Neglected Pollutants 3 years on: The effects of noise on human health

This event will be taking place on Tuesday 6th July at 5:00pm - 6:30pm and has been organised by the IES, the Institute of Acoustics (IOA), and the UK Noise Association. You can download the agenda at the end of this event page.

Background

At the beginning of 2023, the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee launched an Inquiry into the effects of artificial light and noise on human health. The intention was to explore the strength of the evidence for claims made about their effects on human health, the adequacy of the existing policy and regulatory framework for addressing light and noise pollution in the UK, and options for reform to address any harmful effects identified. 

The committee received written evidence from a wide range of professional and other bodies, including the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and the UK Noise Association. In addition, several organisations were invited to give oral evidence to the Committee and this included the IOA and UKNA.

The Committee published its report on the 19th July 2023, entitled “The Neglected Pollutants” with a range of recommendations. These included:

• Defra should work with the UK Health Security Agency and other organisations to assess the significant, growing evidence on the health effects of noise;
• An interdisciplinary, independent advisory panel should be established to provide independent advice to the Government [regarding noise] and a forum for new evidence, particularly on emerging health effects and technologies, to be assessed; and
• The Government should collect data to determine whether planning authorities and other relevant parties are making use of the Noise Policy Statement for England.

The Government responded in December 2023 but there were no commitments made regarding implementing any of the Committee’s recommendations. It is now nearly 3 years since the publication of the report and still nothing has happened. In fact, a recent Parliamentary Question asked:

"Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans do the Government have to implement the recommendations of the 2023 House of Lords report on noise"

It was asked in conjunction with a general question regarding noise management. The Government answered the second question to some extent but did not mention their response to the House of Lords report.

Event aims

This meeting will provide an opportunity to re-visit the Select Committee’s report with presentations from Lord Krebbs, who sat on the Committee, and speakers on behalf of the IOA and UKNA, both of whom gave oral evidence.

Many people and organisations put a lot of work into providing evidence for the Committee. It is hoped that this meeting will act as a catalyst for some action so that all that effort is not wasted and the report does not just gather dust.

You can download the event agenda at the end of this page.

Our chair

Stephen Turner is an Independent Acoustics Consultant at Stephen Turner Acoustics Limited. He has been working in the field of acoustics and noise control for nearly 49 years in a career which has spanned both the public and private sector. He was a technical adviser to noise policy officials at the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for over 15 years, including 4 years as a civil servant, during which time he was closely involved in the development and implementation of noise management policy in England. He is an Honorary Fellow and a former President of the Institute of Acoustics (IOA), a Vice-President of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health,  an individual member of the European Commission’s Noise Expert Group, and was formerly Chair of the British Standards Committee that deals with transportation noise.  Stephen gave oral evidence to the House of Lords Committee on behalf of the IOA.

Our speakers

Professor Lord Krebs is a cross bench member of the House of Lords and Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of Oxford. He has served both as Chair and as a Member of the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee and was a member during the inquiry into noise and light pollution. In addition to his academic career, Lord Krebs has held several leadership positions including Chair of the Food Standards Agency, Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council, and Chair of the Adaptation Committee of the Committee on Climate Change.

John Stewart is an award-winning noise campaigner who chairs the UK Noise Association and has lobbied on the issue of noise for the last 30 years. John has chaired several campaign groups, including ALARM London and then ALARM UK which successfully defeated damaging road proposals; RoadPeace, the road victim charity; and the Campaign for Better Transport. For 20 years, John also advocated for residents under the Heathrow flight paths as the chair of HACAN. He is the author of a number of publications, including the book Why Noise Matters. 

Peter Rogers has over 30 years as a consultant and ex local authority officer to drawn on when providing expert witness testimony, with his original degree in Physics and Medical Physics. He now owns and runs Sustainable Acoustics Ltd providing acoustic expertise in environmental and building acoustics as a carbon neutral service. He was recently recognised by the Institute of Acoustics and the Association of Noise Consultants for his work in sustainability and continues to strive to use acoustics to improve life.