Many new homes are needed in the coming years, while space is limited. Therefore, there are plans to build houses in areas with noise from various sources, such as around Schiphol. People exposed to high noise levels for a long time may experience sleep problems, nuisance, and other health effects. The Environmental Law prescribes a method to calculate how much nuisance various noise sources cause together. Research by RIVM commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management shows that this method is as good as other available methods. However, RIVM recommends using the most current scientific insights about the relationship between noise exposure and health when calculating with this method.
It is important to know the potential health impact of all noise in the environment before houses are built. The Environmental Law prescribes a method to calculate this. RIVM investigated whether other methods are described in international scientific literature.
In total, RIVM found sixteen methods, of which three are usable for Dutch policy. One of these is the method in the Environmental Law. RIVM concludes that this method is neither better nor worse than the other two.
Use the latest insights on the relationship between noise and health
The relationship between noise exposure and health can be expressed with an exposure-response relationship (ER relationship). An ER relationship is an important part of calculating total nuisance and shows at which noise level there is what chance of nuisance. For aircraft noise, this relationship has changed in recent years. Earlier research by RIVM shows that people experience more nuisance at the same amount of aircraft noise. RIVM recommends using the most current ER relationships for all sources.