Traffic noise causes over one million healthy years of life to be lost every year to ill health, disability or early death in the European Union and Norway, finds a new report by the World Health Organization, WHO.

Environmental noise leads to a disease burden second in magnitude only to that of air pollution, the report states.

"Noise pollution is not only an environmental nuisance but also a threat to public health," said Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, releasing the report on Wednesday. "We hope that this new evidence will prompt governments and local authorities to introduce noise control policies at the national and local levels, thus protecting the health of Europeans from this growing hazard."

One in three people experiences annoyance during the daytime and one in five has disturbed sleep at night because of noise from roads, railways and airports. This increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure, learning disabilities and tinnitus.

The new report presents the results of an international study, coordinated by WHO/Europe and supported by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, that reviews the evidence on health effects, provides guidance to quantify risks from environmental noise and estimates the burden of disease in western European countries.

In June, the European Commission is expected to release a proposal to update Directive 70/157/EEC covering the permissible sound level and the exhaust system of motor vehicles, first enacted in 1970.

This new health evidence highlights the urgency of adopting more stringent EU vehicle noise standards, according to health, environment and sustainable transport acvocates.

The European Environmental Bureau, a coalition encompassing more than 140 groups in 31 countries, wants the WHO study to help strengthen the vehicle noise law.

According to the WHO study, 1.8 percent of heart attacks in high income European countries are attributed to traffic noise levels higher than 60 decibels, dB.

In 2009, WHO said in its guidelines for exposure to noise at night, "Long-term average exposure to levels above 55 dB, similar to the noise from a busy street, can trigger elevated blood pressure and heart attacks. One in five Europeans is regularly exposed to such noise levels,"said Nina Renshaw, deputy director at Transport & Environment, a Brussels-based sustainable transport campaign group.

The existing EU vehicle noise directive sets standards for various types of cars and trucks from 74 decibels up to 80 decibels.

European citizens are aware of the health impacts of traffic noise. According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, almost half of all respondents believe that noise affects their health 'to a large extent' and another one-third said that it affects their health 'to some extent."