İZODER: Sound Insulation Is Essential for a Healthy Society

Noise, which can cause numerous health problems ranging from sleep disorders and hearing loss to heart disease, reduces quality of life. İZODER Chairman Emrullah Eruslu points out that sound insulation is an effective solution to protect against these problems and emphasizes that proper sound insulation applied in buildings makes living spaces more peaceful.

At least 18 million people in the EU suffer serious health problems due to noise 

Vehicles, work machinery, high-level music from loudspeakers, and even human voices rising from crowds are among the causes of noise pollution. In the bustle of cities, we constantly face noise and its negative consequences. Even in our homes, where we seek safety and peace, it is becoming harder to escape noise. As noise levels increase, so does stress levels in people. Stress is a major enemy of health, causing many diseases. According to an assessment published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in 2023, at least 18 million people in the EU suffer serious health problems from noise sources, and 5 million people experience sleep disorders due to noise. Additionally, long-term exposure to noise is estimated to cause 41,000 new heart disease cases annually in Europe and 11,000 premature deaths. 

Noise pollution also negatively affects educational achievement rates

İZODER Heat Water Sound and Fire Insulation Contractors Association Board Chairman Emrullah Eruslu, who points out that noise pollution affects everyone from workers to students, stated: "Scientific research shows that noise not only affects human brain functions but impacts all bodily systems. Prolonged exposure to noise causes attention disorders, hearing loss, tinnitus, headaches, elevated blood pressure, irritability, fatigue, sleep disorders, hypertension, and stress-related illnesses. For example, when looking at the issue from students' perspective, the stress created by excess noise in children already exposed to many stimuli, along with attention deficit and loss of motivation, negatively affects their academic achievement. The same problems apply to workers' productivity."

Sound insulation became mandatory for new buildings in 2018

İZODER Chairman Emrullah Eruslu, noting that the "Regulation on the Protection of Buildings Against Noise" that came into force on 1 June 2018 made sound insulation mandatory for application in new buildings, stated: "Unfortunately, sound insulation is absent in much of the buildings in our country, particularly in schools. We also see that it is not the first application that comes to people's minds. However, noise pollution, which has great importance for health and causes numerous problems, needs to be taken seriously. With sound insulation becoming mandatory in 2018, technical rules were established for insulation systems used in buildings against noise pollution, one of the biggest problems of urban life. The regulation includes measures for controlling noise from neighbors such as TV, music, and speech within the building, as well as impact sounds, mechanical system, and service equipment noise. The regulation covers residential buildings as well as buildings where people are densely present, such as schools and hospitals. It must be emphasized that sound insulation is a beneficial application in preventing problems arising from noise complaints between neighbors. As the umbrella organization of the insulation sector, we will continue and increase our efforts to raise public awareness on sound insulation to the highest levels," he said.