Environmental Protection Against Noise and Vibration

Noise in large cities reaching the interior of buildings by air or in the form of material noise caused by vibrations propagating through the ground to the building not only cause discomfort but also pollution according to legal regulations in the field of environmental protection. The main legal acts in Poland relating to environmental protection are the Environmental Protection Law of 2001, as amended. Under the concept of emissions in this act, the introduction of substances or energy into the environment, such as heat, noise, vibrations or magnetic fields. Pollution, is understood as an emission that may be harmful to human health or the state of the environment, may cause damage to material goods, may deteriorate the aesthetic value of the environment or may conflict with other, justified ways of using the environment. According to a 2008 Directive of the European Parliament and Council, pollution is direct or indirect introduction of substances as a result of human activity, vibration, heat or noise to air, environment water or soil that may endanger human health or environmental quality, or manifest itself in the form of damage to tangible property, diminution of value or collision with other legitimate uses of the environment. The above two legal acts already show that both noise and vibrations should always be taken into account in the environmental impact assessment. The paper also analyzes other acts of law relating to environmental protection, taking into account noise and vibrations. Moreover, possible solutions that can reduce pollution such as noise and vibrations are clearly described.