At present, noise is one of the most widespread pollutants in both the occupational and living environments and prompts increasing complaints from the population. With long-term exposure, noise acts as a so-called chronic stressor and acts synergistically in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and other civilization disea- ses with confirmed stress-related etiology. The project entitled The Health Consequences and Disturbing Effects of Noise has been conducted since 1994 as a part of the System of Monitoring the Environmental Impact on Health of the Population. From the data acquired, the overall trend of noise levels in the Czech Republic can be considered constant. Only in certain cities has there been a dechne or increase in noise levels. Such changes are usually due to local alterations in the traffic systém or increased traffic intensity on secondary roads.

        Key words: noise, chronic stressor, noise monitoring