Estimating the harmful effects of environmental transport noise: An EU study

Abstract

Annex III of the Environmental Noise Directive (END), referring to the provision of dose-effect relations for the assessment of harmful effects caused by environmental noise, has been recently amended with the ratification of Commission Directive (EU) 2020/367. It describes how harmful effects from environmental noise may be calculated for ischemic heart disease (IHD), high annoyance (HA), and high sleep disturbance (HSD) for road, rail, and aircraft noise for EU Member States (MS). Within this context, this analysis utilises the calculation procedures outlined in the Directive to undertake a case study of the quantification of environmental noise-induced harmful effects in Ireland. The study generates acoustic models for road traffic and railway noise using the new CNOSSOS-EU method instead of using national data submitted under the END and, to our knowledge, is the first EU study to do so. In the case of Ireland, the results indicate that 256 noise-induced IHD, 296,471 HA, and 109,951 HSD cases are attributable to transport (road, rail, aircraft) noise in Ireland. The results outline the scale of harmful effects from environmental noise from transport in Ireland and are instructive for other EU members states in terms of the approach utilised.

Keywords: Environmental noise; Noise and health; Noise estimation and calculation; Noise harmful effects; Transport noise.