For the first time, researchers have systematically cataloged the loudest parts of Portland to understand how noise pollution impacts our health.
Why it matters: Researchers have consistently linked noise pollution to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and other serious health problems.
Driving the news: A research team from Oregon State University and the Multnomah County Health Department conducted a citywide noise assessment.
- They used high-quality monitors to record sound 24 hours a day for a year starting in August 2023.
What they found: The areas with the most noise pollution were where you might expect — along major freeways, downtown and in industrial areas — but there were some surprises, the study’s authors said.
- “[Noise] patterns didn’t always align with traditional city zoning categories, like residential or commercial zones, and in some cases could differ even from one block to the next,” study co-author and OSU graduate student Carson Mowrer said in a written statement.
By the numbers: The team found “day-night average sound levels” between 49.6 and 86.7 decibels.
- Average sound levels exceeded guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency at 78% of sites, they found, and were particularly high in low-income and racially diverse neighborhoods.
Threat level: Excessive exposure to noise pollution can lead to sleep loss, cognitive impairment, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, among other health impacts, per the WHO…