世界衛生組織(WHO)最新的報告發現，交通噪音導致歐盟和挪威民衆健康欠佳、傷殘、或早死等現象。其所造成的生命及健康損失總合，相當於每年高達100多萬歲。同時環境噪音引發疾病嚴重的程度僅次於空氣污染。
世界衛生組織歐洲區主任亞克伯（Zsuzsanna Jakab），於3月30日公佈的報告中表示：「噪音污染不僅造成環境上的不便，對公眾健康更加構成威脅。我們希望該項新的佐證將有助於促使各國政府和地方當局，在各級推行噪音管制政策，進而保護其民衆健康免於此日趨嚴重的威脅。」
道路、鐵路、和機場相關的噪音造成1/3的人白天產生不悅和不安的狀態，1/5的人晚上無法安眠。這些現象將增加罹患心血管疾病、高血壓、學習障礙和耳鳴等疾病的風險。
這份最新報告由歐洲區世衛發起，歐洲委員會聯合研究中心協辦所提出的一項國際研究結果。該研究針對其影響健康風險的調查結果進行審核，並就量化西歐國家環境噪音和估計疾病負擔等方面風險提供指導。
今年6月，歐盟執委會預期將提案更新於1970年首次制定的70/157/EEC汽車技術指令。内容將涵蓋制定汽車釋出音量和排氣系統標準。
根據關注衛生、環境、和可持續運輸等領域人士表示，該項有害健康的新發現突顯採取更嚴格的歐盟車輛噪音標準之緊迫性。
歐洲環保聯盟，一結合31個國家140多個團體的團體表示，希望透過世衛組織該項研究，以協助加強車輛噪音相關法律的制定。
根據世衛的研究，1.8%發生於較富裕歐洲國家的心髒病例，元兇即是高於 60分貝的交通噪音。
任職於總部在布魯塞爾的可持續交通運輸運動團體「交通與環境協會」（Transport & Environment）副主任倫肖（Nina Renshaw）表示，2009年世衛在其就夜間暴露於噪音的指導準則中即指出，「長期暴露在平均55分貝水平以上，類似車水馬龍街道噪音的情況下，可能引發血壓升高和心髒病。而1/5的歐洲人就經常暴露在這種噪音水平之下。」
現有歐盟汽車噪音指令已制定適用於各類型的汽車和卡車噪音標準，分別為74分貝到80分貝不等。
歐洲公民就交通噪音對健康產生的影響並不陌生。根據最近一份歐洲民意調查顯示，幾乎一半的受訪者認為，噪音對其健康有相當大程度的影響，而另外1/3受訪者表示，在某種程度上會影響他們的健康。
Traffic noise causes over one million healthy years of life to be lost every year to ill health, disability or early death in the European Union and Norway, finds a new report by the World Health Organization, WHO.
Environmental noise leads to a disease burden second in magnitude only to that of air pollution, the report states.
"Noise pollution is not only an environmental nuisance but also a threat to public health," said Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, releasing the report on Wednesday. "We hope that this new evidence will prompt governments and local authorities to introduce noise control policies at the national and local levels, thus protecting the health of Europeans from this growing hazard."
One in three people experiences annoyance during the daytime and one in five has disturbed sleep at night because of noise from roads, railways and airports. This increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure, learning disabilities and tinnitus.
The new report presents the results of an international study, coordinated by WHO/Europe and supported by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, that reviews the evidence on health effects, provides guidance to quantify risks from environmental noise and estimates the burden of disease in western European countries.
In June, the European Commission is expected to release a proposal to update Directive 70/157/EEC covering the permissible sound level and the exhaust system of motor vehicles, first enacted in 1970.
This new health evidence highlights the urgency of adopting more stringent EU vehicle noise standards, according to health, environment and sustainable transport acvocates.
The European Environmental Bureau, a coalition encompassing more than 140 groups in 31 countries, wants the WHO study to help strengthen the vehicle noise law.
According to the WHO study, 1.8 percent of heart attacks in high income European countries are attributed to traffic noise levels higher than 60 decibels, dB.
In 2009, WHO said in its guidelines for exposure to noise at night, "Long-term average exposure to levels above 55 dB, similar to the noise from a busy street, can trigger elevated blood pressure and heart attacks. One in five Europeans is regularly exposed to such noise levels,"said Nina Renshaw, deputy director at Transport & Environment, a Brussels-based sustainable transport campaign group.
The existing EU vehicle noise directive sets standards for various types of cars and trucks from 74 decibels up to 80 decibels.
European citizens are aware of the health impacts of traffic noise. According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, almost half of all respondents believe that noise affects their health 'to a large extent' and another one-third said that it affects their health 'to some extent."
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