Some of the most worrisome conclusions come from a number of major studies on the relationship between noise and stroke risk. The association between hypertension and aircraft noise specifically has been studied fairly extensively – notably in a large-scale piece of research entitled “ Hypertension and Exposure to Noise near Airports (HYENA),” drawing on data from almost 5,000 participants, which concluded that a 10 dB(A) increase in nighttime aircraft noise is associated with 14% higher odds of prevalent hypertension. A similar meta-analysis, published the previous year, looking at 14 studies of the relationship between traffic noise exposure and coronary heart disease, arrived at an estimate of 8% per 10 dB(A) increase in noise exposure.Ī 2012 meta-analysis by researchers in Germany and the Netherlands found a 3.4% higher probability of hypertension per 5 dB increase in road traffic noise – a finding corroborated by several other studies. A 2015 meta-analysis of studies of ischemic heart disease and noise from aircraft and road traffic found a 6% increase in risk per 10 dB(A) increase in noise exposure. A 2013 UK study concluded that daytime noise levels of 55 dB(A) and above could account for an additional 542 cases of hypertension-related heart attacks, 788 instances of stroke (see below), and 1,169 cases of dementia in the United Kingdom.Ī number of studies have likewise established a link between traffic noise exposure and ischemic heart disease. A report from European research consultancy CE Delft estimated that noise from rail and road traffic could be responsible for up to 50,000 heart attack deaths and 245,000 cases of ischemic heart disease every year across Europe. Perhaps more surprising is the extent of the impacts of noise on our physical health, which has also been the subject of a great deal of recent research – in particular regarding the relationship between noise exposure and cardiometabolic and cardiovascular diseases. A separate meta-analysis, published in 2019, found that the risk for depression increased by 15% per 10 dB for aircraft noise and 4% per 10 dB for road traffic noise. ![]() A 2020 meta-analysis of studies exploring the link between transportation noise and anxiety similarly found 9% higher odds of anxiety per 10 dB(A) increase in noise level, further noting that the more severe the anxiety, the more significant the association. Those who reported the highest levels of noise annoyance were more than twice as likely to experience those two conditions than those reporting the least. Research has shown, for example, that sustained exposure to high levels of noise leads to mental health problems of various kinds: a 2016 study of people living close to Frankfurt Airport found that noise is “strongly associated” with depression and anxiety, for instance. The harms caused by noise, however, go way beyond that. But even noise as low as 35 decibels is enough to cause other issues, like sleep disturbance and disruptions to concentration. Environmental Protection Agency, 70 dB(A) – roughly equivalent to standing next to a washing machine – is the maximum noise level you should be exposed to over the course of a normal day to prevent hearing loss over the long term. For context, according to the World Health Organization and the U.S. Live within 50 feet of a highway and you’ll typically be exposed to between 70 and 80 dB(A), according to the Federal Highway Administration. A 2015 study in New York, for example, found an average street noise level of 73.4 dB(A), with levels reaching as high as 95 dB(A) in some places. city is around 60 “A-weighted decibels” (dB(A)), though there’s substantial variation from city to city. The average background noise level in a U.S. ![]() Because when it comes to noise, the thing causing the annoyance also happens to be a major public health issue. But does this mean that people like me should just get over ourselves and accept that the high levels of environmental noise we have to contend with as part and parcel of an urban existence are simply an inevitable fact of life? ![]() I’m easily annoyed – and I’ll admit that generally speaking I have no right to demand not to be.
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