ABSTRACT
Environmental noise, irrespective of its source – traffic, leisure or neighbourhood activities – is an important issue in most European countries. The predominant health effect of noise is auditory damage, which includes hearing loss. This is frequently caused by loud noise at the work site or by loud music (i.e. from continuous high exposure to personal stereos and discotheques) as well as by fireworks. But, in addition to auditory damage, non-auditory health effects can be caused by noise at levels far below those required to damage the hearing organ.
