Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

60 Chapter 3: Environmental Noise 2. Impacts of environmental noise Harmful effects of environmental noise Research shows that at least one in five people in the EU is exposed to long-term noise levels considered harmful to their health. Health issues related to these exposures include annoyance, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular and metabolic issues (EEA, 2023a). There is also evidence of an association between transport noise and cognitive impairment in children (EEA, 2023a). Long-term exposure to environmental noise is an important public health issue (Figure 3.2). Across the EU, the most recent collated data show that 22 million people suffer chronic high levels of annoyance, 12,500 schoolchildren suffer learning impairment in school caused by aircraft noise, and 12,000 premature deaths are caused by long-term exposure to environmental noise (EC, 2023). People in urban areas are the most affected, particularly by road traffic noise (EEA, 2023a). The European Environment Agency (EEA) is planning to provide an updated assessment of strategic noise mapping across Europe in late 2024. Figure 3.2  Growing evidence of the health impacts of environmental noise Source: EEA, 2022a The World Health Organization (WHO) has established that excessive noise, particularly from transport sources, has negative impacts on health and wellbeing. WHO guidelines show that environmental noise affects sleep and cardiovascular and metabolic functions (WHO, 2018). Other impacts of environmental noise Anthropogenic noise remains a pressure on marine mammals and other wildlife (see Chapter 9) as reported by OSPAR, the government and EU body that works to protect the marine environment in the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR, 2023). Its latest assessment has prompted OSPAR to commit to developing a regional action plan to reduce marine noise. The EEA also reports that noise pollution can affect wildlife, causing various physical and behavioural issues in animals and increasing their levels of stress (EEA, 2023b).