The health of more than a million Dutch people is endangered by environmental noise, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) writes in a report published on Friday. The institute therefore recommends that the legally permitted noise level should be reduced.
According to the RIVM, despite the current Dutch noise policy, 970,000 Dutch people are hindered by road traffic, 260,000 from airplanes, 100,000 from trains and over 7,000 from windmills.
A previously published report by the WHO health organization in 2018 shows that more serious health effects of ambient noise, such as the most common cardiovascular diseases, already occur at lower levels than previously thought.
According to the organization, there is stronger evidence that it has a negative impact on the condition of our heart and vessels, as well as on the metabolism. This is largely due to noise from wind turbines, traffic noise and the noise from concerts and events.
“People with nuisance must be portrayed”
That is why the WHO has drawn up guidelines to ensure that noise levels are limited. The new RIVM study, which was conducted in response to the WHO report, shows that Dutch policy does not meet these guidelines. According to RIVM, Dutch policy could be improved by adapting it to the new insights of the WHO.
“Possibilities for this are to lower the statutory maximum permitted noise levels in order to reduce the additional risk of coronary heart disease,” says RIVM. “People with severe annoyance or sleep disturbance can also get a better picture by including a larger area around noise sources in the policy. This will use the latest insights about the relationship between health and the level of noise levels.”
There is a good chance that many Dutch people will experience health problems due to ambient noise. Research from RTL News 2018 shows that more than a third of the houses are located in a noisy place, where traffic or windmills produce more than 55 decibels of noise.
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