Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Sep 11;17(18):6621.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186621.

Urban Noise and Psychological Distress: A Systematic Review

Nicola Mucci  1 , Veronica Traversini  2 , Chiara Lorini  3 , Simone De Sio  4 , Raymond P Galea  5   6 , Guglielmo Bonaccorsi  3 , Giulio Arcangeli  1
Affiliations

Urban Noise and Psychological Distress: A Systematic Review

Nicola Mucci et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Chronic exposure to urban noise is harmful for auditory perception, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and nervous systems, while also causing psychological annoyance. Around 25% of the EU population experience a deterioration in the quality of life due to annoyance and about 5-15% suffer from sleep disorders, with many disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost annually. This systematic review highlights the main sources of urban noise, the relevant principal clinical disorders and the most effected countries. This review included articles published on the major databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus), using a combination of some keywords. The online search yielded 265 references; after selection, the authors have analyzed 54 articles (5 reviews and 49 original articles). From the analysis, among the sources of exposure, we found the majority of items dealing with airports and wind turbines, followed by roads and trains; the main disorders that were investigated in different populations dealt with annoyance and sleep disorders, sometimes associated with cardiovascular symptoms. Regarding countries, studies were published from all over the world with a slight prevalence from Western Europe. Considering these fundamental health consequences, research needs to be extended in such a way as to include new sources of noise and new technologies, to ensure a health promotion system and to reduce the risk of residents being exposed.

Keywords: annoyance; dose–response; environmental; exposure; health disorders; residents; sleep disorders; urban noise.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
Risk of bias.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the systematic review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Legge Quadro Su Inquinamento Acustico, N.447/1995. G.U.; Padova, Italy: 1995.
    1. Sancini A., Tomei F., Tomei G. Urban pollution. G. Ital. Med. Lav. Erg. 2012;34:187–196. - PubMed
    1. Organizzazione Mondiale per la Sanità (OMS)/Europa (2011): Rapporto Sull’impatto Sanitario del Rumore Ambientale in Europa. [(accessed on 29 February 2020)]; Available online: http://www.euro.who.int/data/assets/pdf_file/0008/136466/e94888.pdf.
    1. Trasporti e Salute. [(accessed on 30 May 2020)]; Available online: www.eea.europa.eu/it/segnali/segnali-2016/articoli/trasporti-e-salute.
    1. International Organization for Standardization . Assessment of Noise Annoyance by Means of Social and Socioacoustic Surveys. International Organization for Standardization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2003. final edition.

Publication types