Malta ‘one of noisiest places to live in EU’

Noisy areas extend to around 90 per cent of Malta compared to some 50 per cent in most other EU Member States, making the island one of the noisiest places to live in the EU.  The health risks from such noise range from sleepless nights to heart disease.   It is the EEA’s first noise assessment report that analysed exposure to noise levels and the environmental and public health problems that result.  Road traffic is the main source of noise in Europe, the report said, followed by railways, airports and industry.  “In small countries like Belgium, Luxembourg and Malta the share of quiet areas is very low and noisy areas represent a significant portion of the protected areas,” the EEA states. The adverse health effects for those exposed to noise levels above the EU’s threshold for assessment and action, 55 decibels, are both direct and indirect, according to the report.  More in Times of Malta and the e-paper on timesofmalta.com Premium.