Urban Noise Pollution in Nigerian Cities: Imperatives for Abatement

Noise, it is said, is any sound that is unpleasant to the ear. Medically, when it persists, it can damage the ear. Considering the ear organ, it has been said that human ears were designed to process naturally-occurring sounds, and they are beautifully adapted to handle that task. They are able to detect sounds of intensities that vary across many orders of magnitude, and to meaningfully transmit these signals to our brains. But they are not well equipped to deal with the high noise levels that are common in Nigeria’s urban centres today, because such loud sounds occur only rarely in nature. Although the eardrum may sometimes be ruptured by severe noise (acoustic trauma) or pressure changes, the part that is most vulnerable to damage by noise lies more deeply in the inner ear, where the final processing takes place before the sound is converted into nerve impulses that are transmitted to the brain. The extent of damage noise pollution could inflict on man provided the impetus for this study which aims to verify the persistent incidence and magnitude of noise pollution in urban Nigeria. Findings revealed that urban dwellers in Nigeria are exposed to high noise levels (above 70 decibels), with the attendant health implications. The study recommends technical, planning, behavioural and public enlightenment strategies to abate noise pollution in urban Nigeria.