Forty-six percent (46%) of Tunisians believe that noise does not cause serious health effects, revealed a national survey on “Tunisian citizen’s awareness of dangers of noise and loud and high-pitched sounds” conducted by the National Agency of Health and Environmental Monitoring of Products (ANCSEP).
“The survey, which was carried out on a sample of 1,200 people from 21 governorates, revealed that 90% of them have never undergone hearing tests and more than 54% do not consult a doctor as a matter of urgency when they suffer from a hearing problem”, said head of the environmental noise control department at ANCSEP, Bochra Sayadi, during a virtual forum organised by ANCSEP on the observance of the World Hearing Day which coincides with March 3 each year.
Respondents indicated that transport is one of the main sources of noise, with a rate of more than 53%, followed by the noise of neighbours with a rate of more than 48%, said Sayadi, adding one Tunisian out of two is bothered by noise.
She stressed that the survey recommends putting in place a communication policy to reduce the sources of noise and to organise awareness campaigns to define its dangers for health and to develop a legislative framework to fight against this phenomenon.
Health Minister Ali Mrabet said the dangers of noise are not limited to the risk of hearing disorders in humans but can also impact biological diversity.
Noise can limit the ability of many living organisms to communicate with each other, especially birds, insects, bees and animals, he added.
Source: Tap News Agency