Overview
Noise caused by road, rail and air transport is the most important source of community noise in Europe. Exposure to community noise affects people’s health and well-being in various ways: it can disrupt communication, affect sleep quality, cause annoyance and reduce performance. Prolonged or excessive exposure to noise (e.g. 65-70 dB (LAeq)) can cause hypertension.
Some studies suggest an association between noise exposure and an increased cardiovascular health risk. In children, noise exposure not only causes annoyance, it also affects their ability to learn (cognition) (WHO, 2007; Van Kempen, 2007). Transport noise is a major public health issue because so many people are constantly exposed to it. In general, successful policy options to reduce exposure to transport noise consist of a combination of spatial planning, measures to influence modal split and behaviour, technical solutions and financial instruments.
Cost-benefit analyses show that the benefits of reducing noise emitted by cars and trains exceed the costs. Tightening noise emission limits for car tyres is the easiest and cheapest way of reducing noise levels. ‘Silent’ tyres also produce fewer particles and are more energy efficient.
What’s the problem? Key facts
Since noise is a pollutant that is persistent and inescapable, a significant proportion of the population is exposed to it. About 40 per cent of the population in the EU-15 countries is exposed to daytime road-traffic noise at levels above 55 dB(A), and 20 per cent to levels above 65 dB(A). More than 30 per cent is exposed to nighttime levels above 55 dB(A) (WHO, 2007). The World Health Organization's (WHO) guidelines on community noise limit noise levels for residential areas to 55 dB(A) outdoors during the day and to 45 dB(A) indoors during the night.
Noise level distributions in the EU vary widely as is shown in Figures 1 and 2. These figures are merely indicative due to the differences in noise assessment methodologies in the countries.
Figure 1: The percentage of the population exposed to noise levels > 60 dB(A) in different European countries. (a) Based on 24-hr measurements; (b) Daytime level only; (c) Lden level. See also: Uncertainties.
Figure 2: The percentage of homes per noise exposure class in the Netherlands and Switzerland. Source: EU, 2007.
During the last decades, exposure to high noise levels has decreased substantially in some EU countries due to technological and spatial measures (e.g. road surface, noise barriers, silent tyres) (Staatsen et al., 2004). Nevertheless, the expected increase in traffic and the growing share of population living in urban environments means that noise will continue to be a problem.
Noise levels are increasing in EECCA countries as a result of industrial growth and increasing levels of transport activity. Older vehicle fleets in EECCA and SEE countries also contribute to higher noise levels (Dimitrov, 2004). The noise levels stated in the WHO's guidelines on noise are often exceeded in EECCA and SEE countries on roads with high traffic loads (UNECE-WHO, 2008). In Moscow, for example, noise from heavy traffic on urban motorways can exceed 80 dB. Motor vehicles and aircraft are the main contributors to transport noise.
Compared with noise from neighbours and industry, a large proportion of people are severely annoyed by noise from transport sources (road, rail or air traffic). However, due to differences in the measurement of annoyance and the definition of sources, it is only possible to make an indicative comparison between countries and regions, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: The percentage of severe annoyance measured in several European studies (Franssen et al., 2004; Grimwood et al., 2002; Umweltbundesamt 2003/2004; MIRA, 2005). See also uncertainties.
Several studies have estimated the burden of disease attributable to noise exposure (Knol et al., 2005; Torfs, 2003). Compared with environmental factors such as air pollution, radon, and UV radiation, the disease burden attributable to annoyance, sleep disturbance and cardiovascular diseases caused by noise exposure is considerable, as is shown in Figures 4 and 5. It has also been estimated that 3.2 per cent of myocardial infarctions in Germany may be attributable to exposure to road-traffic noise (Babisch, 2006). Data on population exposure and the attributable noise burden from the central and eastern areas of the WHO region are scant.
Figure 4: The environmental disease burden in the Netherlands (based on Knol et al., 2005). The disease burden is expressed in the number of DALYs per million people.
Figure 5: The environmental disease burden in Flanders (based on Torfs, 2003). The disease burden is expressed in the number of DALYs.