Today the WHO (World Health Organization) released a report with new Environmental Noise Guidelines for Europe. The previous study of the WHO, released in 2011, already stated that the consequences of prolonged exposure to sound pollution is potentially harmful to humans. This latest report shows stronger evidence of the cardiovascular and metabolic effects of environmental noise and more recommendations to protect humans from exposure to environmental noise.
The noise in our cities is increasing rapidly and has a big influence on European citizens. In The Netherlands alone noise has a negative health impact on more than 4 million people. Sound pollution is, after poor air quality, the second environmental health problem we have in The Netherlands.
Apart from the guidelines for setting stricter regulations by governments or tips for citizens to find more noise free zones; we need to do much much more on the sound design of our products and (work) environments. Gain better insights and understanding into the noise productions and invest in better product design.