London’s Growing Noise Pollution Problem

When hearing about pollution in London your mind will likely turn to dreary grey clouds of smoke spewing out of the chimneys of factories and homes alike. However, pollution does not always entail pollution of the air, and another type of pollution is quietly becoming a serious issue across the boroughs of London.

Noise pollution is an abundance of noise emitted from a variety of different sources. In 2016, there were over half a million noise complaints to councils across the UK. Though not a problem as widely spoken about as air pollution, noise pollution can be a serious concern. Studies are quickly emerging that link exposure to high noise levels, particularly at night, with an array of health problems.

J Radford Group are particularly concerned with these claims, especially in an industry that typically emits a lot of noise as a result of our operations. Therefore, we’ve been committed to learning about the growing problem of noise pollution and changing our operations accordingly as not to contribute to the issue. This article is going to explore all these issues, and show exactly how we are currently achieving our goal.

Why is London’s growing noise pollution a problem?

London is our nation’s capital: a densely compacted hub of residents, businesses, leisure, tourism, nightlife and transport. It’s a vibrant city, buzzing with interaction and activity. This is certainly something to celebrated, but unfortunately, much like any densely populated area — and certainly a capital city — it’s going to be noisy as a result.

Some of the main contributions to London’s growing noise pollution problem include:

Transport – Perhaps the biggest contributor, London is home to five major airports. Airplanes, especially when landing and taking off, emit huge amounts of noise pollution, and this is particularly noticeable if you live in areas near Heathrow. The constant flurry of buses, cars, motorbikes and trains, at all hours of the night, also add fuel to the fire.

Leisure – As a huge, busy hub, London is teeming with nightlife and activity until the day begins again. Though this makes London a fantastic and exciting city, it also contributes to excessive noise pollution compared with other areas of the UK.

How is it affecting London residents?

An obvious effect of living in an environment that is loud at night is a reduction in sleep quality, but a lesser known effect is the amount of health problems that can manifest as a result of sleep deprivation (in addition to the direct exposure to loud noises). The World Health Organisation stated that noise levels measuring over 40 decibels outside of a bedroom at night can lead to adverse health effects. To put London’s noise pollution into perspective, noise levels in East London have been measured up to 87 decibels.

These health problems include:

Heart disease – Research shows that loud noise can contribute to heart disease, likely because of elevated blood pressure.

Hearing loss – Constant exposure to loud noise can damage the eardrum over time, leading to hearing loss.

Issues in a child’s development – A study showed that child development can be interfered with as a result of high noise levels, particularly a child’s reading comprehension.

Increased blood pressure – Stress from noise, as well as sleep deprivation, can increase blood pressure. This can be a prerequisite for heart disease or even death.

What are J Radford doing to combat noise pollution?

Here at J Radford we’re conscious of doing our bit to reduce the amount of noise pollution in London. As a result we now operate all of our services in our mobile soundproof tent. This tent allows us to work professionally and efficiently while preventing the loud noise from disrupting those nearby. Further, the mobility of our equipment means we can carry and use it anywhere, meaning we can continue delivering the high-quality shot blasting, sand blasting, grit blasting and other cleaning services our customers have loved for over thirty years.

To learn more about our mobile soundproof tents or our dedication to reducing our noise pollution around London, give our team a call today or use our contact form. We’re always happy to hear from you.