The consulting network for Business, Environment and the Community they serve.

The Hum Phenomenon

The Hum came to prominence in the 1970s as an inexplicable, low-frequency noise which persisted in Taos, New Mexico. Stories of the Taos hum circulated throughout the popular press with newspapers and magazines regularly publishing articles, none of which was able to pin down a source or explanation.

Although the Taos hum was certainly a popular topic for publication, the hum had in fact been around for very much longer. A quick Google search reveals 354,000 results for ‘Taos Hum’ alone. Many other locations have since coined their own local name, such as Bristol Hum, Bondi Hum etc.

What is the Hum?

The Hum is defined as a persistent, low-frequency humming, rumbling or droning noise, not audible to all people. The origin of the sound is largely unknown. It is suspected that somewhere between 2% to 10% of people can hear it in a normal population. This suggests a difference in audible ability to low-frequency sound between individuals.

The perception of hearing is indeed unique to an individual. It is well-known that hearing varies with age and certain medical conditions. Some individuals in a normal population will have enhanced sensitivity to one part of the spectrum.

Where is the Hum heard?

The Hum is heard in many parts of the world. What is significant is that it is not reported everywhere as the World Hum Map shows. If the hum was only heard by a small percentage of a normal population, it would be reasonable to conclude that it would be heard in every country and every city. This is not the case. Accordingly, the conclusion is that the Hum is in fact specific to only some locations.

The Hum is reported outside, in dwellings and vehicles. Perception appears to be different for every individual and every location. It is frequently reported as being more predominant inside a building than outside, suggesting the phenomena of resonance. This phenomena is also reported by people affected by the noise emissions of wind turbines. The frequencies appear to be similar to naturally occurring resonances within rooms, causing heightened problems for sufferers.

With respect to those who can perceive the hum, the fact that they report it in some locations and not others is strong evidence for a real, environmental phenomena, rather than an aberration of individual hearing perception. The problem is, there is little understanding world-wide as to the cause(s).

History of the Hum

London and Southampton, United Kingdom 1940s

More than 2,000 people reported hearing sounds dating back to the 1940s in the London and Southampton areas of Great Britain. Deming cited Glasgow, Scotland’s Sunday Herald 1995 report claiming that the Hum was, "first reported in the late 1950s when people in Britain began to report hearing a most unusual noise—a combination of a humming, droning and buzzing sound”. Deming, David (2004). "The Hum: An anomalous sound heard around the world". Journal of Scientific Exploration 18 (4): 571–594.

Bristol Hum, Bristol, Britain 1979

In Britain, the most famous example was the Bristol hum that made headlines in the late 1970s.[BBC News. 2009-05-19.]

Largs, Scotland 1980s

Since the 1980s, the hum has been bothering people living in coastal towns in the west coastal area of Scotland including Largs, a coastal town about 31 km west of Glasgow.[Deming, David (2004). "The Hum: An anomalous sound heard around the world". Journal of Scientific Exploration 18 (4): 571–594.]

Taos Hum, Taos, New Mexico, USA 1992

It was in 1992 that the Hum phenomenon began to be reported in North America following complaints from many citizens living near the town of Taos, New Mexico.[Deming, David (2004). "The Hum: An anomalous sound heard around the world". Journal of Scientific Exploration 18 (4): 571–594.]

The University of New Mexico undertook studies of hum sufferers in Taos.[The Elusive Hum In Taos, New Mexico". University of New Mexico. 22 November 1995.] One of the researchers reported that the hum was close to 66 hertz, two octaves below middle C, although it could go as low as the lowest E on a piano.[Reverberations: Move Over, Middle C: The Speculative Case for the Cosmic B Flat". New York Times. 30 January 2004.]

An ongoing low frequency noise, audible only to some, is thought to originate somewhere near this town and is consequently sometimes known as the Taos Hum. Those who have heard the Hum usually hear it west of Taos near Tres Orejas. The Taos Hum was featured on the TV show Unsolved Mysteries,["Unsolved Mysteries: Ghosts (2005)". Amazon.com. Disc 4, "Mystery Hum".] and it was also briefly mentioned in an episode of The X-Files.[In A Tiny English Town, A 'Hum' Pierces Each Night". NPR. 15 June 2011.]

Kokomo, Indiana, USA 1999

Kokomo, a city of 47,000, allocated $100,000 in 2002 to investigate a hum after nearly 100 complaints were made since 1999. Some suffers blamed physical symptoms on the hum, including headaches, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue and joint pain, with one reporting that her health improved when she moved out of the town.[^ "Hum Haunts Indiana City; Its Source Is a Mystery". New York Times. 23 June 2002.] [ "The Kokomo Hum". Indianapolis Monthly. December 2002. pp. 157–163, 188–194.] In November 2002, Acentech was hired by the Board of Public Works and Safety of the City of Kokomo to investigate the hum. Following a public meeting held 2 December 2002, Acentech investigation of acoustic sources did not find any conclusive cause and suggested non-acoustic phenomena, such as microwave (radio frequency) hearing, electrosensitivity, chemical sensitivity, hypersensitivity to natural geomagnetic phenomena may cause the "types of symptoms that these people are experiencing."[Cowan, J. P. (October 2003). "The Kokomo Hum investigation". Acentech Project No. 615411 (Cambridge, MA: Accentech Incorporated).]

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada pre-2003

The Hum has also been heard since before 2003 by residents on Canada’s southwest Coast in the region around the city of Vancouver. [“A Review of Published Research on Low Frequency Noise and its Effects". Defra. May 2003.]

Woodland, County Durham, England 2011

In June 2011, residents of the small rural village of Woodland, England reported experiencing a hum that had already lasted for over two months.["In search of the thing that goes hum in the night". The Independent. 18 June 2011.]

Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2011

This phenomenon, first noticed in 2009, has also been reported since 2011 throughout Windsor and Essex County in Ontario, Canada.["Rumblings may prompt lawsuit". Windsor Star. 5 August 2011.] A 2011 study by Earthquakes Canada indicated that it may be originating from the heavily-industrialised Zug Island area on the US side of the Detroit river.["The Sound and the Fury". OnEarth. 24 June 2013.] A two-hour telephone town hall meeting in 2012 received calls from 13,000 residents, with another 9,000 leaving comments over the next week, although not all of those were from people who could hear the hum.["22,000 residents dial in to Windsor hum telephone town hall". Windsor Star. 23 February 2012.]

In 2013 the Canadian Government allocated $60,000 for research by the University of Windsor to determine the source of the noise.["Windsor’s mysterious hum research to be funded by Ottawa". CBC News. 21 Jan 2013.] As of April 2013, a Canadian scientist is using sound-level meters and a portable "pentangular array" of cameras and microphones to try and precisely identify the source of the sound, in order to know who exactly to ask to fix it.["The Sound and the Fury". OnEarth. 24 June 2013.]

Calgary, Alberta, Canada 2008

The volunteer Ranchlands Noise Investigation Team began investigating the Ranchlands hum in 2008. Marcia Epstein, an acoustic ecologist at the University of Calgary and a member of the Ranchlands Noise Investigation Team, described the hum as "a concentration of frequencies around 40 hertz, and 40 cycles per second", ["Ranchlands hum eludes residents two years on". CBC News. 29 September 2011.] sometimes described as a "vibrational feeling", ["Probe of unexplained humming noise widens past Calgary". Metro (Calgary). 7 June 2013.] affecting "12 to 20 per cent of the community." ["Ranchlands hum eludes residents two years on". CBC News. 29 September 2011.]

County Kerry, Ireland 2012

The Hum has also frustrated residents in County Kerry, Ireland.[^ "‘The Hum’ leaves village ears ringing". Irish Examiner. 1 March 2012.] This led to it being raised in the Irish Parliament by Michael Healy-Rae, who personally heard the Hum. The official response was described by Healy-Rae as "away with the fairies gobbledygook."["Locals despair as ‘The Hum’ makes life a living hell". Irish Examiner. 3 April 2012.]

Seattle, Washington, USA 2012

The phenomenon was also recorded in 2012 in Seattle, where some residents report having heard it in previous years.[ "Mysterious hum in Seattle". KSDK. 6 September 2012.]

Wellington, New Zealand 2012

In Wellington, New Zealand the City Council was flooded with complaints about a mysterious hum.[^ "Wellington 'hum' becomes nationwide obsession". 3 News. 11 October 2012.]

Science of the Hum

Very few scientific articles have been published. Notable exceptions include: Deming, 2004; Broner, 1978; Cowan, 2003 and Leventhall, 2003;[14].

References

Deming, David (2004). "The Hum: An anomalous sound heard around the world". Journal of Scientific Exploration 18 (4): 571–594.

Broner, N. (1978). "The effects of low frequency noise on people—A review". Journal of Sound and Vibration 58: 483–500.

Cowan, J. P. (October 2003). "The Kokomo Hum investigation". Acentech Project No. 615411 (Cambridge, MA: Accentech Incorporated).

Leventhall, G. "A Review of Published Research on Low Frequency Noise and its Effects". Defra. May 2003.

Hum in New Zealand

Hum has been recorded in New Zealand for many years, but it has come to prominence in recent weeks with significant numbers of people reporting the Hum in both Auckland and Wellington.

Smart Technologies in association with Astute Engineering and Atkinson & Rapley Consulting have developed a unique environmental analysis instrument capable of analysing acoustic environmental sound in air or water, as well as vibration of solid surfaces including geophysical applications (seismic). The latest development of the SAM technology now combines EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) energy with sound and vibration.

As the origin of the Hum is largely undetermined, it could conceivably come from sound (acoustic/seismic) or electromagnetic fields. Both forms of energy are known to affect biological systems.

Smart Technologies are now embarking on a New Zealand research project to find the source of the Hum. You can help. If you have ever heard the Hum, then filling out the questionnaire on this site will be of immense value.

This survey is totally CONFIDENTIAL and no personal information will be made available on any website or to any other individual. The data will only be used for scientific purposes and will be aggregated into reports in such a way so that no individual can be identified.

Personal information such as addresses will only be used to generate ‘hot spots’ in the New Zealand geography, and no individual residence will be identifiable. Personal demographic data will be used to collate population-based reports and no individual will be able to be identified.

If you have heard the hum and would like to be part of this research, please click on the Survey Tab and let us hear your story.

Should you have any queries about the survey, please feel free to contact Smart Technologies through the Questions Page.