by Mary McQueen
Texarkana Gazette
August 3, 2007
For a relatively small town, Texarkana sure is noisy. Residents have complained about noise from boom cars, trains, neighbors’ stereos, barking dogs, nearby nightclubs, nearby industries, and loud vehicle exhausts. People living in noisy neighborhoods experience a drop in property values.
Even noise that is not loud enough to cause hearing damage can put stress and tension on the body. It can cause both physical and emotional damage.
Measured physical reactions include increased blood pressure, heart palpitations, secretion of adrenaline, intestinal distress, and other problems.
Emotional and mental reactions include anger, aggression, learning difficulties, increased suicide rates, and others. Chronic insomnia from being repeatedly awakened night after night causes a host of problems, including chronic fatigue. Even noise that is not loud enough to awaken a person can affect quality of sleep.
Statistics show that noise violation is a gateway to more serious crime. Recently in Marysville, California, a drug dealer was caught as a result of being stopped for a loud car stereo. Most of the criminals in the Youngstown, Ohio jail were found to be noise violators.
If you are tired of the noise, there is something you can do about it. The Texarkana chapter of Noise Free America (www.noisefree.org) will have its first meeting on August 14, 2007. It will start at 6:00 pm in the Nelson Meeting Room at the Texarkana Public Library. Everyone is invited. For more information, call Mary McQueen at 870-733-1776.