Noise is an inarticulate sound, without harmony or rhythm that tends to be unpleasant and annoying to the ear. It is, in a nutshell, an unwanted sound. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Exposure to more than 70 decibels for a prolonged period of time can cause serious damage to the earwith irreversible consequences.
In 1996, the Center for Hearing and Communication (CHC) founded the International Noise Awareness Dayfor alert and raise awareness in the population about the risks of noise for auditory disorder and its impact on health.
The world develops worldwide last Wednesday of Aprilwith him Purpose of promoting the care of the acoustic environment, the conservation of hearing and awareness of the discomforts and damage generated by noise (SEA, 2022).
Noise is a public health problem that must be addressed by society as a whole. Noise pollution affects people while they sleep or perform any activity.
International Noise Awareness Day 2025: Noise is one of the environmental causes of diseases in Europe. This Wednesday the International Noise Awareness Day 2025, An invisible noise pollution which affects the health and well -being of human beings, a healthy life is incompatible with the noise of transport, noise pollution It also produces very serious impacts on the environment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) considers that noise pollution caused by transportation like the One of the environmental causes of diseases in Europebehind air pollution by particles. Other sources of noise are also important, such as the industry or economic activities, as well as the noise in the interior environments.
The evidence of the effects of health noisehow loss of audition or aquefens, discomfort and irritability, sleep alterations, cognitive problems (especially in children) or physiological stressIt is solid. Physical manifestations are the increase in blood pressure, vasoconstriction, heart rate alterations or increases in blood viscosity. This increases the risk of developing diseases such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes, heart disease, circulatory system, and respiratory.
In recent years, cleaner air is being achieved in our cities. This will be reflected in a lower incidence of the diseases that this pollution produces and in a higher quality of life. However, it is important to continue paying attention to the noise pollutionto avoid or reduce its impact, and redouble efforts.
Society has a personal responsibility to prevent their behavior from harming the rest of the citizenship, but administrations and professionals in the acoustics sector should generate the framework that makes this possible and design measures and actions that mitigate so much suffering and improve the quality of life.
Ecological transition initiatives to alleviate noise pollution:
- The technical review process of the basic regulation of the State in the matter has begun to update the regulations, improve the drafting and clarify or develop some aspects, thus allowing a simpler and more coherent application. The role of these regulations will be reinforced as an effective and useful instrument for the protection of people’s health and the environment against noise.
- A global noise diagnostic work in Spain has begun, strategicwhich will allow, for the first time, an estimate at the state level of what is the magnitude of the problems derived from the noise caused by the different acoustic emitters, the population that is suffering and the possible meaning in terms of effects on health. This work will allow analyzing possible approaches to address the problem through a strategic document.
- SE has worked on easier and more comfortable access to the information communicated by the competent authorities in ambient noisein compliance with the regulation and the European Directive of Environmental Noise Evaluation and Management. Thus, the portal of the Basic Information System on Acoustic Pollution (SICA) And a new space data of ambient noise (IDE-SICA) has been prepared, which will soon be available.