Abstract :
For many Europeans who live near major airports or under flightpaths, last year´s Icelandic ash clouds had a welcome silver lining: a few days of peace and quiet. It was a reminder, if any were needed, of just how noisy modern life has become, due in large part to the work of engineers and scientists. Fortunately, though, engineers and scientists are also working just as hard - if not harder - to fix that. They need to as well, because excessive noise is now blamed not only for hearing loss but for stress and hypertension problems, for making workplaces more dangerous by masking hazards and warning signals, and even for causing social and sexual problems.
