Noise in EU
It has been estimated that between 17 and 22% of the Union’s population or close on 80 million people suffer from noise levels that scientists and health experts consider to be unacceptable, where most people become annoyed, where sleep is disturbed and where adverse health effects are to be feared. An additional 170 million citizens are living in so-called "grey areas" where the noise levels are 55-65 dB(A), such to cause serious annoyance during the daytime
Environmental noise, caused by traffic, industrial and recreational activities is one of the main local environmental problems in Europe and the source of an increasing number of complaints from the public. However, action to reduce environmental noise has had a lower priority than that taken to address other environmental problems such as air and water pollution.
Noise is a serious issue, levels over 40 Ldn dB(A) affect our well being, while there is evidence that levels over 60 Ldn dB(A) can affect our physical and psychological health. The data available on noise exposure is generally poor in comparison to that collected to measure other environmental problems and often difficult to compare due to the different measurement and assessment methods. The most comprehensive data on exposure to noise in Europe has been collated by the OECD in 1993 and includes data from 14 European countries.
It has been estimated that between 17 and 22% of the Union’s population or close on 80 million people suffer from noise levels that scientists and health experts consider to be unacceptable, where most people become annoyed, where sleep is disturbed and where adverse health effects are to be feared. An additional 170 million citizens are living in so-called "grey areas" where the noise levels are 55-65 dB(A), such to cause serious annoyance during the daytime.
