The health costs of traffic-related air pollution are very high. In Switzerland, they amounted to 1,600 million Swiss francs in 1993. The estimates were limited to several health indicators including premature deaths, hospitalization for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and effects on patients with chronic bronchitis and asthma. Loss of production, medical treatment and administrative costs were also included. Traffic noise has emerged in recent years as an ever present but often underestimated pollutant in our lives.
Environmental noise affects health and well-being physically, mentally and socially.
There is ample evidence showing that high noise levels interfere with speech and communication, cause sleep disturbance, decreased learning ability and scholastic performance, increase stress-related hormones, blood pressure changes, ischaemic heart disease as well as the use of psychotropic drugs and medicines. Car mobility in cities, paradoxically, adds to the sedentary lifestyle. These basic forms of transportation halve the risk for coronary heart disease, reduce risk for diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, obesity and colon cancer. The list includes most of the prevalent chronic diseases in the European population. The potential of physical activity to improve health and well-being of the European is enormous.