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Shaping a 21st century federal noise control program

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (2024)Cite this article

In 1968, United States Surgeon General William Stewart declared noise a public health hazard that contributes to hearing loss, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, and psychological disorders [1]. Yet today, because of a single action taken more than 40 years ago at the start of a new federal Administration, the US has no federal noise control program.

In the Clean Air Amendments of 1970 (Public Law 91-604), Congress mandated a “full and complete investigation and study of noise and its effect on the public health and welfare and established the Office of Noise Abatement and Control within the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Two years later, Congress, acting on the results of that investigation, enacted the Noise Control Act of 1972 (NCA) “to promote an environment for all Americans free from noise that jeopardizes their health or welfare,” to coordinate Federal agency noise activities, to authorize federal noise emission standards, and to educate the public on noise and noise reduction (42 U.S.C. § 4901(b)). In 1978, Congress strengthened that legislation by passing the Quiet Communities Act (42 U.S.C. § 4913) as an amendment to the NCA, thereby authorizing EPA to provide informational, technical, and financial assistance to State and local governments.

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References

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Joel Mintz, Richard Reibstein, and Sidney Shapiro for their review and comments. Charles L. Elkins is former Director of the EPA Noise Control Program.

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  1. Quiet Communities Inc., Concord, MA, USA

    Charles L. Elkins & Jamie L. Banks

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  1. Charles L. Elkins
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  2. Jamie L. Banks
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Both authors (CLE and JLB) contributed materially to this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jamie L. Banks.

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Elkins, C.L., Banks, J.L. Shaping a 21st century federal noise control program. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-024-00657-y

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