Noise

Environmental noise is a widespread environmental problem and is the type of intrusion that involves the largest number of people in Sweden. Despite the fact that noise is not regarded as life-threatening in the same way as other environmental disturbances, it has significant effects on our health and on our ability to enjoy a good quality of life.

The interim targets for noise agreed upon by the Riksdag are:

• By 2010 the number of people who are exposed to traffic noise in excess of the target values approved by Parliament for noise in dwellings will have been reduced by 5% compared with 1998.
• Noise and other disturbances from boat traffic will be negligible in particularly sensitive and other designated archipelago and coastal areas by 2010.
• The noise from motor-driven vehicles in mountain country and aircraft will decrease.

Health effects

Noise is defined as sound that is undesirable or disturbing. People's reactions to sound vary, so that, for example, sound from roads or railways is perceived differently, even if the sound level is the same. Noise affects people in different ways, depending on the type of noise, its volume and frequencies, the way in which it may change over time, and the time of day during which it is heard. Noise may cause concentration difficulties and reduced learning ability, problems with insomnia, stress, discomfort, difficulties in hearing what others say and in listening to the radio/TV and telephone calls, reduced attention through noise muffling warning signals, and hearing impairments, etc. Very high sound-levels, such as those at music concerts can cause permanent hearing impairment. Research on traffic noise being undertaken today shows that such noise can also lead to serious health problems including heart disease and vascular disorders.

The prime sources of environmental noise are road, railway and air traffic, industries, construction work, neighbourhood noise, including restaurants, cafes, discotheques, music and sporting events, children's playgrounds, car parks, domestic pets and toys, air-conditioning fans, ventilation systems and compressors. Today, it is estimated that around 2 million people in Sweden are exposed to noise levels from air, road and railway traffic in excess of the target values agreed upon by the Riksdag. Of these, 1.6 million are disturbed by road traffic noise. Almost one million people (22 per cent) are troubled by noise in their homes at least once a week.

The increase in noise pollution hampers our efforts to achieve a sustainable society. A comparison of people living in housing of different ages shows that those living in more modern housing report noise problems about as frequently or more frequently than those living in older dwellings. What is most remarkable is that disturbing noise from neighbours and air conditioning fans in the building is common in the most modern blocks of flats. Most alarming is also the fact that children and young people are exposed to high levels of noise to an extent possibly not seen previously. According to a questionnaire-study undertaken by the National Board of Health and Welfare, some 15 per cent of children experience tinnitus every day and this trend appears to be on the increase.

Measures

What must be done to achieve the environmental quality objectives is first, to succeed in reducing noise from different sources, and second to implement measures to reduce noise other than that from traffic, both at the national level and internationally. Work within the EU should be directed at speeding up technical development towards reduced noise from vehicles, tyres and road surfaces and at phasing out older vehicles. At the national level, noise must be taken into account in spatial and layout planning and construction.