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Noise pollution affects us all, but some populations like children, older adults and people with pre-existing health conditions may suffer more health wise due to excessive transport noise according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing released today. The analysis recommends better targeted actions to protect vulnerable and disproportionately exposed populations.
'Transport noise health impacts are not distributed equally, according to the EEA briefing 'Transport noise, vulnerabilities and inequalities', which points to not only certain age groups as being more vulnerable but also social inequalities and environmental disadvantages which can make the impact of transport noise pollution more acute. The analysis looks at available evidence on differences in susceptibility as well as variation in exposure to noise and how this links to potential differences in the health effects of transport noise across population groups.
While evidence is limited, some studies point to stronger associations between transport noise exposure and outcomes such as heart attacks, mortality, and sleep disturbance among older adults than among the general population. Even when relative risks are similar across age groups, the higher prevalence of chronic disease among older adults may increase their likelihood of experiencing certain adverse health effects associated with transport noise.
Children are also at increased risk, with research showing that noise exposure can lead to impaired reading ability, overweight issues and behavioural difficulties in children, a point also made in the recent EEA Environmental Noise in Europe report from last year.
The briefing identifies that across European cities, certain demographics may be exposed to higher levels of road traffic noise. However, these associations varied considerably between cities, reflecting the potential influence of local factors such as how affluent local communities are, housing quality, transport connections or access to quiet and green spaces like parks.
Further research is needed to better understand how transport noise may exacerbate existing health vulnerabilities and to identify hotspots, the EEA briefing says.
Figure 1. Correlation between the share of residents born outside the EU and the share of area exposed to high noise levels across 1km × 1km grid cells in EU urban centres, by country.
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More action needed to tackle noise
The briefing calls for a combination of broad measures to reduce noise exposure for all and targeted actions to better protect vulnerable and disproportionately exposed populations.
Why is transport noise a major public health concern?
A large proportion of the European population is exposed to levels of noise — from road, rail and air traffic — that can adversely affect health.
The health impacts of transport noise extend well beyond annoyance. Chronic exposure disrupts sleep and activates the body's stress response. This can trigger physiological processes such as oxidative stress, inflammation and hormonal dysregulation. Over time, these mechanisms can contribute to the development and progression of a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease; diabetes; sleep disturbance; impaired cognitive development in children; mental health conditions; dementia; and premature mortality.
According to the latest EEA noise in Europe assessment released last year, millions of people are affected by long-term annoyance and sleep disturbance caused by transport noise. These include 73,000 premature deaths, 49,000 new cases of cardiovascular disease and 23,000 new cases of type 2 diabetes.
