Traffic noise increases the risk of cardiovascular illnesses and that of death by heart attack, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal. But also of diabetes.
The negative influence of traffic noise on human health remains largely unknown. Since 2014, a Swiss consortium for interdisciplinary studies has been investigating globally, as part of the SiRENE study of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). it studies the short- and long-term effects of nuisances linked to traffic noise on the population.
The researchers conducted a study with 2,631 people with varying levels of noise exposure.
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Road noise is the most harmful
While noise from air, rail and road traffic can have adverse health effects, it is road noise that poses the greatest risk of cardiovascular illnesses. The researchers observed that the risk of dying from a heart attack increases by 4% each time the noise pollution at home increases by 10 decibels. Traffic noise also increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart failure. “Episodes of nocturnal noise, which regularly disturb the sleep, seem particularly critical. Nuisances lower than those considered acceptable so far already have negative repercussions on health”, explains Martin Röösli, director of the SiRENE study and professor of environmental epidemiology at the Swiss TPH and the University of Basel.
“Two mechanisms play a role in this phenomenon. On the one hand, the chronic secretion of hormones of stress influences insulin metabolism. On the other hand, we know that the general metabolism suffers in the long term from the negative effect of sleep problems,” explained Nicole Probst-Hensch, director of the Epidemiology and Public Health department at Swiss TPH.
This study confirms the conclusions of a study carried out by researchers from the University of Dresden in 2016 which revealed that the heart is sensitive to excess noise.
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