Las Piedras, Puerto Rico: Noisy Pharmaceutical Factory

This link provides a sample of the constant noise from the factory.

Laura Acevedo, a Las Piedras resident, stated that the extreme noise from McNeil las Piedras “has been affecting my mental health and my relationship with my family, since we are always sad and annoyed by the noise.  I have had to start taking anxiolytics to prevent myself from losing control.  The extreme noise is a constant torture that follows you even when you close all your windows.  I can’t be at peace inside.  I can’t work on my garden peacefully.  I can’t do anything without being exposed to the tension, stress, and anger that this noise creates.”

Carlos Alicea, a resident of Las Piedras, stated that the McNeil las Piedras pharmaceutical factory “has produced severe discomfort for my family and me.  A couple of months after moving here, we started to notice a terrible humming noise and vibrations, and it got worse and worse.  We quickly realized it was the factory half a mile away. This is the worst pharmaceutical facility in Puerto Rico.”

Another Las Piedras resident, Emanuel Silva, noted that “the facility has been incorporating major upgrades to its operation without considering the multiple communities on its surroundings; the last update, culminated in September 2021, caused a major increase in noise pollution. Forcing multiple communities to live with this noise 24/7 and this triggered many recent noise nuisance complaints.”

Silva notes that “to deal with this extreme noise, numerous individuals have expressed their displeasure to the facility.  However, nothing has been done and the noise hasn’t decreased. Facility managers claim that they are doing assessments on their equipment and blame irrelevant ‘background sources.’  Multiple Puerto Rican factories are even closer to residential communities, but their noise levels are completely acceptable.”

Silva concludes, “I strongly believe that pharmaceutical facilities need to be strongly regulated, similar to Florida’s law that prohibits vehicles from playing music at a level that can be heard from 25 feet away. Pharmaceutical factories should not be heard from 1,000 feet away, as there is technology to prevent industrial machinery from being so loud.”

Individuals wishing to express their displeasure with the noisy factory may contact Francisco Rivera, the facility administrator, at [email protected].

Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet is a national citizens’ organization devoted to noise reduction.  Past “winners” of the Noisy Dozen award include Sanger, Texas; Fayetteville, Arkansas; and Titusville, Florida.