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The intention of the precautionary principle is both to limit noise emissions at source and to prevent future problems caused by the construction of buildings with rooms sensitive to noise in areas susceptible to noise pollution.

Under the Environmental Protection Act (USG), emission limits generally have to be set for evaluation of the harmful effects or nuisance. They must be defined so that emissions below these levels do not significantly affect the well-being of the population. The pollution limits in the Noise Abatement Ordinance (LSV) were defined on the basis of these criteria.

The exposure-response relationship between the noise to which people are exposed and the resulting health effects is determined through large-scale surveys of the population or epidemiological studies. The results of such studies serve as the basis for the Commission to set exposure limit values. The FNAC periodically reviews whether there are grounds for revising the assessment methods and exposure limit values for noise. The most recent review of the exposure limit values for road, rail and aircraft noise is set out in the EKLB’s latest report (available in german, french, or italian).

The Environmental Protection Act (USG) and the Noise Abatement Ordinance (LSV) contain regulations on the locations and levels applicable to pollution limits and the measures to be introduced if they are exceeded. In addition to being extremely costly for the national economy, noise pollution has serious repercussions for spatial and settlement development. Excessive noise pollution in a region can result in significant financial losses and restrict settlement development in the municipality affected. Cantonal and regional development plans can be curtailed or become impossible.

External costs are not paid by the actual polluters. The various effects of noise pollution appear in many different external costs. The latter are essentially rental losses and reduced property prices, health costs, production losses, noise abatement costs, spatial planning costs, etc.

To ensure uniform implementation of the environmental law on noise, the commission develops aids on matters which are not yet regulated or which could be subject to different interpretations.