Noise pollution is responsible for reading difficulties among some 550,000 European children, warns Thursday a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) concerning 32 countries on the continent.
The EEA study covers the 27 member states of the European Union (EU), as well as Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The agency further estimates that one in five EU residents is exposed to noise levels that are harmful to their health.
“More than 20% of the European Union population, including children, lives in areas where traffic noise levels are harmful to health,” the agency warns in its report. “In many urban areas this percentage is much higher, reaching 50%.”
Cardiovascular and mental illnesses
Living in an area affected by transport noise is associated with an increased risk of developing a wide range of health problems, including cardiovascular and mental illnesses, writes the EEA, which considers that noise pollution is “one of the environmental factors most harmful to health in Europe after air pollution.
In those under 18, it can cause cognitive disorders and be linked to anxiety.
Among the 550,000 cases of reading disorders caused by transport noise, the majority (84%) are due to road traffic, particularly in urban areas, 15% to rail traffic and 1% to air transport.
Behavioral disorders
In addition, these noises are responsible for nearly 60,000 cases of behavioral disorders per year in the countries studied, mainly among children living in urban areas, notes the EEA.
“Reducing exposure (to noise) at home and at school would help minimize these negative consequences for children, which can affect their opportunities and quality of life throughout their lives,” adds the agency based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
For the stakeholders concerned, it is a question of focusing both on measures aimed at reducing noise at the source – by reducing speed limits, engine and tire noise – but also on corrective insulation measures. or the creation of green buffer zones.
afp/furr
World
Related News :