Honking loudly in Indian cities is a reflex action, something which requires a habitual change, said C. John Panicker, national president, National Initiative for Safe Sound, addressing a gathering of doctors in the city on Sunday.
He was speaking at a seminar on Noise and Health and Prevention organised by the Indian Medical Association, Tiruchi Chapter, in association with Lions Club International to highlight the importance of controlling deafness. “Traffic, loudspeakers, ceremonies, industrial noise, and home noise are all contributors to noise,” Dr. Panicker said. Sound by definition is loudness and the pitch. “If a sound is 90 to 125 decibels, it is tolerable. It would affect neuropsychological functioning and cardiovascular system, especially blood pressure. Concentration levels would also drop”, he said.
The sound of silence, called ‘silent sound’ is 50 dB. The usual sounds in residential, commercial and industrial areas are 55 dB, 65 dB and 75 dB respectively.
“Anything over that is noise. It must be restricted and personal care such as earmuffs and earplugs could be used,” Dr. Panicker said.
W. Justine, ENT Consultant, Tilak Hospitals Tiruchi, who spoke on ‘Prevention and Control of Deafness’ said the society must be sensitised to address people with hearing disabilities. “Disability is not overt. People usually tend to think that they are acting ignorant, or even rude,” he said. Dr. Justine said that one in 1,000 children are born deaf while three or four in 1,000 are born partially deaf. We must all be taught to make them feel included,” he said.
S. Karunakaran, Governor, Rotary International, Srilanka and Maldives; Chitra Devi, Deputy Manager (Medical), BHEL; and C.N. Raja, National Coordinator for National Initiative for Safe Sound took part in the event.
