According to the World Health Organization, environmental noise is one of the largest public health threats globally, second only to air pollution. That may sound surprising, because noise is rarely dramatic. It doesn’t arrive as a crisis moment. It arrives as background. And that’s exactly the problem. Noise pollution isn’t limited to highways or airports. It’s present in the places where we spend most of our lives: Homes. Offices. Classrooms. Hospitals.

WHO attributes the majority of noise-related DALYs to:


• Chronic sleep disturbance

• Ischemic heart disease

• Annoyance with measurable health impact

• Cognitive impairment in children


Road traffic noise is the dominant contributor, followed by aircraft and rail noise.