Environmental noise and light remain neglected pollutants, are poorly understood and poorly regulated despite their potential to negatively impact human health says a report out this morning by peers in the House of Lords
Both noise and light pollution impact negatively on human health through disrupting sleep and circadian rhythms
Epidemiological evidence suggests that noise pollution causes annoyance and increases the risk of stroke and heart disease. Research from the UK Health Security Agency suggests the equivalent of 130,000 healthy life years are lost from noise pollution each year in Britain.
This has significant impacts on the economy: sleep disturbance is estimated to cost the UK economy £34 billion a year, according to RAND Europe, and noise and light pollution are contributing factors.
The Committee is concerned that the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan only briefly mentions noise and light pollution, with no specific targets to reduce them, and that there is seemingly little impetus from central government to address them.
Light and noise pollution can all too often fall through the cracks between departments and between policies from central government and local government implementation on the ground, with responsibility for tackling the issue unclear.
The Chair of the Science and Technology Committee Baroness Brown said:
“Throughout our inquiry we’ve heard of the growing global evidence base for the significant negative impacts of environmental light and noise pollution on our health.
“Not only can they cause annoyance, impacting quality of life, but through the disruption of sleep and circadian rhythms, both noise and light pollution can contribute to heart disease and premature death.
“Whilst the increased risk to an individual may be low, the exposure of millions of people results in a significant aggregate health burden. Forty per cent of the British population are exposed to unhealthy levels of noise pollution from road traffic and research from the UK Health Security Agency suggests that in 2018, 130,000 healthy life years were lost in the UK.
“Yet, despite these significant health impacts, light and noise in the UK seem to have become neglected pollutants, poorly understood and poorly regulated. We are concerned that there are no specific targets for regulating light and noise pollution, and a lack of coordination between departments, and between central and local Government, which is preventing the Government from tackling these problems.
“The Government should focus on quantifying the health effects of noise and light pollution, set targets and a framework for regulation to reduce the overall burden of disease. It should do this by the time of the next five-year Environmental Improvement Plan cycle. It must also strengthen co-ordination between departments and between central and local government, to ensure meaningful improvements in public health and quality of life in the UK for the benefit of all.”
