The house of Lords Science and Technology Committee today published the outcomes of their inquiry into the effects of artificial light and noise on health. Their report, The neglected pollutants: the effects of artificial light and noise on human health, was compiled following gathering evidence from acoustic specialists including members of IOA and CIEH. The report supports the view advocated by IOA that the Government should establish an expert advisory group on noise pollution, as exists for air pollution, to assess new evidence for health effects and advise the Government accordingly. It notes that while the Defra 25 Year Environment Plan briefly mentions noise, there are no specific targets and little impetus from central government to address noise.
The need identified by the Lords for more expert advice follows on from the evidence presented that noise pollution can cause annoyance and increase the risk of stroke and heart disease. This includes the UK Health Security Agency suggesting that in 2018, 40% of the British population were exposed to harmful noise levels from road traffic and 130,000 healthy life years were lost. Significant gaps in knowledge on the effects of noise pollution were identified, and the report recommends research to fill these gaps should include larger scale studies on impacts, the subjective experience of noise, particularly in indoor environments and the efficacy of interventions to reduce noise pollution on health.
