6. Conclusion

The multiplicity of physiological and behavioral responses engendered by noise makes it impossible to draw clear conclusions about the nature and extent of the risks to the individual subjected to noise aggression. Although it is possible to assert that noise causes a significant number of physiological and psychological imbalances, the essential question remains: do these disturbances cause irreversible processes, resulting in impaired health, or do they merely induce transient imbalances, compensated for by the regulatory mechanisms that characterize living organisms?

The answer to the problem of integrity is far from settled. That answer may well be:

• no, with certainty, as regards irreversible hearing damage and certain direct causes of accidents;

• most certainly, as regards the...