According to health studies, prolonged exposure to excessive noise contributes to increased stress and a higher incidence of serious health complications, such as coronary heart disease.
Prolonged exposure to noise indirectly causes thousands of early deaths each year.
A study conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) across 750 cities in 25 European countries found that approximately half of the population in these cities is exposed to excessive noise. This contributes to serious health complications and indirectly leads to thousands of early deaths each year.
Findings from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health indicate that about half of the 128 million adults in the surveyed cities are exposed to noise levels exceeding the recommendations of the World Health Organization, which is above an average of 53 decibels over a 24-hour period. Experts consider this level of excess to be harmful to health, with the primary source of noise in cities mainly stemming from traffic.
The study also revealed that this issue predominantly occurs in major cities across Europe. The capital of Austria, Vienna, has the highest percentage of residents affected by noise, with over 85%. Berlin, Germany, has the lowest rate at 30%. In Prague, Czech Republic, this rate stands at 70%. Excessive noise exposure has indirectly caused approximately 3,600 early deaths each year.
