Noise Pollution

Environmental noise pollution refers to unwanted sound from road, rail, aircraft and industrial sources. Chronic exposure raises cardiovascular morbidity and mortality through non-auditory mechanisms: nocturnal awakenings fragment sleep, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activation elevates cortisol and catecholamines, and resulting endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and vascular inflammation drive hypertension, ischemic heart disease, heart failure and stroke. The 2018 WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region strongly recommend keeping average exposure below 53 dB Lden for road traffic, 54 dB Lden for railway, and 45 dB Lden for aircraft noise; the EU mapping threshold under Directive 2002/49/EC remains 55 dB Lden. The European Environment Agency's 2025 report "Environmental noise in Europe" estimates transport noise causes about 66,000 premature deaths, ~50,000 new cardiovascular disease cases, and ~22,000 new type-2-diabetes cases annually in Europe.