Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it | Mathias Basner

翻译人员: Ruijie Wu 校对人员: Bighead Ge

Do you hear that?

你们听到了吗？

Do you know what that is?

你们知道那是什么吗？

Silence.

寂静。

The sound of silence.

那是寂静的声音。

Simon and Garfunkel wrote a song about it.

西蒙和加芬克尔二人为它写过一首歌， （《寂静之声》）

But silence is a pretty rare commodity these days,

但现如今寂静变得尤其罕见，

and we're all paying a price for it in terms of our health --

而我们都在为此付出的代价 ——尤其是在健康上，

a surprisingly big price, as it turns out.

而且是非常巨大的代价。

Luckily, there are things we can do right now,

幸运的是，我们现在还是可以做些什么，

both individually and as a society,

不管是个人还是社会，

to better protect our health

来保护我们的健康，

and give us more of the benefits of the sounds of silence.

以及让我们享受到更多寂静带来的好处。

I assume that most of you know that too much noise is bad for your hearing.

我想大部分人应该知道过多的噪音 对听力会有损害，

Whenever you leave a concert or a bar and you have that ringing in your ears,

你在离开一个演唱会或者酒吧的时候， 如果耳中还有余音，

you can be certain that you have done some damage to your hearing,

那你的听力肯定已经受到损害了，

likely permanent.

而且很可能是永久性的。

And that's very important.

这很重要。

However, noise affects our health in many different ways beyond hearing.

不过，噪音对健康的影响远不止于听力，

They're less well-known,

这些影响不为人所知，

but they're just as dangerous as the auditory effects.

但却和听觉受损同样危险。

So what do we mean when we talk about noise?

所以，当我们在谈论噪音时， 究竟在谈论什么？

Well, noise is defined as unwanted sound,

噪音是“不被欢迎的声音”，

and as such, both has a physical component, the sound,

它包括物理层面，即声音本身，

and a psychological component,

以及心理层面，

the circumstances that make the sound unwanted.

即该声音不受欢迎的原因。

A very good example is a rock concert.

摇滚乐演唱会就是个很好的例子，

A person attending the rock concert, being exposed to 100 decibels,

参加摇滚演唱会的人 会被100分贝的声音环绕，

does not think of the music as noise.

但却不认为那是噪音。

This person likes the band, and even paid a hundred dollars for the ticket,

他喜欢那个乐队， 甚至花了100美元买票。

so no matter how loud the music, this person doesn't think of it as noise.

所以不管音乐有多大声， 他也不会认为那是噪音。

In contrast, think of a person living three blocks away from the concert hall.

反过来，想想住在演唱会场馆 三个街区以外的一个人，

That person is trying to read a book,

他正想看书，

but cannot concentrate because of the music.

但因为音乐声而无法集中注意力，

And although the sound pressure levels are much lower in this situation,

尽管在这里，音量已经小了很多，

this person still thinks of the music as noise,

但他仍然会认为这是噪音，

and it may trigger reactions that can, in the long run, have health consequences.

而且还可能触发 引起长期健康问题的反应。

So why are quiet spaces so important?

所以为什么安静的地方如此重要？

Because noise affects our health in so many ways beyond hearing.

因为噪音对我们的影响 远远大于听力损害。

However, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find quiet spaces

但是，现在要想找到安静的地方难上加难，

in times of constantly increasing traffic,

交通更拥挤，

growing urbanization,

城市化加速，

construction sites, air-conditioning units,

到处工程施工、空调运作，

leaf blowers, lawnmowers,

还有吹叶机和除草机的声音，

outdoor concerts and bars, personal music players,

包括户外音乐会和酒吧、独立音乐演奏者，

and your neighbors partying until 3am.

你的邻居还夜夜笙歌至凌晨三点，

Whew!

呼！

In 2011, the World Health Organization estimated

2011年，世界健康组织预计，

that 1.6 million healthy life years are lost every year

每年人们的健康生命年总损失达160万年，

due to exposure to environmental noise

仅仅因为环境噪音，

in the Western European member states alone.

而这还只算了西欧国家。

One important effect of noise is that it disturbs communication.

噪音的一大影响是它阻碍了沟通，

You may have to raise your voice to be understood.

人们需要提高音量来让别人听到，

In extreme cases, you may even have to pause the conversation.

在极端情况下，你可能还要中断对话。

It's also more likely to be misunderstood in a noisy environment.

而在嘈杂环境中，人们也更容易被误解。

These are all likely reasons why studies have found

因此，研究发现，

that children who attend schools in noisy areas

在嘈杂地区上学的儿童，

are more likely to lag behind their peers in academic performance.

更倾向于在学术表现上比同龄人落后。

Another very important health effect of noise

另一个重要的噪音带来的健康影响是，

is the increased risk for cardiovascular disease

它会提高人们得心血管疾病的几率，

in those who are exposed to relevant noise levels

尤其是那些在较高噪音水平中，

for prolonged periods of time.

生活了很长时间的人。

Noise is stress,

噪音带来压力，

especially if we have little or no control over it.

尤其是在我们无法控制噪音的情况下。

Our body excretes stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol

我们的身体会分泌荷尔蒙， 如肾上腺素和皮质醇，

that lead to changes in the composition of our blood

它们会改变我们的血液组成，

and in the structure of our blood vessels,

还会改变我们的血管架构，

which have been shown to be stiffer after a single night of noise exposure.

比如当我们经历了一晚的噪音后，血管就会变硬。

Epidemiological studies show associations between the noise exposure

流行病学研究发现，

and an increased risk for high blood pressure,

噪音会带来高血压的风险，

heart attacks and stroke,

以及心脏病发作、中风等风险，

and although the overall risk increases are relatively small,

虽然这样的风险增加度不高，

this still constitutes a major public health problem

但这仍然是影响大众健康状况的很大因素。

because noise is so ubiquitous,

因为噪音无处不在，

and so many people are exposed to relevant noise levels.

太多人一直在不同程度的噪音当中。

A recent study found that US society

近期一个研究发现，

could save 3.9 billion dollars each year

美国每年可以省下39亿美元，

by lowering environmental noise exposure by five decibels,

只要把环境噪音降低5分贝，

just by saving costs for treating cardiovascular disease.

而这也是为治疗心血管疾病省下成本。

There are other diseases like cancer, diabetes and obesity

还有其它疾病如癌症、糖尿病和肥胖症，

that have been linked to noise exposure,

它们都和噪音暴露有关系。

but we do not have enough evidence yet

但我们目前实际上还没有足够的证据，

to, in fact, conclude that these diseases are caused by the noise.

来说明这些疾病是由噪音造成的。

Yet another important effect of noise is sleep disturbance.

噪音另一个重要影响是睡眠，

Sleep is a very active mechanism that recuperates us

睡眠是一个非常活跃的机制， 来为我们恢复活力，

and prepares us for the next wake period.

让我们准备好迎接下一个清醒时段。

A quiet bedroom is a cornerstone of what sleep researchers call

一个安静的房间是一些研究者口中的

"a good sleep hygiene."

“一个好觉”的基石。

And our auditory system has a watchman function.

我们的听力系统有一个“看门人”的功能，

It's constantly monitoring our environment for threats,

它持续地检测着我们所处的环境中 是否有威胁，

even while we're sleeping.

即便是在我们睡觉的时候。

So noise in the bedroom can cause a delay in the time it takes us to fall asleep,

所以房间里的噪音 会延迟我们的入睡时间，

it can wake us up during the night,

还会让我们在半夜醒来，

and it can prevent our blood pressure from going down during the night.

它会阻碍我们的血压在夜晚降低。

We have the hypothesis that if these noise-induced sleep disturbances

我们有个假设， 如果这种被噪音性睡眠障碍

continue for months and years,

持续几个月或几年，

then an increased risk for cardiovascular disease is likely the consequence.

那么心血管疾病的发病概率将会提高。

However, we are often not aware of these noise-induced sleep disturbances,

然而，我们常常无法意识到这些 噪音性睡眠障碍的存在，

because we are unconscious while we're sleeping.

因为我们在睡觉时没有意识。

In the past, we've done studies on the effects of traffic noise on sleep,

我们曾经对在交通噪音环境中 睡觉的人做过研究，

and research subjects would often wake up in the morning and say,

研究对象们经常在早晨起来后说，

"Ah, I had a wonderful night, I fell asleep right away,

“啊，我昨晚睡得很好，马上睡着了，

never really woke up."

中途也没有醒。“

When we would go back to the physiological signals

但当我们回头看各种前晚记录的

we had recorded during the night,

身体数据时，

we would often see numerous awakenings

我们常常看到大量的身体唤醒，

and a severely fragmented sleep structure.

以及严重片段化的睡眠结构。

These awakenings were too brief for the subjects to regain consciousness

这些唤醒太短，不至于让被研究者恢复意识，

and to remember them during the next morning,

或者在第二天早上还能记得。

but they may nevertheless have a profound impact

但它们将会带来深远的影响，

on how restful our sleep is.

决定了我们的睡眠带来的休息价值有多少。

So when is loud too loud?

所以什么时候声音才算过大？

A good sign of too loud is once you start changing your behavior.

一个很好的信号是，你开始改变你的行为。

You may have to raise your voice to be understood,

比如你可能要更大声地说话以让别人理解，

or you increase the volume of your TV.

或者你开始增加电视音量，

You're avoiding outside areas, or you're closing your window.

你开始避开户外区域，关上窗户，

You're moving your bedroom to the basement of the house,

你把你的卧室移到地下室，

or you even have sound insulation installed.

或者你甚至装上了隔音设备。

Many people will move away to less noisy areas,

很多人会搬到更少噪音的地方去，

but obviously not everybody can afford that.

但显然不是所有人都可以负担得起。

So what can we do right now to improve our sound environment

所以我们可以做些什么 来改善声音环境呢，

and to better protect our health?

从而保护我们的健康呢？

Well, first of all, if something's too loud, speak up.

第一，如果你感觉太吵，就要表达意见。

For example, many owners of movie theaters

比如，很多电影院的老板，

seem to think that only people hard of hearing are still going to the movies.

好像都以为只有听力不好的人才去电影院，

If you complain about the noise and nothing happens,

如果你抱怨过它的噪音但没有效果，

demand a refund and leave.

你可以要求退款或者直接离开，

That's the language that managers typically do understand.

电影院的经理肯定会明白你传达的信息的。

Also, talk to your children about the health effects of noise

你还可以教导你的孩子们 关于噪音对健康的影响，

and that listening to loud music today will have consequences when they're older.

他们现在大声地听音乐， 以后他们将为此付出代价。

You can also move your bedroom to the quiet side of the house,

你也可以把你的卧室移到 房子比较安静的地方，

where your own building shields you from road traffic noise.

你的房子本身就可以为你阻挡 一部分的交通噪音。

If you're looking to rent or buy a new place,

如果你正在寻找新的房子，

make low noise a priority.

把安静和噪音少作为首选条件，

Visit the property during different times of the day

在一天的不同时间参观房子，

and talk to the neighbors about noise.

和邻居讨论一下噪音。

You can wear noise-canceling headphones when you're traveling

在旅行的时候，你可以戴降噪耳机，

or if your office has high background noise levels.

如果你的办公室有强噪音环境，也可以戴。

In general, seek out quiet spaces,

总的来说，寻找安静的地方，

especially on the weekend or when you're on vacation.

尤其是在周末或你正在休假的时候，

Allow your system to wind down.

让你的身体系统放松。

I, very appropriately for this talk,

和这次演讲十分呼应的是，

attended a noise conference in Japan four years ago.

四年前，我在日本参加了一个有关噪音的会议，

When I returned to the United States and entered the airport,

当我回到美国，进入机场时，

a wall of sound hit me.

无数声音像墙一样向我袭来。

This tells you that we don't realize anymore

这告诉我们，我们不再对

the constant degree of noise pollution we're exposed to

噪音污染的暴露感到敏感，

and how much we could profit from more quiet spaces.

而且也不再意识到安静的环境 可以给我们带来多大的好处。

What else can we do about noise?

我们还能做些什么？

Well, very much like a carbon footprint, we all have a noise footprint,

正如二氧化碳足迹一样， 我们也有噪音足迹，

and there are things we can do to make that noise footprint smaller.

而这些是我们可以缩小噪音足迹的方式。

For example, don't start mowing your lawn at 7am on a Saturday morning.

比如，不要在周六早上七点 就开始除草，

Your neighbors will thank you.

你的邻居会感谢你的。

Or use a rake instead of a leaf blower.

或者你可以用耙子而不是吹叶机。

In general, noise reduction at the source makes the most sense,

总的来说，从源头减少噪音是最合理的，

so whenever you're looking to buy a new car,

所以当你在考虑买新车，

air-conditioning unit, blender, you name it,

买空调，买搅拌机， 或者其它什么的时候，

make low noise a priority.

把低噪音作为一个首选条件。

Many manufacturers will list the noise levels their devices generate,

很多制造商会把 低噪音水平考虑到设备生产中，

and some even advertise with them.

有些甚至会以此作为广告亮点，

Use that information.

好好利用这样的信息。

Many people think that stronger noise regulation and enforcement are good ideas,

很多认为有力的噪音法规 和执行是好的方法，

even obvious solutions, perhaps,

甚至可能觉得这才是最明显的解决方式，

but it's not as easy as you may think,

但这不像人们想象中简单。

because many of the activities that generate noise

因为许多带来噪音的活动，

also generate revenue.

同样带来收入。

Think about an airport and all the business that is associated with it.

想想机场带来的商业效应就知道了。

Our research tells politicians at what noise level

我们的研究也告诉政治家们，

they can expect a certain health effect,

怎样的噪音水平会带来怎样的健康效应，

and that helps inform better noise policy.

这会帮助更有效的噪音政策出台。

Robert Koch supposedly once said,

细菌学家罗泊特·科赫曾说，

"One day, mankind will fight noise as relentlessly as cholera and the pest."

“总有一天，人类和噪音的斗争会像 他们和霍乱、害虫的斗争一样残酷。”

I think we're there,

我想这一天已经来到了，

and I hope that we will win this fight,

我希望我们可以赢得这场斗争，

and when we do, we can all have a nice, quiet celebration.

而当这实现时，我们可以举行一次 美好的、安静的庆祝活动。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）