Statement by the President Upon Releasing a Report on Noise in the Environment.

WE DARE NOT be complacent about this ever mounting volume of noise. In the years ahead, it can bring even more discomfort-- and worse--to the lives of people. The facts are:

--A minimum of six million and as many as 16 million industrial workers are threatened with degrees of loss of hearing from exposure to noise on the job.

--The sources of irritating and possibly physically harmful noise are multiplying rapidly, and the intensity of the assault on people by noise is growing.

--Many ways to reduce noise levels are known and are practical. Trucks can be designed so that they produce less noise. Expressways and main traffic arteries can be located to reduce the annoyance of noise. Buildings can be designed so that less noise is transmitted, and plumbing can be designed and installed to be less noisy.

--Other kinds of noise cannot be reduced without first doing some further research. This is true of the noise generated by jet aircraft engines.

--What is needed is greater attention to the problem and an attack on it from many angles: by local housing authorities, manufacturers of equipment, highway, rail and air authorities, insurance companies, labor organizations, and scientists in industry, nonprofit and university laboratories.