Urban planning needs to consider transport noise, says UKHSA

Expert says the results underline the significant role played by EH professionals in land-use planning to protect public health

The impact of noise on public health goes beyond annoyance or disturbed sleep, concludes a new study from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The findings add to existing evidence that living in an area with higher noise levels from traffic can lead to stress and sleep disturbance, which in turn can lead to an increase in heart disease or diabetes.

The study found that 40% of all adults in England were exposed to long-term average road-traffic noise levels exceeding 50 decibels (dB) – the point at which health effects are more likely to be detected.

Around 5% of the population in England experience aircraft noise above 50 dB, with the highest concentrations in and around London. Approximately 5% are exposed to railway noise exceeding 50 dB.

Researchers used Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) to measure noise impact, with each representing a year of a person being in good health. The study found that in 2018 around 100,000 years of good health were lost due to road traffic noise, 13,000 to railway noise and 17,000 to aircraft noise.

Dr Benjamin Fenech, Team Leader for Noise and Public Health at the UKHSA, said: “Being able to quantify what the scale of this impact is across the country is important to inform decisions relevant to public health.”

He said: “We used the growing body of scientific evidence to show that transportation noise contributes to disease and this needs to be considered in decisions related to new transport infrastructure and urban planning.

“Our study also supports the case for interventions to reduce noise exposure from the existing transport infrastructure. Measures include reducing noise at source via quieter vehicles, quieter road surfaces and smoother rails for railways; noise barriers along roads and railways, and appropriate design of flight paths.’’

“It is essential that government policy on noise management is effectively implemented so that the burden of disease due to noise is reduced.”

Daniel Baker is Director of Broodbakker Acoustic Consultants and is also the CIEH representative on the committee that sets British Standards on noise.

He said: “According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), noise is the second-worse environmental cause of ill-health after air pollution. Prolonged exposure, especially during the night, has been associated with higher blood pressure and elevated levels of stress hormones like cortisol.

“Transport noise can also disrupt sleep patterns, which can lead to cardiovascular problems, cognitive impairments, and mental health disorders. Long-term exposure to traffic noise has also been associated with increased risk of depression, anxiety, and overall psychological distress."

Baker said that the research by UKHSA provides ‘useful insight’ into the distribution of adverse health outcomes across different areas of England.

“The results reinforce the necessity for good acoustic design and the significant role that must be played by Environmental Health professionals in land-use planning to protect public health.  

“It is essential that government policy on noise management is effectively implemented so that the burden of disease due to noise is reduced, particularly in areas where that burden may be disproportionately higher.”

• The House of Lords Science Committee is currently carrying out an inquiry into the impact of noise and light pollution into human health. This will be covered in EHN Extra on August 3rd, 2023.

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