Noise is pervasive in everyday life and can cause both auditory and non-auditory health eff ects. Noise-induced hearing
loss remains highly prevalent in occupational settings, and is increasingly caused by social noise exposure
(eg, through personal music players). Our understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in noise-induced haircell
and nerve damage has substantially increased, and preventive and therapeutic drugs will probably become
available within 10 years. Evidence of the non-auditory eff ects of environmental noise exposure on public health is
growing. Observational and experimental studies have shown that noise exposure leads to annoyance, disturbs sleep
and causes daytime sleepiness, aff ects patient outcomes and staff performance in hospitals, increases the occurrence
of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and impairs cognitive performance in schoolchildren. In this Review, we
stress the importance of adequate noise prevention and mitigation strategies for public health.