Effects of exposure to traffic noise on health

Traffic noise causes adverse effects on the health and quality of life of individuals and communities exposed to it, including annoyance, sleep disturbance, decreased performance at school/work, stress, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease. In Australia there are few standards or policies addressing noise in urban environments, with many discrepancies in noise level thresholds when comparing states and regions. Currently Victoria has a day-to-night threshold for noise levels well above accepted levels in Europe, and there is no standard for the late night period. A better understanding of the health impacts of noise in the Australian context is vital for informing development and implementation of policy and legislation for road traffic noise management. This paper reviews the evidence base and policies related to traffic noise in urban areas, and presents a case study of noise mapping and assessing population health impacts (eg. sleep disturbance), in Geelong,Vcitoria,Australia.