Noise and Health in the Rotterdam Metropolitan Region

The Rotterdam Metropolitan Region (RMR)

rd
has the largest harbour in Europe and the 3
in the world and comprises more than 22.000
enterprises. In 2008 the Rotterdam Noise Map
was drafted. Based on this map the number of
annoyed, highly annoyed and sleep disturbed
people was estimated. In the RMR 1,2 mio
people are living. It delivers 8% of the GDP.

The number of sleep disturbed people was

also estimated. Only for traffic noise a 3%
sleep disturbed people occurred.
In the same time the Environmental Perception
Survey was published. This field survey
showed that the numbers of annoyed, highly
annoyed and sleep disturbed differed a lot from
those of the noise map according to END
2002/49/EC.
70
60
50
40

industry
road

30

aviation
20
10
0
EPS

END

Figure 4: Comparison EPS versus Noise Map END

(%A)
Figure 1: Rotterdam Noise Map 2008

The estimation was done according to the EU

requirements. It was found that almost 15% of
the citizens was annoyed by traffic noise and
almost 3% by industry and nearly 1% by
railway noise. See graph in figure 2.

A comparison was done for percentage highly

annoyed as well. See figure 5.
14
12

16,0%

10

14,0%

12,0%

industry
road
aviation

10,0%

industry

road

8,0%

aviation

6,0%

rail
4,0%

2
0
EPS

END

Figure 5: Comparison EPS versus Noise Map END

(%HA)

2,0%
0,0%
2007

Figure 2: Percentage annoyed people (END Map)

The percentage of highly annoyed people was

also estimated, see figure 3.
16,0%
14,0%

% high annoyed

12,0%
10,0%

industry
road

8,0%

aviation

6,0%

rail
4,0%
2,0%
0,0%
2007

Figure 3: Percentage of highly annoyed people

It was also done for sleep disturbance and the

differences were remarkably. Up to 4 times
differences were found.
Conclusions
Differences are found due to:
- noise calculations (inaccuracies modelling,
threshold too high > 55dB, etc.)
- another scale and despite local
circumstances (high % low income people,
high % people with other ethnic entity)
- questionnaire EPS left some room for
interpretation, conversion 5-11 pts. scale
- are Miedema (EU) curves up to date yet?
Improvements are possible but differences
certainly will remain! So, what to say to the
confused authorities (politicians) and to the
policy makers?


[henk.wolfert@dcmr.nl]