Long-term traffic noise has an impact on human health

Triin Veber, an environmental health specialist in the field of medical sciences at the University of Tartu University of Tartu - Tartu Ülikool is an Estonian higher education institute. , said that proper noise data is first needed to study noise and health effects. These data can be used to create noise maps that are available to all people on the Internet. In Estonia, noise maps have been created for Tallinn Tallinn, the largest city and capital of Estonia (population 440 000). , Tartu and main roads.

In order to find out the number of people who get sick or die due to noise, a research-based methodology has been developed separately in the European Union. "If we know where people live, we can do specific research on health consequences. People are divided into two groups: people exposed to less noise and people exposed to more noise. In this way, it is possible to see if people who are exposed to more noise have more diseases," explained Triin Veber.

She recognized that assessing the effects of noise is quite a complex calculation, and noise maps are a fairly new phenomenon. The calculation takes into account, among other things, the number of cars and heavy trucks, the terrain, the damping capacity of the terrain and the height of the houses. The first noise map for Tartu and Tallinn Tallinn, the largest city and capital of Estonia (population 440 000). was created in 2012. It takes about two years to create a noise map. For example, currently, in 2022, there is a noise map for Tartu, but it reflects the situation in 2019.

According to the recommendation of the World Health Organization, the daily average car traffic noise should not exceed 53 decibels. "For example, the volume of human speech is about 55 decibels, and it is not very loud. However, the noise of a passing motorcycle is already 90 decibels. If you go to a rock concert, it is already over 100 decibels. Now if we think that this is a daily average, it is actually quite a lot of noise. Such numbers mean that every now and then a stronger sound source passes by a person," explained Veber.

She emphasized that any kind of disturbing noise actually has health effects. Noise has a negative effect even if the person does not directly feel the disturbance. "Cars passing by outside the window while you are sleeping actually affect the body - the heartbeat speeds up and stress hormones are released. The person himself does not remember it when he wakes up, or it is said that the noise does not disturb them. In fact, it still affects the work of the cardiovascular system and metabolism and increases the risk of diseases in the long term."

The researchers of the University of Tartu University of Tartu - Tartu Ülikool is an Estonian higher education institute. have also calculated the impact of traffic noise on people's health in Tartu and Tallinn Tallinn, the largest city and capital of Estonia (population 440 000). . If traffic noise were to be reduced to 50 decibels per day, it is estimated that 130 people in Tallinn Tallinn, the largest city and capital of Estonia (population 440 000). and 23 in Tartu would be healthy every year, who would fall ill with heart diseases due to this level of noise. There would also be fewer deaths from heart attacks in Tallinn Tallinn, the largest city and capital of Estonia (population 440 000). per year on average 25 and in Tartu 4. There would be 140 fewer people suffering from strokes per year in Tallinn Tallinn, the largest city and capital of Estonia (population 440 000). and 25 in Tartu.

Corresponding information has also been forwarded to the city government of Tartu and Tallinn Tallinn, the largest city and capital of Estonia (population 440 000). . According to Triin Veber, noise can be reduced using smart urban planning. "Cars are the main source of noise and air pollution in cities, and redirecting and reducing them could improve people's health in the city. If urban planning is already quite car-centric and residential buildings are located near major highways, it is not easy to change this. One way to do this is to lower the speed limit from 50 km/h to 40 or 30 km/h. However, when planning the city in the future, car traffic should be directed away from residential buildings and the use of public transport and light traffic roads should be facilitated," she explained.

Traffic noise has been associated mainly with ischemic heart diseases, such as heart attack, but also with other cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and hypertension. Connections have also been found with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders.

Unfortunately, based on the current indicators, there is no hope that noise in Estonia will start to decrease. "We can count on the fact that if we switch to much quieter electric cars in the future, the situation will improve," said Veber. She added that every person can reduce traffic noise. "If you go to work in the morning by bicycle, public transport or on foot, the benefits are multiple - fewer illnesses caused by noise and air pollution and direct health benefits from increased movement. It also slows down global climate change and reduces health risks from heat waves."