‘Noise in Europe 2014,’ published by the European Environment Agency, analyses exposure to noise levels and resulting environmental health problems.

The effects of noise are particularly widespread. For the one in four Europeans exposed to noise levels above the EU’s threshold for assessment and action, there are both direct and indirect health effects, the report states.

Noisy, or relatively noisy areas (QSI < 0.5), account for more than 50 % of the land in most of the countries. The most extreme cases are found in small and densely populated countries like Malta, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands, where noisy areas reach around 90 % of the country. On the other side, northern countries like Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have the highest share of quiet areas.In small countries like Malta, Belgium, and Luxembourg, the share of quiet areas is very low and noisy areas represent a significant portion of the protected areas.

Quiet areas are also important for animals. Moreover, quiet areas should be protected. Wildlife may also be seriously affected by noise, according to a mounting body of evidence. The share of quiet areas inside Natura 2000 is higher compared to the share in the whole country.

Traffic noise annoys almost 20 million Europeans and disturbs the sleep of an estimated eight million. Environmental noise is also linked to approximately 43 000 hospital admissions, 900 000 cases of hypertension and up to 10 000 premature deaths per year, the EEA estimates.

Road traffic is the main source of noise in Europe, the report says, followed by railways, airports and industry. Larger cities are noisier. Cities housing more than 250 000 people generally have a larger share of the population exposed to levels above the legal guidelines.

Noise pollution is a growing environmental concern. It is caused by a varied number of sources and is widely present not only in the busiest urban environments, it is also pervading once natural environments.

The adverse effects can be found in the well-being of exposed human populations, in the health and distribution of wildlife on the land and in the sea, in the abilities of our children to learn properly at school and in the high economic price society must pay because of noise pollution.

The European soundscape is under threat and this report sets out to quantify the scale of the problem, assess what actions are being taken and to scope those that may need to be considered in the future, in order to redress the problem.

Noise considerations should be incorporated into planning and building new infrastructure according to the report.

The Geographic coverage was Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom

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