Every year, 700 Dutch people die as a result of stress caused by prolonged exposure to noise pollution. That’s more than the number of traffic-related deaths.

From De Telegraaf:
AMSTERDAM – Every year, 700 Dutch people die as a result of stress caused by prolonged exposure to noise pollution. That’s more than the number of traffic fatalities.

These shocking, previously unpublished figures come from the European Union’s renowned research council. “The Hague is doing little to nothing to address this ever-growing problem,” experts say.

One in four Dutch people is regularly bothered by noise from neighbors or traffic roaring by. A total of 700,000 people are constantly annoyed by this nuisance, and more than half of them can no longer sleep, or can barely sleep at all. “Indoor noise pollution—such as the scraping of chairs, bass notes from music, footsteps, and even the maddening hum of ventilation systems—is one of the biggest causes of illness in this country,” says Lucas Keizer of the Knowledge Center for Sound Insulation (KGI), confirming the EU’s findings.

Exhausted
According to experts, noise pollution costs society a fortune every year. “The police have to respond to disturbances, municipal officials have their hands full analyzing complaints, and in the meantime, those affected become so stressed that healthcare costs for this group are skyrocketing,” says family physician Jan van Klaveren. Every day, he sees patients who are physically and mentally exhausted by the noise. He points to recent research by the independent consulting organization CE Delft.
The official report from the World Health Organization can be read here.