High Noise Annoyance Research Articles

Exposure-response relationships between road traffic, railway, and aircraft noise and annoyance in Bulgarian cities

This study aimed to develop exposure-response relationships (ERRs) between road, rail, and air traffic noise and high noise annoyance (HNA) and to assess the HNA disease burden. In 2023, 4 640 adults were cross-sectionally sampled from the five largest cities in Bulgaria. Participants' road, rail/tram, and air traffic HNA was defined as the top two categories (60% cut-off point) of a 5-point scale. A 72% cut-off approximation was also used. European Noise Directive maps were used to assign day-evening-night equivalent sound levels (Lden) to residences. ERRs were derived and used, together with the new WHO disability weight for HNA, to calculate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). DALYs were monetised based on Bulgaria's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and the value of a life year (VOLY). In fully adjusted models, Lden was non-linearly associated with HNA. Road traffic Lden [range 42.5 - 77.5 dB] was positively associated with HNA only above 62.5 dB, whereas the upward trend for rail [range 37.5 - 72.5 dB] and air traffic Lden [range 37.5 - 57.5 dB] started at 40-45 dB. Using this study's ERRs, the burden among people exposed to ≥ 40 dB was 3 476 (1 896 - 5 056) DALYs, $ 39 138 953 (21 348 520 - 56 929 386) based on GDP, and € 243 310 984 (94 796 487 - 505 581 266) based on VOLY. Using the WHO's curves, the burden was 4 312 (2 352 - 6 273) DALYs, $ 48 559 330 (26 486 907 - 70 631 753), and € 301 873 648 (117 613 110 - 627 269 918). In conclusion, we could only derive a plausible ERR for railway noise annoyance. Until better ERRs are derived for the Bulgarian population, we recommend using the WHO curves for road traffic and aircraft noise annoyance.

The moderating effect of insomnia severity in the association between noise annoyance and psychotic experiences in adolescents

ABSTRACT Adolescence has been identified as a particularly vulnerable age group with a high prevalence of insomnia and a heightened susceptibility to experiencing psychotic experiences, which in turn increases the risk of developing psychotic disorders. In particular, insomnia symptoms were found to be predominant among noise-sensitive adolescents exhibiting a higher level of noise annoyance. This study aimed to assess the moderating effect of insomnia severity between noise annoyance and psychotic disorders among Lebanese adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 527 Lebanese adolescents. Participants filled a self-administered online questionnaire. Insomnia moderated the association between noise annoyance and psychotic disorders. Noise annoyance was significantly associated with a higher risk of emergence of psychotic disorders. At low and moderate levels of insomnia severity, higher noise annoyance was significantly associated with higher psychotic experiences. Understanding how these variables interact provide valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms leading to psychotic disorders among adolescents.

The effect of aircraft noise on noise annoyance in DEBATS and NORAH pooled analysis: Role of non-acoustic factors

We investigated the dose-response relationship between aircraft noise levels and noise annoyance in the French DEBATS study including 1244 participants in 2013 and a sub-study of the German NORAH study including 1039 participants in 2014. In both studies, annoyance due to aircraft noise was assessed using the ICBEN 5-points question. High annoyance was defined according to ISO/TS-15666 (HAV). Outdoor aircraft noise levels were modelled for the participants' home addresses. The moderation roles of noise sensitivity, gender and age were investigated. About 18% of the participants in the DEBATS study reported to be highly annoyed vs 54% in the NORAH study. The mean noise levels (Lden) were similar (54 dBA in DEBATS and 52 dBA in NORAH). In the pooled analysis, high noise annoyance was associated not only with aircraft noise levels, but also with non-acoustical factors such as noise sensitivity, age and trust in authorities. Noise sensitivity moderates the effect of aircraft noise levels on aircraft noise annoyance (p-value of interaction = 0.02), while age and gender do not.

Developing a deep learning-based noise annoyance prediction tool for urban environments in Singapore

In this study, we develop a noise annoyance prediction tool using deep learning in Singapore, a densely populated city-state where a significant portion of the population resides in public housing near various noise sources like MRT, highways, bus routes, and construction sites. To investigate short-term annoyance caused by surrounding noises, we created an easily accessible web-based subjective listening test. We created a noise dataset featuring typical Singaporean noise sources, including traffic (buses, highways), trains, aviation, neighbourhood activities (playgrounds, schools, hawker centers, funerals, wildlife, home renovations), and construction. Participants were exposed to 35 noise stimuli, lasting between 15 to 30 seconds, and asked to rate perceived annoyance on a 5-point scale, with 5 being the most annoying. Using these reported annoyance levels, we ranked the stimuli relative to each other and categorized them into three classes: low, medium, and high noise annoyance. Using these three labels, Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) networks were trained to predict the perceived annoyance of new audio samples. Such a perceived annoyance assessment tool for new audio samples can help in addressing specific noise concerns of residents, leading to more effective and targeted noise control strategies, and consequently creating a quieter and more pleasant urban living environment.

Effect of perceived dominance and pleasantness on the total noise annoyance responses evoked by augmenting road traffic noise with birdsong/stream sound

Earlier studies suggested that sound preferences or soundscape quality could be improved by augmenting the acoustic environment originally dominated by road traffic noise by birdsong or water sound. However, little has been known on whether and how the total noise annoyance perceptions can also be moderated by augmenting road traffic noise with birdsong/water sound and there is a lack of models that can help portray the noise annoyance response of acoustic environments with traffic sound augmented by birdsong/stream sound. To this end, laboratory hearing experiments were designed to explore the moderating effects of augmenting road traffic noise with birdsong or stream sounds on the total annoyance responses. The responses collected from 94 human participants were employed to construct multivariate models for predicting the probability of evoking a high total noise annoyance response. Results show that multivariate models incorporating perceived level of road traffic dominance and pleasantness of birdsong or stream sound as perceptual factors can better portray the noise annoyance level rated by individuals. The probability of evoking a high total annoyance response tended to be lower when road traffic was not perceived as a dominant sound source, and/or birdsong/stream sound was perceived as pleasant. Of particular contribution of this study is the formulation of a model that can better portray the effects of augmenting road traffic noise with birdsong/stream sound on total noise annoyance responses by including perceived dominance and pleasantness as perceptual factors.

Road traffic noise in European cities: Learnings from a European-wide study on the health impacts of road traffic noise.

Road traffic noise is one of the main environmental risks to health and wellbeing. We aimed to provide an in-depth assessment of available road traffic noise data and to estimate population exposure and health impacts for cities in Europe. We analyzed 724 cities and 25 greater cities in 25 European countries. We retrieved road traffic strategic noise maps delivered under the Environmental Noise Directive (END) or available from local sources. We assessed noise exposure using the 24h day-evening-night noise level indicator (Lden) starting at exposure levels of 55 dB Lden for the adult population aged 20 and over and estimated the health impacts of compliance with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of 53 dB Lden. Two primary health outcomes were assessed: high noise annoyance and Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), using mortality from IHD causes as indicator. Almost 60 million adults were exposed to road traffic noise levels above 55 dB Lden, 11 million adults were highly annoyed and more than 3600 deaths from IHD could be prevented annually. A considerable number of adults are exposed to road traffic noise levels harmful for health. Efforts to standardize the strategic noise maps and to increase data availability at the city level are needed to provide a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of the health impacts of road traffic noise.

Socioeconomic inequalities in burden of disease due to traffic noise in the Nordic countries

Environmental noise is the second largest environmental risk factor in disease burden estimates for Europe. While socioeconomic inequalities in noise exposure have been reported, the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on the disease burden attributable to noise exposure has to our knowledge not been reported previously. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of SES on traffic noise exposure and the associated disease burden in selected Nordic populations. We employed nationwide data on road traffic noise exposure and SES from Danish and Norwegian Nationwide Models. The impact of household income and education on traffic noise exposure was assessed using linear regression analyses. Burden of disease estimates were calculated for populations stratified according to their level of income and education in terms of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) for high degree of noise annoyance, high degree of sleep disturbance and ischaemic heart disease. The most consistent finding observed for the Danish population was that, compared to medium and low household income, high household income was associated with lower noise exposure. Moreover, the burden of disease estimates for high noise annoyance were up to 20% lower in the high compared to the lower household income groups.

Health impacts of a reduced aircraft noise exposure during the Covid-19-pandemic - A natural experiment in Stockholm, Sweden

Background and aim: The lock-downs during the Covid-19-pandemic induced significant changes in travel patterns. In Stockholm, Sweden, the aircraft traffic around Bromma airport reduced by 77 percent during the first wave of the pandemic, March 1 to June 15, 2020, resulting in a sharp decline in residential exposure to noise. Based on this "natural experiment”, we aimed to assess the impact of the reduced aircraft noise exposure on population well-being and health. Methods: In September 2020, we invited 10 000 individuals residing in the vicinity of Stockholm Bromma airport (n=7 500) and in Nacka municipality (n=2 500), serving as a reference, to a web-based questionnaire survey. The questions related to a pre- and during the pandemic situation, respectively, and concerned individual and housing factors and various disturbances, e.g., noise annoyance, sleep impairment, and stress related symptoms. Residential exposure to aircraft noise was assessed for a pre-pandemic situation in 5 dB categories ranging from ≤45 to ≥55 dB Lden. Logistic general estimating equation models were used to assess Relative Risks (RR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI). Results: In total, 3 582 individuals responded to the survey (35,8%). In the pre-pandemic situation, statistically significant associations were found between aircraft noise and all investigated disturbances. During the pandemic, the associations reduced and approached unity. The RR for high noise annoyance dropped from 7.51 (95% CI 5.18-10.90) among those exposed ≥46 dB Lden compared to the reference before the pandemic, to 2.18 (95% CI 1.24-5.9) during the pandemic. Corresponding figures for high sleep disturbance were 7.64 (95% CI 3.90-15.0) and 1.57 (95% CI 1.62-1.02), respectively. Improvements were also seen for stress symptoms. Conclusions: The reductions in aircraft noise exposure around Stockholm Bromma airport during the Covid-19-pandemic resulted in an overall improved health in the local population. Keywords: Aircraft noise, Covid-19-pandemic, annoyance, sleep, stress

Annoyance toward transportation and construction noise in rural suburban and urban regions across Canada

The Canadian Perspectives on Environmental Noise Survey investigated expectations and attitudes toward environmental noise in rural/remote, suburban and urban regions across Canada. A 26-item online questionnaire was completed by 6647 randomly selected Canadians 18 years of age and older between April 12, 2021 and May 25, 2021. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression modelled the odds of reporting very or extreme (i.e., high) noise annoyance toward road traffic, aircraft/helicopter, trains and construction noise. Five variables were common to all noise sources; 1) reporting the living area as very quiet, calm and relaxing; 2) sleep disturbance in general; 3) sleep disturbance attributed to road traffic noise; 4) noise sensitivity; and 5) reporting worsened annoyance toward environmental noise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Duration of residency, perceived changes in nighttime and daytime noise over time, expectations of quiet, other specific causes of sleep disturbance, hearing impairment, road traffic audibility, and the impact of the pandemic on physical health, mental health, stress and indoor noise annoyance, each impacted the odds of reporting high annoyance to some, but not all modelled sources. Gender, rated physical and mental health (in general), anxiety or depression, overall well-being, and Indigenous status did not enter any of the multivariate models. Results are discussed in relation to the provision of advice on noise under Canada's Impact Assessment Act.

Impact of road traffic noise on annoyance and preventable mortality in European cities: A health impact assessment.

Road traffic is the main source of environmental noise in European cities and one of the main environmental risks to health and wellbeing. In this study we aimed to provide an in-depth assessment of available road traffic noise data and to estimate population exposure and health impacts for cities in Europe. We conducted the analysis for 724 cities and 25 greater cities in 25 European countries. We retrieved road traffic strategic noise maps delivered under the Environmental Noise Directive (END) or available from local sources. We assessed noise exposure using the 24hday-evening-night noise level indicator (Lden) starting at exposure levels of 55dB Lden - based on data availability - for the adult population aged 20 and over (n=123,966,346). For the adults exposed to noise levels above 55dB Lden we estimated the health impacts of compliance with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of 53dB Lden. Two primary health outcomes were assessed: high noise annoyance and Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), using mortality from IHD causes as indicator. Exposure Response Functions (ERFs) relating road traffic noise exposure to annoyance and IHD mortality were retrieved from the literature. Uncertainties in input parameters were propagated using Monte Carlo simulations to obtain point estimates and empirical 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs). Lastly, the noise maps were categorized as high, moderate and low quality following a qualitative approach. Strategic noise map data was delivered in three distinct formats (i.e. raster, polygon or polyline) and had distinct noise ranges and levels of categorization. The majority of noise maps (i.e. 83.2%) were considered of moderate or low quality. Based on the data provided, almost 60 million adults were exposed to road traffic noise levels above 55dB Lden, equating to a median of 42% (Interquartile Range (IQR): 31.8-64.8) of the adult population across the analysed cities. We estimated that approximately 11 million adults were highly annoyed by road traffic noise and that 3608 deaths from IHD (95% CI: 843-6266) could be prevented annually with compliance of the WHO recommendation. The proportion of highly annoyed adults by city had a median value of 7.6% (IQR: 5.6-11.8) across the analysed cities, while the number preventable deaths had a median of 2.2 deaths per 100,000 population (IQR: 1.4-3.1). Based on the provided strategic noise maps a considerable number of adults in European cities are exposed to road traffic noise levels harmful for health. Efforts to standardize the strategic noise maps and to increase noise and disease data availability at the city level are needed. These would allow for a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of the health impacts and further help local governments to address the adverse health effects of road traffic noise.

On the study of the psychological effects of blocked views on dwellers in high dense urban environments

This paper studies the effects of neighbourhood views of densely packed high-rise buildings on human perceptions of oppressiveness and noise annoyance. Earlier studies have found that views containing close-by tall buildings would not only negatively affect annoyance induced by road traffic noises but also develop an oppressive feeling. However, there is very limited understanding about the extent to which views blocked by buildings with tight spacing and separation distance affects the responses of oppressiveness and noise annoyance. Moreover, few studies have explored the potential of vertical greening and façade condition on attenuating those responses. This study aimed at formulating multivariate models to predict the probability of evoking perceived oppressiveness and noise annoyance when exposed to blocked views from indoors in a canyon-like setting conditioned by those spatial and façade attributes at road traffic noise levels between 55 and 65 dBA. Sixteen audio-visual composite scenarios were presented to 53 participants through immersive virtual reality for annoyance and oppressiveness ratings. The results showed that the probability of high noise annoyance responses could be significantly lowered with a larger separation distance, the presence of vertical greening, and maintenance on building façades. In addition, decreasing noise level, increasing separation distance, presence of building spacing, vertical greening and well-maintained building façades were likely to reduce oppressive feeling. Further, the model revealed that participants had higher sensitivity to vertical greening than to the openness of view when perceiving noise annoyance. The effect of separation distance was significantly stronger on perceived oppressiveness than on noise annoyance.

Association between noise annoyance and mental health outcomes - an evidence review

To date, most reviews on noise and mental health have focused on noise exposure. However, a number of studies found associations between mental health and noise annoyance, but not with exposure. A literature search was carried out in PubMed and Web of Science databases. We also hand-searched conference proceedings and references in other systematic reviews on noise exposure and annoyance/mental health. We identified 25 articles through the databases searches that satisfied the inclusion criteria; existing literature reviews provided two additional publications. The majority of identified studies used either a 5-point (n=15) or 11-point scale (n=5) to measure noise annoyance. The sources of noise annoyance mainly come from traffic (n=18 or 67%), and neighbourhood (n=4 or 15%). For mental health outcomes, 20 (74%), 2 (7%) and 2 (7%) articles used validated questionnaires, self-reported use of anxiolytics/antidepressants, or self-reported diagnosis of mental disease, respectively, to assess mental health. Six articles differentiated between depression and anxiety disorder while 19 focused on general mental health. Results from these studies overall point to an adverse association of noise annoyance (high noise annoyance in particular) with depression, anxiety or general mental problem, either measured by self-reported diagnosis, self-reported medicine use or questionnaires.

Investigation of Chinese residents’ community response to high-speed railway noise

With the rapid development of high-speed rail worldwide, particularly in China, which has the longest such network, incidents of its noise’s adverse effects have vastly increased. A social survey on community response to high-speed railway noise was conducted in Tianjin, China, from March 2018 to March 2019. A total of 1002 residents, along the Beijing-Tianjin intercity high-speed railway line and Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway line, were interviewed on annoyance and activity interference caused by high-speed railway noise. Consequently, the exposure–response relationship curve was established for gauging the effects of high-speed railway noise on Chinese residents. It showed that the proportion of Chinese residents with high noise annoyance and activity interference increased exponentially with the increase of high-speed railway noise levels. The results proved that background noise had an important effect on the evaluation of noise annoyance. The duration of a single noise event might affect activity disturbance. In addition to acoustic factors, community response to high-speed railway noise was also greatly influenced by subjective characteristics, such as noise sensitivity, satisfaction in the living environment, and satisfaction in housing.

Development of safety performance using scoring Technique In Textile Industries

The objective of the work focus to determine the potential safety factors that directed the triumph of a Human factors safety Management system for Textile workers. The number of accidents among textile workers and the level of responsiveness on problems concerning safety were also determined. The Spinning mills ranged from high noise annoyance areas, rotating machineries and Manual Material handling areas. The sample size was 75 in each sub criteria workers’s. From the survey it was found that the most potential safety factor was personal awareness followed closely by statement. Suggestions and recommendations on machinery design and improved safety work practices and measures to improve the efficiency and yield of textile workers were proposed. Management was advised to get their labours response better informed about safety matters. The Investigation survey identify the ineffective management involvement is the main causes of creating safety deficiency inside the textile plants. About 40- 80% of peoples recorded the same reasons to improve the management involvement in all the safety aspects. Very few of the people delivered regarding origin of unsafe acts and condition due to their behaviour of worker inside the workplace related to Human error. This works presents the improved model for management of textile plants in upcoming future investigations.

Evaluating project-related noise impacts on sleep in environmental assessments: A proposal to apply decibel adjustments to nighttime noise events based on their time of occurrence over the sleep period time

Health Canada is updating its Guidance for evaluating noise in environmental assessments. Current advice on sleep is drawn from the World Health Organization (WHO) which advises that average noise within the bedroom not exceed 30 dBA, and noise events not exceed 45 dB LAmax on more than 10–15 occasions. Both limits increase by 15 dB outdoors assuming partially opened windows. The WHO’s recommended outdoor nighttime annual average of 40 dBA is also used. Two situations commonly arise: (1) the outdoor annual average sound level is exceeded at baseline; or (2) the number of events during sleep exceeds 15, but are just below threshold. Under these situations, the estimated prevalence of high noise annoyance is applied to protect sleep because it includes a 10 dB nighttime penalty. However, this may not account for the variation in the acoustic threshold that has been observed throughout the sleep period. This paper presents two proposals: (1) apply a decibel adjustment to noise events occurring during periods where thresholds are known to be lower (i.e., the first hour and final 3 h) and/or (2) derive a rating level for estimating annoyance using an alternative nighttime adjustment that splits the night into distinct time periods.

Pathways and contingencies linking road traffic noise to annoyance, noise sensitivity, and mental Ill-Health.

Context:Traffic noise may contribute to depression and anxiety through higher noise annoyance (NA). However, little is known about noise sensitivity (NS) and mental health status as contextual factors.Objective:We tested three hypotheses: (1) Traffic noise is associated with mental ill-health through higher NA; (2) Mental ill-health and NS moderate the association between traffic noise and NA; and (3) NS moderates the indirect effect of traffic noise on mental ill-health.Subjects and Methods:We used a convenience sample of 437 undergraduate students from the Medical University in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (mean age 21 years; 35% male). Residential road traffic noise (LAeq; day equivalent noise level) was calculated using a land use regression model. Depression and anxiety symptoms were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, respectively. NA was measured using a 5-point verbal scale. The Noise Sensitivity Scale Short Form (NSS-SF) was used to measure NS. To investigate how these variables intertwine, we conducted mediation, moderation and moderated mediation analyses.Results:LAeq was indirectly associated with higher PHQ-9/GAD-7 scores through higher NA, but only in the low NS group. The relationship between LAeq and NA was stronger in students reporting depression/anxiety. While high NS was associated with high NA even at low noise levels, LAeq contributed to NA only in students low on NS.Conclusions:We found complex conditional relationships between traffic noise, annoyance and mental ill-health. Understanding respective vulnerability profiles within the community could aid noise policy and increase efficacy of interventions.

Developing a multivariate model for predicting the noise annoyance responses due to combined water sound and road traffic noise exposure

People in an urban environment are exposed to different types of natural and man-made sounds. Human sound perceptions due to exposure to a single noise source, in particular road traffic and aircraft noises, have been investigated for a long time. However, only very few studies have been focused on exposure to a combination of sound sources. Also, there is a lack of multivariate models that can help to predict the preferences or annoyance responses as a result of adding a wanted sound to an unwanted sound. Accordingly, this study aimed at developing a multivariate model to predict the probability of invoking a high noise annoyance response due to combined water sound and road traffic noise exposure. A series of laboratory experiments were performed. Participants were presented with a series of acoustical stimuli before being asked to assign their annoyance ratings. Results suggested that other than acoustical properties like sound pressure levels, personality traits were found to exert considerable influences on the maximum likelihoods of the model prediction and thus should not be excluded from the model specification form. Also, the quality of the acoustical environment could be improved by adding water sounds to road traffic noises at high levels. The capability of stream sound to moderate noise annoyance was found to be slightly stronger than that of fountain sound. In addition, the formulated multivariate model enables to reveal the tradeoff decisions performed by people. An increase in the SPL of road traffic noise by 1dB was considered to be equivalent to a reduction in the SPL of water source by 1.7dB for a given probability value. Results arising from this study should provide valuable insights on understanding how humans respond to the combined water sound and road traffic noise exposure.

Assessment of Noise Exposure and Noise Annoyance in a Steel Factory

Background: Noise pollution is one of the most important risk factors in industrial settings. This study aimed to assess noise exposure and noise-induced annoyance among workers of a steel factory. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 70 healthy male participants (33 office employees and 37 production line workers) in a steel plant. Results: The results showed that 24.24% of employees in office areas and 54% of blue-collar workers had high noise annoyance. Also, noise levels in two parts of steel factory and percentage of responds by participants that felt highly annoyed showed a significant relationship (P < 0.05). Feeling of discomfort was a major complaint that was stated by office employees (%59) and blue-collar workers (%38). Conclusions: The findings of this investigation have clearly revealed that employees in both parts of steel factory are annoyed by noise. A higher noise level resulted in higher noise annoyance in the exposed workers. The need for implementing noise conservation program was established.

Assessment of Noise Exposure and Noise Annoyance in a Steel Factory

Background: Noise pollution is one of the most important risk factors in industrial settings. This study aimed to assess noise exposure and noise-induced annoyance among workers of a steel factory. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 70 healthy male participants (33 office employees and 37 production line workers) in a steel plant. Results: The results showed that 24.24% of employees in office areas and 54% of blue-collar workers had high noise annoyance. Also, noise levels in two parts of steel factory and percentage of responds by participants that felt highly annoyed showed a significant relationship (P < 0.05). Feeling of discomfort was a major complaint that was stated by office employees (%59) and blue-collar workers (%38). Conclusions: The findings of this investigation have clearly revealed that employees in both parts of steel factory are annoyed by noise. A higher noise level resulted in higher noise annoyance in the exposed workers. The need for implementing noise conservation program was established.

Environmental Noise Annoyance and Mental Health in Adults: Findings from the Cross-Sectional German Health Update (GEDA) Study 2012.

The health implications of environmental noise, especially cardiovascular effects, have been studied intensively. Research on associations between noise and mental health, however, has shown contradictory results. The present study examined associations between individual levels of noise annoyance due to noise from various sources in the living environment and mental health of adults in Germany. It evaluated whether these associations persisted after adjusting for potential covariates. Data were obtained from the cross-sectional “German Health Update” study 2012 (GEDA 2012), a national health interview survey among adults in Germany conducted by the Robert Koch Institute (n = 19,294). Noise annoyance questions referred to overall noise and that from road traffic, neighbours, and air traffic. Mental health was measured with the five-item Mental Health Inventory. Bivariate analysis showed associations between high levels of noise annoyance and impaired mental health for all noise sources except air traffic. After adjusting for covariates (sociodemographic factors, chronic disease, and social support), both men and women who reported high overall noise annoyance showed more than doubled odds of impaired mental health compared to those who were not annoyed. The odds of impaired mental health in the highest noise annoyance category from road traffic and neighbours were also significantly increased. These findings indicate that high noise annoyance is associated with impaired mental health and that this association can vary with the source of environmental noise. Further research on covariates of this association is necessary. Particularly, longitudinal data are required to establish the direction of associations and to address questions of causality.