Shh!

Man has a built-in defense against continuous exposure to loud noise: he goes partially deaf. Before that, however, he may well suffer headaches, heart flutter, and even ulcers. What can be done to quiet the crescendo that is rising every year? New York City has an answer. It has just passed the toughest noise code in the nation.

The new law bans several major sources of street noise, such as cars honking horns and stores using outdoor loudspeakers. One especially controversial provision forbids construction between dusk and dawn; another demands that pet owners hush obstreperous dogs, cats and parrots. But the code's real importance lies in setting strict, quantifiable limits on the most offensive and easily controlled city sounds: the cacophony of machinery. The limits are measured in decibels on a logarithmic scale that runs from the threshold of hearing (1) through the level of hearing impairment (85 db, if continuous) to that of acute pain (135 db). (By comparison, normal conversation registers at about 55 db, a vacuum cleaner at 70 db, and a jet taking off at 118 db.) If quieter machinery does not yet exist, or is not now used in New York, the code requires it be developed or obtained before future deadlines. Among the rules:

> For vehicles moving up to 35 m.p.h., the racket of engine, muffler and tires must not exceed 86 db in trucks, 82 db in motorcycles and 76 db in cars.

> Air compressors: 90 db by 1973, 80 db by mid-1974.

> Garbage truck compactors: 70 db for models made after 1974.

> Police sirens: 90 db by mid-1973.

> Jackhammers: 94db by 1974.

To succeed in the quest for quiet, of course, the code must be well enforced. Since noise often lasts only a few deafening seconds, enforcement is extremely difficult. New York's solution is twofold. Private citizens can hale constant noisemakers into a special civil court. If convicted, offenders will be fined up to $1,000 a day, of which the complainant may be awarded a bounty of as much as 50%. More important, the city is spending $800,000 to hire and equip a noise-abatement staff. Starting next week, twelve inspectors will prowl the city with sensitive decibel counters, ready to slap violators with $500 fines on the spot.

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