Noise and light pollution: What’s the harm?

Approximate read time: 4 minutes

1. What are noise and light pollution?

The European Environment Agency defines noise pollution as “harmful or unwanted sounds in the environment, which in specific local[e]s, can be measured and averaged over a period of time”.^[1] The most relevant sources of noise pollution include means of transportation, such as aircraft, trains and motor vehicles; industry, such as wind turbines; and leisure activities.^[2]

UK government guidance defines light pollution as “light shining where it is not intended or wanted”.^[3] Some organisations, such as the Natural History Museum, define light pollution as all artificial light in the “night environment”.^[4]

2. How do noise and light pollution affect people?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has outlined the harmful effects of noise pollution on health and wellbeing:

Excessive noise seriously harms human health and interferes with people’s daily activities at school, at work, at home and during leisure time. It can disturb sleep; cause adverse cardiovascular, metabolic, psychophysiological and birth outcomes; lead to cognitive and hearing impairment; reduce performance; and provoke annoyance responses and changes in social behaviour.^[5]

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says light pollution is “a source of annoyance to people, harmful to wildlife and undermines enjoyment of the countryside or the night sky, especially in areas with intrinsically dark landscapes”.^[6]

A 2023 report by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee on the effects of artificial light and noise on human health found they contribute to a range of adverse health outcomes, including heart disease and premature death.^[7] However, the committee concluded that they are “poorly understood and poorly regulated”.

On noise pollution, the committee argued that while the increased risk to an individual of stroke and heart disease resulting from exposure is low, “the exposure of millions of people results in a significant aggregate health burden”. It said evidence suggested:

• Noise pollution from traffic results in 1mn healthy life years lost in western Europe per year.
• In 2018, 130,000 healthy life years were lost in the UK because of noise pollution.
• Also in 2018, 40% of the British population was exposed to harmful noise levels from road traffic.

The committee highlighted a lack of research into the sources and impacts of light pollution. It said more research was needed into measures of exposure to light pollution to quantify the effects on sleep and health. The committee said there should be more research into the effects of both noise and light pollution.

3. How do noise and light pollution affect the natural world?

Both noise and light pollution have detrimental impacts on wildlife, research institute the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology has explained.^[8] Excess light can lead to “fragmentation of the useable habitat for animals, birds, insects and even plants, affecting their physiology or behaviour and is a contributing factor in the gradual decline of insect and bird populations worldwide”. Noise can be a particular problem for sea life because it travels faster through water. It also affects land-based species, disturbing animals’ behaviour when they are feeding, communicating or looking for mates.

The Natural History Museum has emphasised the effect of human-made light on bats.^[9] It has found that excess light at night can interfere with bats’ navigation and feeding patterns. However, pigeons and their predators, peregrine falcons, “are thriving in human built environments”. This is because artificial light extends the time in which peregrine falcons can hunt.

4. What are the current laws and guidelines?

Legislation provides that noise emitted from premises or by “a vehicle, machinery or equipment in a street, or in Scotland, road” can be a statutory nuisance.^[10] However, this does not apply to noise from traffic.^[11] Local authorities are required to inspect their areas for statutory nuisances and to investigate relevant complaints.^[12] Government planning guidance on noise states that developers must consider the extent of the overall adverse effect of the noise exposure relating to the development.^[13]

There are also legal noise limits on vehicles, and noise from airports is regulated by various statutory instruments.^[14] There are no legal limits on noise from roads or railways.^[15]

Legislation also specifies that “artificial light emitted from premises or any stationary object so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance” is a statutory nuisance. However, certain premises are excluded from the section on artificial light: airports, harbours, railways, tramways, bus stations, public service vehicle operating centres, goods vehicle operating centres, lighthouses and prisons.^[16]

The planning guidance on light pollution states that when new developments are being designed the impact of light, including ecological impact, should be considered.^[17]

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Cover image by Richard Horne on Unsplash.