First Website Launched to Help Combat New Health Threat: Unwanted Pickleball Noise

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif., Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new website, pickleballnoiserelief.com, aims to help people experiencing negative physical and mental health impacts of pickleball noise. The Robert and Nalini Lasiewicz Foundation, known for its work in community engagement, is providing support for this project. 

Resources for Residents

"With the rapid proliferation of pickleball courts across the country, people living near these courts are increasingly reporting health issues from the impulsive noise from the paddle-to-ball impacts," said Nalini Lasiewicz, executive director of the Foundation. "Pickleball noise is an emerging health threat that is linked to severe trauma/stress responses and auditory hallucinations," she said.  The new website gives residents a well-researched resource to begin the process of re-establishing quiet enjoyment of their home and property, including:

• How-to Guides
  
  
• Model Noise Ordinance for Pickleball
  
  
• Health Resources
  
  
• Legal resources

 "This new website is a godsend for the many people who are suffering from the health effects of pickleball noise. Nowhere else can one find the information and resources on this subject on a single website," according to George Weiss, former City Council member, Laguna Beach, CA, who participated along with a team of reviewers during the project.

A Growing Community of Noise Pollution Victims, Fighting Back

Lasiewicz partnered with members of the Pickleball Noise Relief group on Facebook to design the website. Members upload videos and detail their struggles after being involuntarily exposed to short bursts of high pitch "pops" from pickleball games, often 10-14 hours per day.  One pickleball court alone can produce up to 900 pops an hour. Nearby residents describe a range of health concerns resulting in personal injury and nuisance claims, lawsuits and in some cases, residents selling their homes. The website includes a confidential Help Desk with resources for attorneys representing noise victims and a "noise Hot Spot map" with over 350 locations, including 70 in California alone.

Resources for Scientists and Health Professionals

The Foundation's Health and Science Advisory Group, chaired by Dr. Kathleen Romito, has conducted a preliminary analysis of public data, including social media posts, news reports, and legal filings related to the impact of unwanted pickleball noise. Dr. Romito will present her initial findings and call for research at the 180th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in New Orleans in May 2025. Dr. Romito holds a Doctor of Medicine from the University of San Diego School of Medicine and a bachelor's degree in microbiology and immunology from the University of California, Berkeley.

About the Robert and Nalini Lasiewicz Foundation

The Robert and Nalini Lasiewicz Foundation is a California non-profit organization dedicated to supporting projects that enhance education, democracy, peace, personal health, community, and civic engagement.

Media Kit (link)

SOURCE Robert and Nalini Lasiewicz Foundation