According to a study carried out by researchers at the University of Michigan, people are getting less exposed to environmental noise pollution after the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
The researchers analysed the data from the Apple Hearing Study and looked at noise exposure data from volunteer Apple Watch users in Florida, New York, California, and Texas.
The researchers examined more than half-a-million daily noise levels measured before and during the pandemic.
They found that daily average sound levels dipped approximately three decibels after the administration put in place lockdown and social distancing measures by issuing stay-at-home orders in March and April, compared to January and February.
Rick Neitzel, associate professor of environmental health sciences at U-M's School of Public Health, said in an official statement: “That is a huge reduction in terms of exposure and it could have a great effect on people’s overall health outcomes over time.”
“The analysis demonstrates the utility of everyday use of digital devices in evaluating daily behaviours and exposures,” he added.
According to the researchers, earlier, the largest drop in environmental sound exposure was witnessed during the weekends, where nearly 100 per cent of participants reduced their time spent above the 75 dBA threshold (a sound level roughly as loud as an alarm clock) between Friday and Sunday.
However, after the lockdowns due to Covid-19, people stopped physically going to work, and then the pattern became more opaque. People’s daily routines were disrupted and there was no longer any difference between the traditional five working days versus the weekend, Neitzel explained.