is no national plan in India to reduce environmental noise pollution.