Is Bitcoin Mining Harming Your Health? Noise Pollution Analysis

In the quiet town of Granbury, Texas, a relentless hum disrupts the peace, transforming serene nights into a cacophony of noise. This disturbance isn’t from a new highway or a factory but from a Bitcoin mining facility whose roaring air fans have allegedly driven residents to the brink.

As the community battles migraines, vertigo, hearing loss, and heart problems, the haunting question remains: Is the promise of digital gold worth the toll on their health?

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Granbury's Unrelenting Hum
3. Bitcoin Mining and & Noise Pollution
5. The Global Issue of Bitcoin Mining
6. The Bottom Line

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Granbury's Unrelenting Hum
3. Bitcoin Mining and & Noise Pollution
Show Full Guide
5. The Global Issue of Bitcoin Mining
6. The Bottom Line

Granbury’s Unrelenting Hum

Residents in Granbury, Texas, are suffering from severe health issues they attribute to the noise pollution being emitted by the nearby Bitcoin mining facility. The data center’s cooling solution involves loud air fans emitting noise between 70 and 90 decibels day and night, disturbing the residents and causing migraines, vertigo, hearing loss, and heart problems.

TIME’s deep dive reveals the problems faced by residents of Granbury, with strange medical emergencies piling up.

Bitcoin Mining and & Noise Pollution

According to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, sounds at or below 70 decibels (dB) are unlikely to cause hearing loss, even with long exposure. However, prolonged or repeated exposure to sounds at or over 85 dB might result in hearing loss. The louder the sound, the quicker it can damage hearing.

This already puts the lower end of the Granbury noise levels (Time reports readings of 72 dB) beyond the threshold of safe decibel levels for hearing, while the higher end of the noise levels (91 dB? —which is four times as loud as 70 dB) can certainly cause hearing loss, especially if the noise is constant.

One of the residents recorded noise levels beyond 85 dB at least 35 times in 2024, peaking at around 91 dB.

The CDC estimates that the noise output of 91dB is roughly that of a lawnmower. In fact, it recommends no more than 2 hours of exposure to 91 dB of noise, as more than that would risk hearing loss.

Damaging decibel exposure effects on health. (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health / CDC.gov)

Marathon Digital Holdings, the mine’s owner, declined to comment on the health concerns, but did tell TIME that the firm is attempting to remove the noisy fans from the site.

“By the end of 2024, we intend to have replaced the majority of air-cooled containers with immersion cooling, with no expansion required.

“Initial sound readings on immersion containers indicate favorable results in sound reduction and compliance with all relevant state noise ordinances.”

The Global Issue of Bitcoin Mining

In Granbury’s case, Bitcoin mining is a health concern; globally, it’s also an environmental concern.

The computers power a technique known as proof-of-work (PoW) mining. Rather than relying on a central bank or government agency, Bitcoin is generated, maintained, and protected by miners, who use a complicated cryptographic method to prevent tampering.

Those who choose to invest in the process have the chance to modify the state of the Bitcoin distributed ledger — and can be compensated with newly minted Bitcoins every time they add a new block.

However, PoW requires robust computing hardware and a massive and ever-increasing amount of electricity — with BTC mining estimated to use more energy than the needs of several nations, including Egypt, Malaysia and Poland.

It’s one thing to attempt to mine Bitcoin at home, but industrial-sized operations spring up to follow the money.

The Bottom Line

Bitcoin’s security might rely on high energy consumption, leading to noisy cooling methods —but try explaining that to the people of Granbury, who are suffering from severe health issues that they blame on the relentless noise pollution from the nearby Bitcoin mining facility.

Their daily lives are disrupted by constant noise levels far exceeding safe limits, causing migraines, vertigo, heart problems, and potential hearing loss.

For them, the cost of digital gold is being paid in their health and peace of mind.