Maximum impact: children and elderly
All scientific studies on noise or air pollution along highways emphasize the greater impact on children and the elderly.
Cognitive effects and effects on school learning
There is sufficient evidence to conclude that there is an association between environmental noise and the effects on learning, especially in schools. Environmental noise can have several proven effects in relation to school learning, such as effects on:
- reading skills, reading comprehension and poorer results on standardized math tests;
- memory, especially for complex tasks requiring understanding;
- speech intelligibility (hearing discrimination and speech recognition) and certain determinants, including the factor of class acoustics;
- sustained attention;
- a form of student disengagement: learned helplessness
Summary
In 1999, WHO identified several effects on the health of children.
In 2006, the DSPQ report and explain why children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and noise.
In 2011, WHO produced a synthesis of several scientific studies on environmental noise and the link between noise and disease. All of chapter 3 is specifically dedicated to impacts on children.
In 2014 and 2019 the INSRQ publishes two scientific studies that study the impact of air pollution and noise on children at school along the highways
2020: COVID-19 illustrated the fragility of our seniors. Whether they live in a retirement home, with their children or in their own residence, proximity to the highway is very dangerous for their fragile health.
OMS – Noise impacts on children (1999)
RELEVANT QUOTES:
“Children have also been identified as vulnerable to noise exposure. The evidence on noise pollution and children’s health is strong enough to warrant monitoring programs at school and preschools to protect children from the effect of noise ” P. 55
“For schools, the critical effects of noise are on speech interference, disturbance of information extraction (e.g. understanding and reading acquisition), message communication and annoyance. To be able to hear and understand spoken messages in classrooms, the background sound pressure level should not exceed 35 dB LAeq during teaching lessons. » P.63
DSPQ – Urban transportation, a health issue (2006)
This link includes all of chapter 2 of the annual report of the Direction de la Santé Publique du Québec (DSPQ) on transportation. Above all, it summarizes the effects of air pollution.
RELEVANT QUOTES:
“At the outset, it should be noted that children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution compared to adults. Three reasons come into play: their respiratory and immune systems are still developing; they inhale more air (and therefore more contaminants) per pound of body weight than adults because of the structure of their lungs and their breathing rate; and finally, they spend more time outside than adults (especially to play) and are therefore more exposed. » P.15
“The risk of hospitalization for respiratory problems of Montrealers aged 60 and over living along arteries with heavy traffic: the study by the [DSPQ] shows that it is higher than among street residents quieter. In addition, the researchers took into account variables such as socioeconomic status: although this influences the risk of hospitalization, the fact remains that the level of polluting emissions from vehicles seems sufficient to have an impact on the respiratory health of the elderly. »P.12
WHO – Noise impacts on children (2011)
Burden of disease from environmental noise
This scientific report is a synthesis of several scientific studies on environmental noise and the link between noise and diseases. The numerous health impacts caused by highway and train noise are particularly illustrated.
Chapter 3 (P.45) of this study summarizes scientific research that specifically addresses the impact of environmental noise on cognitive impairment in children.
RELEVANT QUOTES:
“Our case definition of noise related cognitive impairment is:
Reduction in cognitive ability in school-age children that occurs while the noise exposure persists and will persist for some time after the cessation of the noise exposure.
A notable characteristic of this definition is that the cognitive impairment is assumed to show itself during the noise exposure as well as some time after the exposure has stopped. »P.45
“Reliable evidence indicates the adverse effects of chronic noise exposure on children’s cognition. There is no generally accepted criterion for quantification of the degree of cognitive impairment into a DW. However, it is possible to make a conservative estimate of loss in DALYs using the methods presented in this chapter. »P.52
INSRQ – Children at risk at school (2014)
Are children at risk at school?
This analysis produced by the Center Urbanization, Culture, Society of the National Institute of Scientific Research summarizes recent studies on the impact of air pollution on children at school along the highways.
RELEVANT QUOTES:
« The highest concentrations of these pollutants are generally found within 200 m of highways and major roads (Brugge et al., 2007). Studies have shown that children are more vulnerable to the effects of high concentrations of various air pollutants due to the fact that their organs and nervous systems are not fully developed (Bolte et al., 2009) and that they inhale more air per unit of body mass (Landrigan et al., 2004), and because of their limited mobility, which tends to restrict them to their residential area (Day and Wager, 2010). A number of studies around the world have also shown that children who attend schools located less than 200 m from a major road, that is, in areas where traffic densities are high and where there are high levels of traffic-related pollutants, are more likely to develop problems associated with asthma and to have reduced lung function » P.1
« Numerous studies have been conducted in order to evaluate the association between air quality around schools and various outcomes such as academic performance (Clark et al., 2010; Zahran et al., 2009), mental health (Evans, 2003) and respiratory problems (McConnell et al., 2010; Pastor et al., 2006).” P.2
INSRQ School location and road (2019)
School locations and road transportation nuisances in Montreal: An environmental equity diagnosis
This analysis is prepared by the Center Urbanization, Culture, Society of the National Institute of Scientific Research. It is limited to the analysis of only one air pollutant: NO2, in addition to the noise level.
Pollution, COVID-19 and seniors:
More recently, in Quebec, the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the fragility of our seniors. And it is not very different if they live in a retirement home, with their children or in their own residence, proximity to the highway is very dangerous for their fragile health.