United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Noise
Abatement and Control
Washington DC 20460
The Environmental
Frontier:
Noise Control
Opportunities for:

Engineers
Lawyers
Scientists
Urban Planners
Business Administrators
Public Administrators
Public Health Planners

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Engineers, lawyers, scientists, urban planners . . .
There is a need for your talents and skills in an
important new area of environmental protection —
noise control.
  It's a field of many unanswered questions and
unsolved problems. It's an environmental challenge
wide open to creative planning and new directions.
It's an opportunity to influence policy decisions that
will affect our quality of living today and in years
to come.

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Why  Noise
Control?
Noise is one of the major
environmental problems
facing our country today. It's
not a new problem. In Rome
in the first century B.C.,
Julius Caesar passed a noise
ordinance banning chariots
from the streets at night. But
it wasn't until the start of
the Industrial Revolution in
this country that serious
noise problems began to
develop. And, in the last
thirty years, noise levels
have been accelerating with
unprecedented speed. Noise
has become an urban
menace, a pollutant as per-
vasive as the effects of
impure water or dirty air. The
number of high-intensity
noise sources has increased
dramatically—there are more
cars, trucks, motorcycles,
and other vehicles on our
highways than ever before.
There are more  industrial
plants,  more machinery,
more of everything that pro
duces excessive noise. The
noise problem has become
an integral part of modern
life.
  Perhaps the most serious
consequence of noise is its
effect on people's health.
Noise loud enough to cause
hearing loss is virtually
everywhere today. It is
estimated that at least 20
million Americans are
exposed daily to noise that
is permanently damaging to
their hearing. Noise inter-
feres with conversation,
work, rest  and recreation,
and sleep. Noise can produce
serious physical and psycho-
logical stress. The body
reacts to such stress with
increased adrenaline,
changes in heart rate, and
elevated blood pressure.
Growing evidence suggests
possible links between  noise
and heart problems, high
blood pressure, and negative
effects on fetal development
in the womb.
                                                         ,**•  5,
  The noise problem in
America is very real and it
is growing steadily worse.
No longer just an urban
problem, noise intrudes into
our suburbs and even into the
countryside. Noise detracts
from the quality of our lives
and adversely affects the
health and well-being of our
citizens.

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Seeking
Solutions
Cities and citizens, around
the country, are beginning to
find creative solutions to
their noise problems. Citizens
are lobbying for noise
ordinances and enforcement
of noise laws. Cities are
developing noise control
programs and hiring
personnel to implement
them.
  For instance, in Boulder,
Col., a concerned citizen
formed his own committee,
surveyed the community to
discover the most annoying
noise sources, and then
drafted an ordinance. The
ordinance included noise
level standards for both
vehicular and non-vehicular
noise, based on evidence
gathered by the committee.
The ordinance was presented
to the city manager and
passed by the city council
several years ago.
  In New York City, the
Bureau of Noise Abatement
identifies the most annoying
and harmful noise sources
and then seeks technological
and legal solutions. For
instance, subway  noise,
which affects about 4.5
million people every day, is
the target of a ten-year
program to reduce harmful
noise levels. The city
regulates all kinds of con-
struction equipment and also
has a truck noise  enforce-
ment program.
  States are also encour-
aging local communities to
start noise control programs.
In Florida, the noise control
section of the Department
of Environmental Regula-
tions has  helped more than
1 00 cities and counties in
the  last five years develop
some type of noise program.
The noise control staff con-
sists of only two people, yet
it has trained more than 500
local officials in various
aspects of environmental
noise or motor vehicle noise
enforcement.
  El Segundo, Calif, has
tried a unique approach to
noise control. The city
council purchases quiet
equipment whenever
possible. This is one
example of a community
using its purchasing power
to induce manufacturers to
produce quieter products.

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EPA's
Role
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency is also
helping cities and states
cope with noise problems.
The Noise Control Act of
1 972 specified that the EPA
regulate new products in
commerce that are "major
sources of noise" and work
with state and local govern-
ments to create a quieter
environment.
  Although much of its
recent activity has been
directed toward regulation
of new products, the EPA
Noise Office has begun
emphasizing state and  local
programs. In 1 978 the Con-
gress passed the Quiet
Communities Act which gives
EPA added authority to help
communities develop noise
control programs. In the last
several years, the number of
local programs has more
than doubled. While the
primary responsibility for
noise control rests with local
governments, EPA offers
technical assistance to  cities
and communities. The Quiet
Communities Experiment is
one project intended to show
how to apply the best avail-
able techniques to control
noise at the local level.  The
emphasis is on action by the
local government aided by
technical assistance and
support from EPA. Another
EPA program, Each Com-
munity Helps Others (ECHO),
is designed to assist com-
munities in solving particular
noise problems. Community
Noise Advisors, who have
been selected by EPA, assist
certain communities in
solving particular noise
problems. These communi-
ties then share their exper-
iences in  noise control with
other cities and towns.
  State and local efforts to
control noise are essential,
but Federal regulation is
necessary to reduce noise at
the source. Based on con-
siderations of best available
technology, cost-effective-
ness, and estimated health
and welfare benefits, regula-
tions have been developed
for a variety of products,
primarily construction and
transportation equipment.
EPA has also begun a
labeling program to indicate
both the noise generating
characteristics of selected
products and  the effective-
ness of products sold for the
purpose of reducing noise.
  But these efforts are only
a beginning. Controlling
noise has proven a difficult
task to accomplish. These
pioneering programs alone,
though imperative, are not
enough to solve the problem.
The public remains largely
unaware of the serious con-
sequences of  noise. And the
very nature of the problem-
its subtle, invisible, odorless
effect—further complicates
the efforts to  reduce and
control excessive noise. Pro-
fessionals are needed to deal
with these complexities and
to initiate new and creative
solutions.

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How
Could You
Contribute?
If you would like to make a
unique contribution in a new
and growing field, noise
control might be just the
thing you've been looking
for. A wide  range of talents
and skills are needed, as  well
as a commitment to serve, to
perceive problems, and to
apply specialized knowledge
and capabilities to work out
solutions. The rewards will
be many—the chance to
develop as a professional in
a new field with unusual
challenge and possibilities,
and to witness your efforts
making a difference in the
quality of American life.
  What would you do as a
professional in the noise
control field?
  As a lawyer you might be
involved in litigation among
environmentalists, govern-
ment agencies,  and indus-
tries affected by the EPA
regulations. For instance, a
young attorney in the Noise
Enforcement Division of  the
EPA worked on a case
involving 1 3 air compressor
manufacturers  and four
truck manufacturers that
objected to  several aspects
of proposed noise regula-
tions to quiet these products.
The attorney was involved in
discussions  with senior
partners of  various law firms
and in writing the brief of
the U.S. Court  of Appeals.
  If your background is in
science or engineering, you
might be involved in pre-
diciting and measuring noise
levels, conducting and
analyzing noise measure-
ment surveys, and reviewing
noise potentials of new
facilities in your area. For
instance, you might deter-
mine the best location for a
new manufacturing plant and
assist  in the planning,
design, construction, and
installation of the plant to
achieve desirable noise
levels.
  Or, if you are an urban
planner, you would assist
cities and communities in
developing noise control
programs and effective
enforcement methods. You
might develop options for
the city to protect residential
areas from excessive noise. A
mass transit system might be
better planned with your
insights on effective abate-
ment tactics.
  Here are a few examples of
young professionals who
enjoy the challenge of finding
answers and solutions to the
problems of noise.

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Lon Loken
MPH, University of
  Minnesota
Tom Martin
MBA, City College,
  Seattle
John Thillmann
MUA, Virginia Tech
Lon Loken is working in noise
and air pollution for the City
of Bloomington, Minnesota
and says he is witnessing a
"snowball effect" as more
and more cities in Minnesota
are developing noise control
programs. "I enjoy what I
do,"  he says, which includes
noise measurement surveys,
"on the street noise enforce-
ment," answering citizen
complaints, and reviewing
the noise and air pollution
potentials of new facilities
coming to town. "I enjoy the
wide variety of noise
problems I encounter and the
satisfaction that comes from
helping people on a day to
day basis," he says. His
advice to a professional con-
sidering a career in noise
control would be to take
several courses in acoustics
before entering the field.
Lon received a B.A. from
Hamline University and
a Master of Public Health
from the University of
Minnesota.
Tom Martin works for the
State and Local Programs
Division of EPA's Office
of Noise Abatement and
Control, which he considers
"an opportunity few other
organizations could match,
if only because noise pro-
grams throughout the
country are, with a few
exceptions, in the ground-
breaking stages." The central
element in Tom's job is the
administration of grants to
lay foundations for noise
control programs. This
requires coordinating efforts
in the ten regional offices,
and maintaining contacts
with state and municipal
governments. Tom sees that
noise is generally viewed as
a problem which can best be
solved at the local level,
therefore, "in noise control
efforts, the relationship be-
tween the various levels of
government is not one of
mandates and imposition.
Instead it involves coopera-
tion and a reciprocal infor-
mation flow."
 As Chief of Environmental
 and Technical Services for
 Fairfax County, Virginia,
 John Thillmann handles a
 wide range of environmental
 problems. He recommends
 environmental policy and
 impact assessments for
 Federal,  county, and state
 projects, and looks out for
 citizen concerns about the
 environment,  including
 noise. "We focus a lot of
 attention on noise problems,
 because the people of Fairfax
 county consider it one of
 the most important issues
 affecting their day to day
 living," Thillman says.
 Highway and  airport noise
 are the biggest concerns of
 residents, and Thillmann
 represents their interests to
 congressional, state, and
 local officials. Thillman has
 earned several degrees, in-
 cluding a Masters in Business
 Management from Central
 Michigan University and a
 Masters in Urban Affairs,
 with concentration in
 Environmental Affairs, from
 Virginia Tech.

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Debbie Yamamoto
BA, Public Administration
  Seattle University
Kathy Summerlee
JD, Georgetown
  University Law Center
Jesse Borthwick
MA, Engineering and
  Acoustics, Penn State
Debbie Yamamoto came into
the noise control field,
"because I was environ-
mentally conscious and
found my opportunity in
noise control." Debbie is
the EPA Regional Noise
Representative for Alaska,
Idaho, Oregon, and Wash-
ington. She's responsible for
handling all kinds of noise
problems, ranging from
determining how much noise
a certain vehicle or machine
makes to helping a com-
munity get a noise control
program started. A recent
project for Debbie has been
helping Spokane conduct an
attitude survey, finding out
what people think about
noise. "Noise control  is still
a very small field. It hasn't
gotten  much recognition yet
and there are opportunities
for specialists and general-
ists," she says. Debbie
believes there is a particular
need for experts in the more
complex area of industrial
noise control. Debbie earned
a B.A. in Public Administra-
tion from Seattle University
in 1973.
"I'm involved in a much
broader range  of areas than
I would have ever expected
after just completing law
school," says Kathy
Summerlee, an Attorney-
Advisor in the Noise Enforce-
ment Division of the EPA.
"Noise control  is  a very new
and growing field and there
is a lot of opportunity for
creative thinking  on direc-
tions both the  Federal and
local governments should
take in implementing and
enforcing noise control.
  "Noise is where the future
is," according to  Kathy. She
finds the work  "challenging"
and believes "my talents are
being called upon often
because there  aren't that
many people who work in
noise control." Kathy earned
her JD from Georgetown
University Law Center where
she was on the Law Review,
and her A.B. from Duke
University where she
majored in economics and
English.
"The benefits from your
efforts are more readily
apparent in noise control
than they are in any other
area of environmental
protection," says Jesse
Borthwick, Executive
Director of the National
Association of Noise Control
Officials. The non-profit
association works to foster
inter-program communica-
tion and cooperation
between state and local
noise control programs.
Jesse became interested in
noise control while working
as an Environmental
Specialist in the Florida
Department of Transporta-
tion. "It's been a challenge
ever since I started working
on noise," he says.
  Jesse has a varied back-
ground. He received an A.A.
in General Science, a B.S. in
Marine Biology, a Masters in
Environmental Pollution Con-
trol and a Masters in  Engi-
neering and Acoustics.

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How To
Apply
If you are interested in
learning of specific noise
control job opportunities in
Federal, state, or local gov-
ernment send a resume with
salary requirements or a
government 171 form to.
Careers
Office of Noise Abatement
  and Control (ANR-471)
U.S. Environmental
  Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
  The EPA Noise Office will
function as an informal job
clearinghouse, identifying
opportunities in local and
state offices as well as in
EPA Regional and Head-
quarters offices. When a
position becomes available,
EPA will notify interested
and qualified applicants  and
explain how to apply formally
for the job.
  If you would like to learn
more about noise control and
the career opportunities
available,  feel free to write
us. We'd be glad to talk with
you about what we do, and
how your skills and capabili-
ties could be challenged in a
meaningful environmental
career.

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