A persistent, low-frequency hum has invaded the city of West Haven, Connecticut, according to many residents, leaving some shaken by an occurrence they're calling everything from mysterious to excruciating.
For some time, residents of this city on the coast of Long Island Sound have believed the source of the hum to be local industry, and they’re demanding a resolution. After circulating a petition and obtaining over 140 signatures, a group convinced the city council to spend $16,000 to hire a third-party acoustic firm.
"For years, our community has been plagued by a constant or intermittent humming noise and low-frequency vibrations affecting multiple areas of town," the petition notes. "This disturbing phenomenon occurs at all hours, disrupting our ability to sleep, concentrate and enjoy life to its fullest.
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"Many residents have reported increased levels of stress, anxiety and physical discomfort due to this incessant noise and vibration."
There have been "numerous complaints" made about it over time, it adds, yet "the source of this noise remains unresolved. … We are deeply concerned about the long-term health consequences this persistent noise pollution imposes on us."
Mental health issues linked to low-frequency hums are common, experts say. But not all residents hear the noise.
John Carrano, West Haven's commissioner of human resources, told Fox News Digital the sound is at its highest level near his home, yet his own children do not hear the hum.
"My house is the loudest of all the different locations in the area," he said. "I would test in the morning and test in the evening. If I saw an elevated decibel reading, I would go up to the industrial zone and test the property line."
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In a city of almost 56,000 citizens, the difference of opinion and ideas about the issue is apparently common.
"This is a quality-of-life issue, no doubt," said Mayor Dorinda Borer, according to NBC Connecticut. "We don’t want people to be impacted. We don’t want [people's] health to be impacted."
The acoustic firm hired for the task will use 10 microphones to continuously listen for the hum over the course of seven days.
Government officials need to choose a week with low wind and no precipitation, Carrano said.
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"People feel the hum differently," he continued. "Some don’t even hear it. Others hear it, and they’re not bothered by it. Then there’s another group that finds it very disturbing when they hear it."
One person said she felt like she was going "cuckoo" when she heard the sound and her family didn’t, the New Haven Register reported.
"I’ve been hearing this noise for over four years or whatever, and I thought it was just me going a little cuckoo," resident Rosemary Brooks said at a recent council meeting. "But it’s gotten to the point where it just gets in your chest."
Bennett Brooks, president of Brooks Acoustics Corporation, a company based in Connecticut and Florida, told Fox News Digital, "It’s a problem that should be rectified. Lower frequencies are much harder to block than the higher frequency of sound.
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"It can be very annoying. It’s as if it shakes the dishes and windows in your kitchen."
Connecticut has many noise ordinances, but there are few "applicable government regulations that address low-frequency noise," he said.
Similar hums have been reported around the world, according to numerous sources, including in Taos, New Mexico; Auckland, New Zealand; and Windsor, Ontario.
The hums are often, but not always, traced to factories or power plants.
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A high-pressure gas pipeline or mechanical device can sometimes be to blame, reports suggest. But some, like the one in Taos, have puzzled researchers for decades.
The mayor of West Haven is reluctant to make a quick decision about what's going on in Connecticut.
"We have to cross our T’s and dot our I’s before we go to [any specific] company and cite them," the mayor told the Register.
Kimberly Nunes, who lives in the affected neighborhood and authored the petition, said the sound has taken a toll on everyone in her household, FOX 61 reported.
"It’s affecting my mental health, my sleep, my well-being," Nunes said. "As well as my children’s. I’ve noticed that my pets tend to pace and stare."
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