Clamor How noise took over the world - and how we can take it back

Excessive noise poses a health hazard to humans and the natural world, according to this alarming study. Science writer Berdik (Mind Over Mind) surveys research that found residents of neighborhoods with lots of traffic or airplane noise face an increased risk of developing stress-related heart complaints, and that elementary school students in classrooms next to elevated train lines have inferior learning outcomes compared to students at the same school who sit in quieter classrooms. Nature is no less affected by noise, Berdik contends, discussing studies showing how sound from cargo ships has contributed to population declines in North Atlantic right whales by making it difficult for individuals to hear the calls of potential mates, and how the din from cars has reduced white crowned sparrows' average body mass by forcing them to devote foraging time toward looking out for predators they can no longer hear approaching. There's plenty of fascinating trivia throughout (in the 1960s, French scientist Vladimir Gavreau reportedly constructed "massive whistles" intended to kill listeners by playing extremely loud sounds at frequencies below the threshold of human hearing), and Berdik offers an illuminating overview of efforts to reshape the world's "soundscapes" by, for instance, outfitting large ships' engine rooms with sound-absorbing materials. This sobering warning brings much-needed attention to an overlooked pollutant. (May)

Noise annoys--and worse. As a pollutant, noise is unique because it's ephemeral. Greenhouse gases linger in the atmosphere and microplastics fill the ocean, but once you stop making noise, it's gone. That's not necessarily good news, writes journalist Berdik, author ofMind Over Mind: The Surprising Power of Expectations, who has done his homework and delivers a painless education. After describing the background (how we hear) and the nature of the problem (the noises we make are more harmful than we realize), he explains what we can do (more than we're doing). Better than vision, hearing connects us with others, and the harm caused by noise begins before anything surfaces on an audiogram. Children who can't hear well suffer delayed development, and adults with hearing loss increase their risk of dementia. Much of Berdik's book describes efforts to tame noises that we take for granted. Decibels measure sound intensity, but equating noise with loudness underestimates the risk of quieter domains such as offices and hospitals. Open-plan offices are spreading because they save money, but studies show that workers exposed to increasing background chatter are less productive and more stressed. No one likes the ubiquitous hospital beeps and alarms, and noisy operating rooms are absolutely life threatening. Operating rooms are getting their act together, and ingenious inventors are producing instruments that produce more informative sounds than the universal beeps, although many readers will note that these haven't caught on. Less noisy "healthy buildings" and "healthy cities" have become an architectural mantra, and noise trumps food, service, and price as the leading restaurant complaint. Berdik describes clever, if often expensive, solutions to all. Delivering the obligatory bad news about the environment, he writes that massive noise, mostly from shipping, is disorienting whales and other undersea life, but fixes are possible. Expert attention to a pollutant that's not getting the attention it deserves. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.