• Amplifon's App for monitoring noise levels in cities reaches four European countries: after Italy, France and Spain today the launch in Germany
• According to the European Environmental Agency at least 1 in 5 European citizens is exposed to noise levels that are harmful to health

Amplifon, a global leader in hearing care services and solutions, on the occasion of International Noise Awareness Day, reaches four European countries - Italy, France, Spain and Germany - with its Listen Responsibly app to monitor noise pollution in cities.

The app, developed in-house through the AmplifonX innovation team, was launched three years ago in Italy and later also in Spain and France. As of today, it is also available in Germany.

Through Listen Responsibly, users can track noise levels in different areas of cities and create a crowd-sourced map of the acoustic ecology. The idea of the noise tracker stems from the desire to provide all citizens with a tool to identify 'acoustic oases' where they can have a pleasant and safe hearing experience.

The app also includes gamification mechanisms: each noise measurement earns experience points and defines each user's level of expertise as a pioneer of responsible listening.

According to the European Environmental Agency, at least one in five Europeans is currently exposed to noise levels considered harmful to health. This number is even higher in urban areas, and road traffic is the main source of noise pollution in Europe.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), noise pollution ranks second, after air pollution, among environmental health threats. Moreover, as confirmed by a Harvard Medical School study, in addition to hearing loss, prolonged noise exposure can cause several adverse health effects, including irritability, sleep disorders, cardiovascular and metabolic system effects, and impaired cognitive faculties in children.