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the highest exposure – or on reducing overall levels of unwanted sound. But opportunities for innovative, micro-policies should also be created. Exposure-aware citizens can play a crucial role in noise policymaking, 1 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/noise/directive.htm 2 http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/environment-and-health/noise/ activities/development-of-who-guidelines-for-community-noise-for-theeuropean-region 3 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/newprg/index.htm NOISE IMPACTS ON HEALTH 4 Te studies presented in this Tematic Issue, alongside future scientifc research, will help decision makers to develop more efective policies based on recent scientifc results. It is essential that environmental sound is considered by a range of diferent policy areas such as mobility planning, urban development, housing and preventive health, and that noise policy is based on the assessment of all possible impacts. Professor Dick Botteldooren, Department of Information Technology, University of Ghent, Belgium both as observers using monitoring equipment or their own ears, and as solution providers – and scientifc research will help policymakers and citizens to understand these dynamics and optimal conditions. Direct involvement of individuals through social media and monitoring could lead to new fne-grained solutions. Tis level of detail and citizen participation might also extend the concept of ‘vulnerable groups’ to the individual, as there is a growing body of evidence that health sensitivity to noise has a strong genetic component. NOISE IMPACTS ON HEALTH 5 Summary of the articles in this Thematic Issue Two articles in this Tematic Issue describe how stress and sleep disturbance resulting from environmental noise are pathways to cardiovascular disease. Research summarised in ‘Transport noise mitigation must consider the medical impacts’ reveals that night-time noise may have more of an impact on cardiovascular health than day-time noise. Noise exposure at night is a particular problem because it disturbs sleep. Te researchers recommend that noise reduction policies consider the medical efects of noise and suggest targeting noise problems at their source. Te second article, ‘Loss of healthy life due to UK noise exposure valued at €1.34 billion’ is based on a study in which researchers evaluated how exposure to day-time noise above recommended levels afected the blood pressure and associated health complications of the UK population. Tey found a marked increase in three health problems most strongly associated with high blood pressure: heart disease, stroke and dementia; this increase has a signifcant cost to society. Te efects of night-time noise on health are also examined in ‘Aircraft noise at night can damage blood vessels and cause long-term cardiovascular disease’, which reports on a study of 75 healthy volunteers aged between 20 and 60 years. Researchers monitored the blood pressure and heart rate of the volunteers during the night and found that those exposed to greater amounts of night-time aircraft noise sufered disturbed sleep, damaged blood vessels and increased levels of stress hormones in the body. Tese physical changes can lead to high blood pressure, heart and circulatory disease over the long term. Vulnerable groups of people (such as those with mental illness, shift workers and those with tinnitus) may be at increased risk from exposure to environmental noise. Te article ‘Health of vulnerable people exposed to noise is under-researched’, reports that although children’s health is less likely to be afected by environmental noise than adults’, it has been observed to lead to hyperactivity and inattention. Based on a German study, the article ‘Children are more hyperactive if they live near busy roads’ reveals that in addition to an increased risk of hyperactivity, children living close to busy roads may also have more emotional problems, especially if they are exposed to higher levels of noise during the night. Research into noise pollution and health is outlined in ‘Reviewing the multiple impacts of noise pollution’. Tis focuses on studies on the health impacts of noise – including environmental and social (via headphones) noise. Hearing impairment as a result of noise exposure presents a serious public health problem - Te World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 10% of the global population are currently exposed to noise levels that could lead to hearing impairment. Te article ‘Preserving quiet areas improves health’ provides evidence of the benefcial efects of access to tranquil places. Te researchers took data from those living in rural and urban locations and found that those living in so-called ‘noisy’ urban areas were more likely than those in ‘quiet’ urban areas to be very annoyed by noise. ‘How sounds afect our state of mind’ examines research which fnds that a diversity of acoustic environments is preferable over more uniform acoustic environments that comply with certain legal noise limits. Terefore tranquil places as well as more lively places should be found in our cities. Knowledge about the source of a noise (e.g. wind turbines) has been shown to infuence people’s judgement of noise annoyance. Motorways have been proposed as good locations for turbines, partly because the trafc could help conceal turbine noise. Based on a Belgian study, the fnal article ‘Are 

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