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According to a recent "The Detroit News" article, "Noise isn't just aggravating; it can damage your health." What's a modern-day person to do to save his or her hearing and bodily soundness? The Vibro-Insulator line of noise, shock and vibration control products can help.

In today's high-tech, electronic-focused world, noise is everywhere. Many city dwellers have become so accustomed to the unending onslaught to their eardrums that they've developed an immunity to the auditory commotion. But suburbians and ruralites are no safer off. Power lawn mowers, barking dogs, turbo-powered leaf blowers and blaring stereos are just some of the earache culprits "The Detroit News" points to.

The article went on to reveal these startling statistics: "According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the sound from mowing a typical suburban lot with a riding lawnmower (90 to 95 decibels) can be heard 1/4 mile away and pollutes 100 acres with noise."

But the news gets worse, with all the experts consulted in the article agreeing on the detrimental impact of noise. Former U.S. Surgeon General, William H. Stewart, comes right to the point and declares, "Noise must be considered a hazard to ... health." In their March 2007 "Southern Medical Journal" article, Louis Hagler, M.D., and Lisa Goines, R.N. concurred. Therein, they "called noise pollution a plague" and "pointed out that environmental-noise pollution is not just an aggravation; it is a constantly increasing threat to health."

The National Library of Medicine adds even further fuel to the fire. Its "database lists more than 5,000 citations on the adverse health effects of noise pollution." What specific types of health hazards, however, are associated with noise? The answer may surprise you.

The World Health Organization spells the issues right out. "WHO has seven categories of adverse health effects caused by noise pollution: hearing impairment, interference with spoken communication, sleep disturbances, cardiovascular disturbances, disturbances in mental health, impaired task performance including cognitive and language development, and negative social behavior and annoyance reactions." That's a lot of residual health problems from something most of us don't even think of as unhealthy, a fact that indicates what we allow in our ears may be just as important as the foods we allow in our body.

Consider these decibel levels for sounds we encounter in our everyday lives:

a gas-powered lawnmower (88-94 dB)
a weed whacker (94-96 dB)
a leaf blower (95-105 dB)
a baby crying (110 dB)
a loud squeaky toy (110-135 dB)
a stereo system (100-110 dB)

Putting those levels into perspective, the article's author states, "According to the EPA, the average healthy outdoor sound level is below 55 dB. Indoor sound levels should be less than 45 dB (about the sound of a refrigerator). Anything above these levels adds stress to our already hectic lives." Oh, my aching ears!

Thank goodness for the Vibro-Insulator line of isolators and mounts. These products are used for the control of noise, vibration, and shock. From one pound to one ton, they're available in the right type of mount for every noise-reduction application.

Carmen Fontana is a Web Services Manger for Western Reserve Internet Services. She recommends visiting http://www.karmanrubber.com for more information on noise reduction.