Health Impacts from Road Traffic and Railway Noise

Image via WikipediaExposure to road traffic and railway noise and associations with blood pressure and self-reported hypertension: a cohort study ( 11 page pdf, Mette Sørensen, Martin Hvidberg, Barbara Hoffmann, Zorana J Andersen, Rikke B Nordsborg, Kenneth G Lillelund, Jørgen Jakobsen, Anne Tjønneland, Kim Overvad and Ole Raaschou-Nielsen,Environmental Health, Oct. 28, 2011)

Today we review some research from Denmark which tried to assess the impact of road traffic and railway noise on blood pressure and hypertension, after taking into account the additional impacts of air pollution. There was a weak link with both sources, although it was thought that those who were most sensitive to noise (especially seniors) may have taken medication that reduced the impacts, compared to non-medicated people.

Key Quotes:

“Exposure to noise can interfere with relaxation and concentration and during the night, noise exposure at normal urban levels has been associated with sleep disturbances”

“An overview from 2006 of the effects of exposure to transport noise (road, air and rail) on cardiovascular health concluded that transport noise is associated with hypertension, which has mostly been verified by later studies on road traffic noise”

“The few studies that have investigated effects of exposure to long-term air pollution on BP and hypertension has found air pollution to be positively associated with systolic and diastolic BP as well as with hypertension”

“The results suggest that exposure to road traffic noise is associated with a higher risk for hypertension both before and after adjustment for air pollution”

“Exposure to railway noise at enrolment of 60 dB or more was associated with an 8% higher risk for hypertension”

“long-term exposure to road traffic noise was weakly associated with a higher systolic BP”

“High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and, therefore, even small increases in BP from road traffic noise may have high impact on public health”

Related articles

• Traffic Air and Sound Pollution Impacts on Blood Pressure and Hypertension (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Nighttime Noise and Blood Pressure (time.com)
• Exposure of Schoolchildren to Traffic-Related Air Pollution (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Noise and more noise in Hyderabad (thehindu.com)