If you do one thing this week . . . check the volume

Let’s face it, commuting can be a bore. So many of us pop on earphones and plug into audio entertainment. But how is that adding to our exposure to noise?

A new study looked at annual noise exposures from common sources – including transit and MP3 players – in a sample of more than 4,500 New Yorkers.

“MP3 player and stereo use, which represented a small fraction of the total annual hours for each subject on average, was the primary source of exposure among the majority of urban dwellers we evaluated,” write the authors in Environmental Science and Technology.

While the study didn’t look at the effects of reducing that noise exposure, it’s a reminder to take the sources into account.

“A growing number of studies show noise causes stress, sleep disturbance, and heart disease,” said researcher Rick Neitzel in an article on the University of Michigan website.

“It may be the noise which we haven’t historically paid much attention to is actually contributing to some of the top health problems in developed countries today. This begs for a public health education programme.”