Author Archives: exposurelab

Noise is more than just a nuisance. Studies link noise pollution to higher risks of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious health issues. Dr. Rick Neitzel, U-M professor of environmental health sciences, shares his research on noise pollution with KMSU’s Karen Wright.

Noise pollution is more than a nuisance. Most people realize that being around loud noises can lead to hearing loss, but research has linked noise pollution to higher risks of heart attacks, strokes, and many other serious health issues.

A groundbreaking endeavor in hearing health research is being conducted by the U-M School of Public Health in partnership with Apple and the World Health Organization focused on advancing our understanding of how hearing could be impacted over time by exposure to sound at certain levels.

Noise can be harmful to people’s health over time. Dr. Rick Neitzel, U-M professor of Environmental Health Sciences, discusses the impact of noise pollution on health in an interview with KTVN 2 News Nevada.

Most people know tinnitus as ringing in the ears. What sounds like a minor nuisance is, in reality, one of the most widespread but least addressed wellness issues of our time. The need to reframe tinnitus is underscored by the ongoing Apple Hearing Study at the University of Michigan.

New York City residents and visitors are bombarded with near-constant noise. A Columbia University study found that nine-in-ten New Yorkers are at risk of hearing loss from daily noise exposure. The report’s author, U-M’s Rick Neitzel, now leads the first national study on noise in which 200,000 volunteers wear smart watches to track sound levels.

Wildfire smoke, forecast to return to parts of northern Michigan next week, has become a reality for the state, and the workers most often exposed to it often have less protection. They face compounding risks, from respiratory illness to heat stress, says U-M professor Rick Neitzel.

People living near data centers, particularly ones that are cooled with air instead of water, have reported annoyance and sleep disturbance from the noise the centers generate, according to Rick Neitzel, U-M professor of environmental health sciences.

In this op-ed article, faculty and researchers from the U-M Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering (COHSE) describe how recent cuts to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) threaten the lives of workers and the health of the economy.

Protecting our hearing is a critical aspect of overall health that is often overlooked. In a unique collaboration, the U-M School of Public Health, Apple, and the World Health Organization are teaming up to advance hearing health research. U-M professor Rick Neitzel is lead researcher on the Apple Hearing Study.