New York noise levels a threat to hearing: study

New York is still such a noisy city that its inhabitants could suffer from significant hearing loss in coming years, a study made public Wednesday has found.

Presented at a conference of the New York Academy of Medicine, the study found that 98 percent of noise measurements taken were at levels harmful to human health.

"Ninety-eight percent of the noise levels of public spaces in NYC exceeded recommended community noise levels. Even oases of quiet had high noise levels," the study said.

In 60 sites in Manhattan known for high noise levels (above 70 decibels), experts sampled noise levels every 10 minutes from 9 am to 5 pm on week days.

Using the measurements, they made a sound map of Manhattan that pin-points the city's noisiest locations, including Times Square, Broadway and some areas of the Upper East Side.

(c) 2010 AFP