Searching for noise solutions on awareness day

Exposure to unwanted noise can cause stress and interfere with basic activities such as sleep, rest and study. Prolonged exposure can also trigger illnesses as serious as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. This has recently been documented in the report 'Burden of disease from environmental noise' from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which estimates that each year Europeans lose at least one million healthy life years due to noise from road traffic alone. 

The EEA is teaming up with the Noise Abatement Society to raise awareness about the health impacts of noise and to reward European initiatives that can help reduce excessive noise. Any product, campaign, innovation or scheme offering a creative solution to a noise problem can be nominated for the Award. The Award will be presented for the first time at a prestigious ceremony in London in November 2011.

For more information on how to submit an application, visit the European Soundscape Award webpage. The closing date for applications is 2 September 2011.

About the International Noise Awareness Day 

The Centre for Hearing and Communication founded International Noise Awareness Day to promote awareness of the dangers of long-term exposure to noise. This year, the event is taking place on 27 April.

Related content

• Good practice guide on noise exposure and potential health effects
• Turn down the noise - softening the impact of excess transport noise
• Noise Observation and Information Service for Europe