Do Americans have a right to quiet in their homes?

by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition

Photo Credit:  Cottonbro Studio

Do Americans have a right to quiet in their homes? At the moment, the answer is no, but in my latest publication, I argue that we should. 

Why? Because noise isn’t just a nuisance but has both auditory and non-auditory adverse health effects. Noise can cause auditory disorders, including hearing loss, tinnitus, and hyperacusis. Noise also can cause cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, heart attacks, and death. Noise pollution has been correlated, probably causally, with obesity, diabetes, infertility, cognitive decline and dementia, and mental health problems. Nighttime aircraft noise has been shown to cause fatal heart attacks.

With the incontrovertible evidence that noise poses significant health hazards for every American, it’s long past time for the promise of “an environment for all Americans free from noise that jeopardizes their health and welfare” to become a reality. That would mean that we do have a legal right to quiet in our homes, whether from neighbor noise or noise pollution from gas-powered landcare equipment, aircraft, road traffic, data centers, or pickleball courts.

The right to quiet is already recognized in Europe. The European Commission has established requirements for its member states to take steps to reduce noise exposure. A recent publication discussed policy implications of the mounting body of evidence about the dangers of noise.

Getting a legal right to quiet in our homes will require litigation or legislation or a combination of both. I am a doctor, not a lawyer, but I hope lawyers will accept the challenge of helping us make America quieter. The Quiet Coalition’s parent organization, Quiet Communities, Inc. has sued the Environmental Protection Agency to compel it to fulfill its congressional mandate under the Noise Control Act of 1972, including carrying out the functions of the Office of Noise Abatement and Control, which was defunded in the early 1980s. Read the full Quiet Communities v. EPA complaint here (PDF).

Please join us in working to make America a quieter, better, and healthier place for all. Become a member today.