Conference on noise 24 April 2017 John F Ryan Director public health

Health in all policies The approach to noise and reduction of public health impact is a good example of a "health in all policies" approach Noise from transport is an important determinant of health The report on implementation of the noise directive is a useful opportunity to measure progress so far

Health impacts Health impacts concern individuals, groups of the population which are more exposed than others (particularly the deprived) They also affect the cost burden on health systems and sustainability Finally, they influence the health of the workforce and the economy generally

Is noise recognised? Does noise gets the recognition of other environmental determinants of health? Probably not! Awareness of air pollution and water quality is certainly higher Noise is not included in Indicators of health at EU level! Occasions such as today, and the report on the Directive on environmental noise are good opportunities to raise awareness

Examples of effects on health The EEA report of 2014 identified noise exposure as a direct determinant of hypertension and cardiovascular risk This report points to about 910,000 additional cases of hypertension linked to noise in 2011. Hospital admissions for Coronary heart disease were estimated at 43,000 per year due to noise

Examples of effects on health 2 These figures on CVD, even if considered on their own, are significant The human health burden is multiplied by the economic burden of poor health in the workforce The impact on health system sustainability is considerable

Examples of effects on health 3 A particularly worrying angle is the effect of noise on children's health Cognitive impairment has the potential to handicap future generations, to reduce quality of life, and to reduce potential for a healthy workforce. Such impacts fall disproportionately on the disadvantaged sections of society, increasing health inequalities

Prevention and promotion Commissioner Andriukaitis has stressed the potential of keeping people in good health for longer He also stresses the importance of prevention of chronic non communicable disease and promotion of good health

Potential From the available evidence, there is potential for more health promotion and reduction of health impacts from the effects of noise With a growing burden of non-communicable disease (80% of health care costs), and UN/WHO targets, important to include noise reduction as a lever in achieving sustainable development goals

Knowledge gaps Important to have the facts when making the argument Implementation reports on Directives and EEA reports of great value Need to make sure information reaches the right targets and that we fill knowledge gaps (impact assessments)

Mobilise citizen power Mobilizing citizen power and dialogue with stakeholders can help to drive progress, particularly on health issues Possibility to use health policy platform as a means to increase awareness and visibility of the noise issue as a determinant of health

Conclusions Aim is to ensure a 'high level of human health protection in all EU policies' (Article 168 Treaty) Noise legislation is a good example of ensuring that effects of noise on health are minimised A long way to go and potential for improvement both for health and for sustainability