Wind Turbines, Trucks And Train Announcements: Managing Noise For A Healthy Environment - Noise Update, Aston University, Birmingham

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 19 Nov 2008 - 1:00 PST

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With the first UK based study linking persistent high levels of road traffic to significant health risk now available1, the UK is one of the leading European countries working towards managing the impact of noise from transport2. Meanwhile the drive to address climate change threatens to compromise local environmental quality unless properly managed through planning, and extended licensing means city streets are louder for longer.

It is a busy time for noise management professionals who, gather in Birmingham tomorrow for Environmental Protection UK's3 Noise Update conference. They will be considering the latest practical and policy measures for managing the impact of noise on our health in urban and rural areas. Highlights include:

Traffic Noise and Health Risk

• Recent work commissioned for the Greater London Authority found that each year up to 134 deaths could be caused by prolonged exposure to high levels of noise - Bernard Berry of Bel Acoustics will give an update on this and wider health research.

• John Stewart (voted the UK's leading environmental campaigner by The Independent) presents research by the Noise Association on the insidious encroachment of traffic noise into rural areas.

Wind Generation and Noise

• One Lincolnshire family, who supported the development of a wind farm near their rural home, now live in rented accommodation unable to tolerate the noise. Jane Davies will demonstrate the impact poor planning conditions can have on ordinary people.

• Alistair Mackinnon of TUV NEL Ltd will look at how planning can be used to protect amenity and health when installing small and micro wind turbines.

Our experts will also discuss progress towards noise action planning to manage the impact of transport noise, reducing noise from night time freight trucks, noise and licensing issues and noise from PA systems. Full programme available here

1. Up to 134 people in the Greater London area are at risk of dying due to exposure to road transport noise - according to a recently published report. It also estimated that some 500 cases of ischaemic heart disease, or over 100 heart attacks, of which half could be fatal, could be attributed to exposure to transport noise. See the report Effect of noise on physical health risk in London

2. Under the Environmental Noise Directive, a rolling programme for noise mapping and Noise Action Plans is set out. Noise maps are now available for the busiest routes and cities in the UK, and Governments are progressing towards the first noise action plans. These will set out how the impacts of noise in major cities and from our busiest transport routes are to be managed, in order to reduce harmful impacts. Under the Directive, quiet areas must also be designated and protected.

3. Environmental Protection UK is the environmental protection charity supported by pollution control professionals. We have been working for a cleaner, quieter, healthier world since 1898.

Source
Mary Devlin
http://www.environmental-protection.org.uk