Noise pollution
Noise pollution: how to reduce the impact of an invisible threat?
Atmospheric pollution is not the only type of contamination that is harming living beings on the planet. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is one of the most dangerous environmental threats to health. In Europe alone, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA), it causes 66,000 premature deaths each year and tens of thousands of cases of cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes.
Drivers honking the horn, groups of workers drilling the road surface, aircraft flying over us in the sky... Noise, noise and more noise. Cities have become the epicentre of a type of pollution, acoustics, which, although its invisibility and the fact that coronavirus crisis reduced it until almost yearn it, is severely damaging to human beings. The European Environment Agency’s 2025 report
External link, opens in new window. confirms this: noise causes 66,000 premature deaths, 50,000 cases of cardiovascular disease and 22,000 cases of type two diabetes in Europe.
Although specific global estimates on noise are still limited, several medical organisations point out that environmental factors – including noise – play a major role in cardiovascular disease. The European Society of Cardiology, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the World Heart Federation published a statementExternal link, opens in new window. in 2026 warning that between four and six million cardiovascular deaths each year worldwide are linked to environmental exposures (air, noise, chemicals and climate). This evidence suggests that noise pollution is an environmental trigger that contributes to increased health risks.
Moreover, if it is harmful to humans, it is also harmful to animals. According to the National Park Service (NPS) in the United States, noise pollution has an enormous environmental impact and does serious damage to wildlife. Experts say noise pollution can interfere with breeding cycles and rearing and is even hastening the extinction of some species.
What is noise pollution?
Not all sound is considered noise pollution. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines noise above 65 decibels (dB) as noise pollution. To be precise, noise becomes harmful when it exceeds 75 decibels (dB) and is painful above 120 dB. As a consequence, it is recommended noise levels be kept below 65 dB during the day and indicates that restful sleep is impossible with nighttime ambient noise levels in excess of 30 dB.
Causes of noise pollution
There are many sources of noise pollution, but here are some of the main ones:
Traffic noise
Traffic noise accounts for most polluting noise in cities. For example, a car horn produces 90 dB and a bus produces 100 dB.
Air traffic noise
There are fewer aircraft flying over cities than there are cars on the roads, but the impact is greater: a single aircraft produces 130 dB.
Construction sites
Building and car park construction and road and pavement resurfacing works are very noisy. For example, a pneumatic drill produces 110 dB.
Catering and night life
Bars, restaurants and terraces that spill outside when the weather is good can produce more than 100 dB. This includes noise from pubs and clubs.
Animals
Noise made by animals can go unnoticed, but a howling or barking dog, for example, can produce around 60-80 dB.
Effects of noise pollution
As well as damaging our hearing by causing — tinnitus or deafness —, constant loud noise can damage human health in many ways, particularly in the very young and the very old. Here are some of the main ones:
Risk of cardiovascular disease
Prolonged exposure to environmental noise increases the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. According to the aforementioned EEA report, noise triggers physiological stress responses that raise blood pressure and cause vascular damage, contributing to thousands of premature deaths each year.
Mental health and wellbeing problems
Continuous exposure to noise is associated with irritability, anxiety, psychological stress and lower wellbeing. A study by the EEA published in 2026External link, opens in new window. identifies noise pollution as a trigger for conditions such as depression and as a factor that contributes to reduced quality of life.
Sleep disorders
One of the most common effects of environmental noise is sleep fragmentation. The WHO notes that night-time noise reduces sleep qualityExternal link, opens in new window. and can cause fatigue, lower performance and long-term health problems.
Metabolic risk and diabetes
Prolonged exposure to traffic noise is also associated with metabolic disorders. An epidemiological analysis published in 2025 in the European Heart JournalExternal link, opens in new window. estimates that chronic exposure to transport noise contributes to around 22,000 new cases of type two diabetes each year in Europe.
What’s more, researchers from the Helmholtz Center and Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich found in 2025External link, opens in new window. that living in areas with higher levels of traffic noise is associated with greater accumulation of body fat, a key factor in the development of metabolic diseases.
How we pollute the environment
Little things you do that pollute the environment, even though you (might) not realise they do.
Soil polution
Its effects on our future and what we can do to reduce it.
Water pollution
Water pollution: how to protect our source of life.
Digital sustainability
Digital sustainability as a solution to reduce our environmental impact.
Solutions to reduce noise pollution
International bodies like the WHO agree that awareness of noise pollution is essential to beat this invisible enemy. For example: avoid very noisy leisure activities, opt for alternatives means of transport such as bicycles or electric vehicles over taking the car, do your housework at recommended times, insulate homes with noise-absorbing materials, etc. Educating the younger generation is also an essential aspect of environmental education.
Governments can also take measures to ensure correct noise management and reduce noise pollution. For example: protecting certain areas — parts of the countryside, areas of natural interest, city parks, etc. — from noise, establishing regulations that include preventive and corrective measures — mandatory separation between residential zones and sources of noise like airports, fines for exceeding noise limits, etc. —, installing noise insulation in new buildings, creating pedestrian areas where traffic is only allowed to enter to offload goods at certain times, replacing traditional asphalt with more efficient options that can reduce traffic noise by up to 3 dB, among others.