PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A study has determined that residents throughout various parts of Portland have been exposed to “unhealthy” noise pollution.
From August 2023 to August 2024, researchers from several universities and the Multnomah County Health Department used digital monitors to record sound patterns across the city. They found that most of the monitored areas surpassed the maximum noise levels recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization, according to research that Oregon State University claims is the first of its kind of the U.S.
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“Many people in the United States still think of noise as just a nuisance, not a real health risk,” OSU Assistant Professor and Environmental Epidemiologist Matthew Bozigar said. “But in Europe, research shows that noise is the second biggest environmental threat to health after air pollution — linked to more illness and early death than things like unsafe water, lead, chemicals or other pollutants.”
He directed the study alongside graduate student Carson Mowrer. Recently published in the Journal Of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, their research also claims that Portland’s loudest neighborhoods house the “most socially vulnerable” community members — with a higher share of lower-income residents and people of color…