Noise pollution

Gerald Goodwin, Fgura.

It is commendable that we have now taken steps to stop smoking in restaurants. To have the ban include all bars is a different matter; nevertheless, it shall be interesting to see if these laws are enforced or will it again be "well we have drawn up the law, now it's up to someone else to implement it" again, as is the case of vehicle exhaust emissions.

Now I come upon the other pollution matter which everyone seems to ignore, that is the matter of noise pollution. There are strict guidelines in factories or workplaces as to noise pollution but once outside no one cares.

I have in the past been criticised by my seniors about the noise a particular piece of machinery was making, and how can I muffle the noise, when right outside the very factory door there was a car with more speakers than the average disco blaring out deafening music and an oversized exhaust pipe, which would be of better use as a storm drain.

I live on a main road (my choice) in a second storey apartment and sometimes I cannot hear my own television set due to what I call the Boom Boom cars. I call them that as that is all one hears from the outside of the cars which race up and down the street and no one stops them.

Noise pollution is a very dangerous thing, any medical person can tell you that, and that is why action is being taken in workplaces. Excess noise is very harmful to the whole body, so I fear that if measures are not taken to stop these Boom Boom cars the hospitals will be even more overloaded than they already are. One irritant has been stopped, now let the authorities concentrate on the other irritant, which affects everyone, no matter where one is.