Noise
Affects health
In Europe around 40% of the population is estimated to be exposed to noise levels that are potentially dangerous to health, attributing to increased levels of heart disease, high blood pressure, stress and hearing loss / tinnitus. 1
There is good evidence of some damage to hearing from prolonged exposure to noise at levels down to 85 dB and a residual risk down to 82 dB but the magnitude of the hazard increases rapidly above 90 dB. Over 1.1 million people are estimated to be exposed to noise levels above 85 dB at work, with an estimated 17,000 people suffering deafness, tinnitus or other ear conditions as a result in the UK alone. 2
Detracts from house prices
Noise affects around 170 million Europeans in their residential areas. House prices are the clearest indication of the value that citizens place on quietness. Research has shown that noise levels can affect house prices by up to 12%. 3
Affects economic wealth
The health costs of traffic noise alone are an estimated €80-450 million per year. The costs to society of noise were estimated at €42 billion per year in the EU-15 and will have increased with the introduction of more member states. Taking a representative value from each European country, the average value for the benefit of outdoor noise reduction is €25 per household/decibel/year. 4
1 World Health Organisation
2 Final Regulatory impact Assessment of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations, Health and Safety Executive (2005)
3 Theebe, M. A. J, Planes, Trains and automobiles: The impact of traffic noise on house prices, the journal of real estate finance and economics, 28, 2, (2004)