How are Eastern European Countries Addressing Environmental Noise Issues? A Post-conference Expert Discussion

The International Society for Environmental Epidemiology Young Conference was held in June 2024 in Rennes, France. A workshop titled “Environmental Justice in Europe: Closing the Gap in Air Pollution Health Effects Between East and West” was organized to discuss current research on air pollution and road traffic noise as burning environmental issues, with a focus on Eastern Europe.[1] Inspired by the conference, four environmental noise experts met to share personal experiences, identify challenges, and suggest opportunities for further research into noise exposure and related health effects. Two experts joined from European Union (EU) member states, Bulgaria and Slovakia, and two from non-EU countries, Serbia and North Macedonia. We hypothesized that the burden of noise in Eastern Europe may be high due to the presence of noisier transport sources, lack of investments in noise-reducing measures, unfulfilled legal obligations, etc. In this report, we discuss three challenges in this field: the implementation of legislation, public awareness regarding noise, and gaps in scientific research.

First, we were pleased that the EU Noise Directive on protection from environmental noise was implemented into the national legislations of all four countries.[2] However, we noted that the responsibility for enforcing these laws and addressing noise-related issues was assigned to local self-government units. To align with this obligation, local governments systematically measure noise levels and provide public reports.[3] Some governments also conduct the so-called “acoustic zoning” to establish noise limit values in various urban areas.[4] However, the primary responsibility under the EU directive is to develop strategic noise maps, which illustrate noise exposure levels from different sources, identify areas where limit values are exceeded, and estimate the population exposed to harmful noise levels. In Slovakia, strategic noise maps were created for major cities such as Bratislava and Košice, as well as for major roads, highways, and major railways.[5] In Bulgaria, three noise mapping campaigns covered the main traffic and industry sources in large agglomerations and along major roads,[6] while Regional Health Inspectorates conduct annual measurement campaigns at representative locations in cities.[7] In Serbia, noise mapping is being conducted in cities such as Niš, Belgrade, and Novi Sad, as well as in areas surrounding highways and the Belgrade airport.[8] In North Macedonia, local government units were tasked with developing and utilizing strategic noise maps and action plans for urban areas. However, to date, these strategic noise maps have not been created, and the public remains uninformed about noise exposure.[9] In addition, we discussed the quality, validity, reliability, and applicability of strategic noise maps in scientific research.

Second, we acknowledged that Eastern European countries struggle with limited public awareness, support, and engagement in addressing environmental noise issues. Although this problem has persisted for decades, citizens have only recently begun to demand more action against urban noise, typically triggered by personal experiences. For instance, in Belgrade, residents launched public, political, and legal campaigns in response to loud nighttime noise from entertainment venues. Ultimately, they pushed the authorities to amend national noise legislation, strictly monitor noise levels in entertainment facilities, and impose financial penalties when noise exceeded the established limits. Similar community actions would be essential for addressing other noise-related problems, such as aircraft or motorcycle noise near schools, hospitals, and residential areas. We concluded that the implementation of the existing legislation for reporting noise-related complaints, implementing noise protection measures, and enforcing sanctions when noise levels exceed limits is often hindered by bureaucratic inertia, unclear responsibilities, and a lack of public interest.Third, we discussed current scientific research on noise in Eastern European countries, typically observational studies focusing on annoyance,[10,11] sleep disturbances,[12] cardiovascular health,[13] children,[14,15] and adolescents.[16,17] We identified a gap in studying the impacts of neighborhood noise, construction activities, wind farms, and other novel sources. We recognized a shortage of prospective studies, particularly due to the unavailability of cohorts that combine individual noise exposure data with personal health data, which are difficult to access from health authorities. Future research should prioritize interventional studies, representative cohort studies, the development of local exposure–response relationships, and the investigation of biological mechanisms linking noise exposure to health outcomes over time.

To summarize, we emphasize the importance of establishing a network of environmental noise stakeholders—including government authorities, public health institutions, urban planners, the general public, health professionals, and experts in acoustics, epidemiology, and social sciences. The goal is to build a comprehensive knowledge base on noise levels, sources, and health impacts; to raise public awareness; and to propose sustainable solutions.