Environmental noise, also known as noise pollution, is among the most frequent sources of complaint regarding environmental issues in Europe, especially in densely populated urban areas and residential areas near highways, railways and airports. In comparison to other pollutants, the control of environmental noise has been hampered by insufficient knowledge of its effects on humans and of exposure–response relationships, as well as a lack of defined criteria. In 1999, WHO published its Guidelines for community noise (1). The European Parliament and Council adopted Directive 2002/49/EC of 25 June 2002 (2) with the main aim of providing a common basis for tackling noise problems across the EU. This Directive defines environmental noise as unwanted or harmful outdoor sound created by human activities, including noise from road traffic, railway traffic airports and industrial sites, and focuses on three action areas: the determination of exposure to environmental noise through noise mapping, based on common assessment methods; the adoption of action plans by the Member States based on noise-mapping results; and public access to information on environmental noise and its effects. Among the various effects of environmental noise, health effects are a growing concern of both the general public and policy-makers in the Member Status in Europe. Most of the assessments performed so far to evaluate the impact of environmental noise have been based on the annoyance it causes. Its consideration as a public health problem with measurable health outcomes has been limited (3).