Introduction to noise nuisance: sources, policy and measures
Noise: sources, health and individuals
Road traffic, air traffic and neighbours are the major sources of noise nuisance in the Netherlands. The noise from industry and the trains is a much less significant source of noise nuisance (De Jonghe et al., 2000). In addition to nuisance, prolonged exposure to high levels of noise can also generate clinically observable damage to health, such as the risk of ischaemic heart disease and effects on blood pressure. It is difficult to state a threshold value for the incidence of these effects (Van Kempen, 2002).
Noise nuisance depends very much on the individual and it is also linked to factors other than the level of noise to which people are exposed. These are referred to as "non-acoustic factors", such as the attitude to the source, confidence in the authorities and anxiety.
- See the noise and odour nuisance index for an overview of all indicators about noise/noise nuisance in the Environmental Data Compendium.
Policy: old and new standards
The objective in the First National Environmental Policy Plan was to stabilise the number of people experiencing noise nuisance by 2000 and to reduce severe nuisance to negligible levels in 2010 (VROM, 1989). This objective was abandoned in the Fourth National Environmental Policy Plan (VROM, 2001). The only concrete objective now included is that the threshold value of 70 dB(A) for residential areas should no longer be exceeded in 2010. This value has been selected on health grounds. This new objective also signifies a shift from nuisance established on the basis of surveys. The emphasis is now on exposure established on the basis of the measurement and calculation of noise levels.
Policy: 'Appropriate' sounds
The emphasis in the NEPP4 is also on acoustic area quality. Here, the government only makes a distinction between urban areas/housing in urban areas and the national ecological network of protected areas (EHS). By 2030 in both 'areas', 'only' the sounds that are appropriate for the function of the area should be heard. This means, for example, that more noise is permitted in a busy town centre than in a quiet residential area or in a natural area. More than in the past, local government authorities will be granted discretion to determine the quality requirements for each area. The interim objectives for 2010 are that there should be major improvements in acoustic quality in the urban area and that there should not be any deterioration in the EHS compared to 2000.
Measures
The government is attempting to reduce noise nuisance with a number of specific measures. These include placing noise barriers alongside motorways and insulating homes. Furthermore, the Dutch government is working hard at the European level to set stricter noise requirements for new vehicles. Despite these measures, noise nuisance has hardly decreased at all in the last decade and, in the case of a few sources, it has even increased.
