Noise and Pollution Exposure Assessment

Around one million healthy years of life are lost every year from traffic-related environmental noise in western Europe. Sleep disturbance and annoyance, mostly related to road traffic noise, constitute the bulk of this burden. Available assessments place the burden of disease from environmental noise as the second highest after air pollution. Sleep disturbance is the biggest contribution to adverse health from noise. The indirect health effects from excessive noise exposure include high blood pressure, heart attacks, reduced life expectancy and depression. We use our living spaces as places to rest and relax, and more increasingly, work during the daytime. In the nighttime we need adequate conditions for sleeping.

It is now beyond dispute that air quality is a major influence on public health. In the UK it has been estimated that the mortality burden of long term exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) in 2008 was equivalent to nearly 29,000 premature deaths in those aged 30 or older. The economic cost from the impacts of air pollution in the UK is estimated at £9-19 billion every year which is comparable to the economic cost of obesity (over £10 billion). In 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer identified outdoor air pollution as causing lung cancer, without identifying the specific pollutants that are the carcinogenic component.

Approved Document O

As stated in Approved Document O:

Account must be taken of the safety of any occupant, and their reasonable enjoyment of the residence

The Acoustics, Ventilation and Overheating: Residential Design Guide was produced because of the fragmented approach to residential design, in which the majority of acoustic assessments required windows to be closed to protect occupants from external noise whilst overheating assessments relied on an open window to remove excess heat.

There is no point mitigating an overheating risk and in turn exposing someone to another significant health risk. Any developed overheating strategy must be usable, and this includes providing acceptable internal noise and air quality conditions during the removal of excess heat.

Our process

The noise services we provide include:

Noise surveys
Noise modelling/predictions or calculations
Noise intrusion calculations
Standalone overheating noise assessments or input to a coordinated single overheating report

The air quality services we provide:

Dispersion modelling in accordance with current Institute of Air Quality Management guidelines
Diffusion tube surveying where a more accurate understanding of the background concentrations is required
Advice on mitigating the effects of pollution, including recommendations for mechanical systems, air quality filters and the location of air intakes
Stand alone air quality assessments or input to a coordinated overheating strategy

Overheating in buildings has been highlighted as a key risk for the health and productivity of people and businesses in the UK

It is estimated that there are about 2,000 heat-related deaths each year in England and Wales.

This has led to new regulations to ensure occupants in new residential buildings do not suffer excessive temperatures.

What do I need?

Approved Document O England

Approved Document O (2021 edition – England) was released in December 2021 and came into force for all Building Regulations building notices, full plans applications and initial notices for residential buildings submitted in England from 15 June 2022.

Approved Document O Wales

Approved Document O (2022 edition – Wales) was released in May 2022 and came into force for all Building Regulations building notices, full plans applications and initial notices for residential buildings submitted in Wales from 23 November 2022.

Scottish Building Standard 3.28

Standard 3.28 of the Scottish Building Standards Domestic Technical Handbook (December 2022 edition) was released in June 2022 and came into force for all residential Building Warrant applications submitted in Scotland from 01 February 2023.