Navigation path

Science for Environment Policy

Subscribe to DG Environment News Alert Service

Search Science for Environment Policy

Please be aware that by using Google Search the Google Privacy Rules apply to the user.

Archive by Theme: Natural hazards

Period: 2011

A new way to predict urban noise pollution	17/11/11
Noise pollution in urban areas can harm our physical and mental wellbeing, and can have damaging effects on urban wildlife. Now, researchers from China have shown for the first time how a 'land use regression method' can be used to model urban noise and predict the effects of future planning decisions on noise levels.
Download article

Traffic noise causes loss of over one million healthy life years	8/11/11
A new World Health Organisation (WHO) study has estimated that the health impact of environmental noise in western Europe could be up to 1.6 million healthy life years lost annually through ill health, disability or early death.
Download article

Cognitive impairment caused by aircraft noise: school versus home	8/11/11
A recent study suggests that exposure to aircraft noise during the day has a greater impact on cognitive ability in children than sleep-disruption caused by exposure to aircraft noise during the night. Protective policy is therefore likely to be most effective if focused at the school level.
Download article

Noise maps suggest too many people exposed to damaging noise levels	8/11/11
Nearly 85% of residents in central Dublin, Ireland, could be exposed to damaging levels of night-time traffic noise, according to a recent study. The researchers explain how they assessed population exposure to noise and calculate the impacts of several noise reduction measures, providing information that could help EU Member States meet the Environmental Noise Directive's requirements.
Download article

Is the public really becoming more annoyed by aircraft noise?	8/11/11
Surveys have suggested that the public have become more annoyed by aircraft noise over recent decades. A recent study has investigated whether these results are partly caused by changes in survey methods and participants. However, no methodological issues considered could satisfactorily explain the rise in reported levels of annoyance at a given noise exposure level.
Download article

Quiet road surfaces may have financial as well as acoustic benefits	8/11/11
A recent report has reviewed research on the effectiveness of low-noise road surfaces, taking into account acoustic performance, safety, skidding resistance and cost. It concludes they could have substantial acoustic and financial benefits, but their durability and safety must be taken into account.
Download article

Combined traffic management and physical measures reduce noise	8/11/11
New research in Spain has explored solutions to reducing traffic noise, and suggests that the best option is to combine global measures, such as speed restrictions, and local measures, such as noise screens.
Download article

Sustainable natural materials can be used for noise insulation	5/5/11
Researchers have found that natural materials, such as plant fibres or wool, can be used to construct sustainable sound absorbers that help prevent noise pollution, which are as effective as conventional absorbers made from combinations of minerals and plastics.
Download article

Banning night flights could produce large financial savings	17/3/11
New research on a major UK airport (Heathrow) has estimated that a night-time ban on flights could produce up to £860 million (€1 billion) in financial savings over a 20 year period. Economic costs caused by the ban could be outweighed by savings from reduced health costs of sleep disturbance and stress caused by the noise of night flights.
Download article

Implementing the Noise Directive - lessons from Ireland	24/2/11
New research has reviewed the Irish implementation of the first phase of the EU Noise Directive. So far 31 different organisations have been involved and this will increase throughout the second phase of the Directive's implementation. More standardisation is needed to harmonise activities, perhaps by establishing a national expert steering group.
Download article