Ben-Nadav Hafri

Dr. Bronzaft is an 89-year-old environmental psychologist who has been called the noise queen of New York City. She's done major noise studies, worked for five mayors. She grew up in Brooklyn and lives in a lovely, tidy apartment on the Upper East Side. Someone was jackhammering the street outside the building. And yet, you couldn't hear a thing. Double glazed windows. Of course.

Dr. Bronzaft is an 89-year-old environmental psychologist who has been called the noise queen of New York City. She's done major noise studies, worked for five mayors. She grew up in Brooklyn and lives in a lovely, tidy apartment on the Upper East Side. Someone was jackhammering the street outside the building. And yet, you couldn't hear a thing. Double glazed windows. Of course.

She took me to her noise room. Noise room sounds possibly like the opposite of what I mean.

She took me to her noise room. Noise room sounds possibly like the opposite of what I mean.

Wow. How did you get it so quiet in here?

Wow. How did you get it so quiet in here?

Yep.

Yep.

Yep.

Yep.

Bronzeaft started her work during the golden age of noise control, the 1970s, when the EPA began regulating noise. Her early work demonstrated that noise isn't just annoying, it can get in the way of kids learning in school. And she just kept going from there.

Bronzeaft started her work during the golden age of noise control, the 1970s, when the EPA began regulating noise. Her early work demonstrated that noise isn't just annoying, it can get in the way of kids learning in school. And she just kept going from there.

That all checked out for me. Of course the sirens are too loud, but it can take a while for the research to make its way into policy. Now we have research linking even small changes in overall noise to significantly increased risk of heart disease. To say nothing of stress, poor sleep and its associated ailments, and crucially, the effect of noise on exasperated podcasters.

That all checked out for me. Of course the sirens are too loud, but it can take a while for the research to make its way into policy. Now we have research linking even small changes in overall noise to significantly increased risk of heart disease. To say nothing of stress, poor sleep and its associated ailments, and crucially, the effect of noise on exasperated podcasters.

I left that meeting full of hope. There's no doubt that sirens are dangerously loud. I just needed to find the data to back this up and figure out a new solution, like Arlene said. I went straight to the library and started digging around. But the more I saw about how clear it is already that these sirens are crazy, the less I believed that that data was going to make any difference in the world.

I left that meeting full of hope. There's no doubt that sirens are dangerously loud. I just needed to find the data to back this up and figure out a new solution, like Arlene said. I went straight to the library and started digging around. But the more I saw about how clear it is already that these sirens are crazy, the less I believed that that data was going to make any difference in the world.

And then, I found a different set of data. Not something about noise, but something that undermined the very foundation of the siren's existence. We'll be right back. Berrien County, Michigan sits on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan. It's not too far from Kalamazoo. Quaint lakefront towns, golf courses, quiet. Unless you work as a paramedic.

And then, I found a different set of data. Not something about noise, but something that undermined the very foundation of the siren's existence. We'll be right back. Berrien County, Michigan sits on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan. It's not too far from Kalamazoo. Quaint lakefront towns, golf courses, quiet. Unless you work as a paramedic.

Jonathan Beyer, former EMT and now medical director for the Berrien County Health Department.

Jonathan Beyer, former EMT and now medical director for the Berrien County Health Department.