Noise pollution near schools has serious effects

Almost 60,000 cases in Europe of behavioural difficulties in children are due to environmental noise generated from transport

Children attending school or living in areas impacted by transport noise tend to score lower on reading comprehension and face more behavioural challenges according to an European Environment Agency (EEA) report. Picture: Denis Minihane

Noise pollution is getting worse. Ask anyone living near a motorway, major road, railways, or an airport. More traffic, more noise.

And, there’s increasing evidence that transport noise especially is linked to health issues such as heart disease, sleep disturbance, stress, and mental health problems.