Haro about the noise. In New York, the authorities have decided to tackle noise pollution, which significantly increases sanitary risks. For several months, the city’s population has been able to observe strange camera panels, flanked by baffles, in the wealthy Upper West Side district, in the heart of Manhattan and a few hundred meters from the Empire State Building, reports the Guardian. Don’t see this as an invitation to celebrate collectively in the already very noisy streets of the “Big Apple”.
These cameras with multiple speakers measure your sound footprint. Capable of identifying a sound source within a radius of 15 meters, they target any user of public space. Beware of those who would like to evade the new legislation. If the threshold of 85 decibels (dB) is exceeded, offenders receive a fine of 220 dollars, or 209 euros. Recidivism costs $2,625.
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Increased risks of cardiovascular diseases
This measure is part of the Stop Loud and Excessive Exhaust Pollution law, promulgated by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. For several years, it has been spreading. In Knoxville (Tennessee), Miami (Florida), and in certain locations in California, cameras are already part of the landscape. For some experts, these new machines are justified by the health risks associated with too much exposure to noise.
“It harms us in a potentially deadly wayalerted environmental health professor Richard Neitzel. We are increasingly concerned about the wealth of literature linking noise to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke risk.”he continued.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had already warned that road traffic was not harmless for health. From 50 dB, the risk of developing heart disease increases by 8% per 10 dB, reported Le Figaro in January 2022. Note that the threshold set by the State of New York is equivalent to a “lawn mower” noise, Rubeus Peckham, an executive at the company SoundVue, behind the noise-canceling machines, told the Guardian.
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The risk of stigma
The health argument does not convince all the experts. “Noise-canceling cameras are a very lazy and superficial solution”, epidemiologist Erica Walker told the British daily. According to her, this program risks targeting “acoustic culture of a community”.
She points in particular to a risk of stigmatization in neighborhoods with “many black children who play music. Accusations brushed aside by Rubeus Peckam: “it’s absurd”. “If no violations are committed, then there is no risk of surveillance.” Still, the localized experiment should extend to other districts of New York.
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2023-10-06 05:27:00
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