Protecting our children from noise pollution
It has long been thought that noise may affect learning in children. Substantial funding was set aside by the EU's LIFE QUALITY Programme to investigate this further. One such study, the RANCH project, focused on children at schools in the vicinity of three major European airports. Information about noise levels, from not only aircraft but also road traffic, was collected from existing contour maps, measurements at schools and analysed using noise models. Standardised tests were then carried out to measure the children's ability to retain information (episodic, working and prospective memory), their sustained attention and reading comprehension. Nearly 3000 children from some 90 schools participated in RANCH. The effects of aircraft and vehicle noise were analysed separately and in combination. This approach helped bring to light the complex interaction between the two main sources of noise pollution in urban areas. For instance, road traffic noise affected episodic memory while aircraft noise did not. On the other hand, the RANCH participants demonstrated that aircraft noise clearly delayed reading age. A combined effect was identified in the case of reading comprehension. The use of the Neurobehavioural evaluation system (NES) allowed the researchers to evaluate the impact of noise on a range of other cognitive parameters. Although no effects upon motor function and perceptual coding were detected, attention and reaction time were impaired by both types of noise. In fact, a complicated feedback mechanism between aircraft and road traffic noise was discovered. In general, the RANCH findings confirm that noise pollution impairs the proper cognitive development of children.
