Staying Healthy
Noise exposure may raise risks of cardiovascular problems
Research we're watching
- Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
Long-term exposure to transportation noise from cars, trucks, trains, and planes may raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests.
The Harvard-led analysis, published online Dec. 4, 2023, by Environmental Health Perspectives, evaluated three decades of data from 114,116 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study. Using a geospatial noise model created by the National Park Service — which estimates noise levels in various locations using data gathered from monitoring sites across the United States — researchers assessed the connection between noise levels where participants lived and their incidence of cardiovascular disease.
Researchers found that the more transportation noise participants were exposed to long-term, the higher their cardiovascular disease risk. Each four-decibel increase in noise over a baseline level was associated with about a 4% increase in cardiovascular problems such as coronary artery disease and stroke. Earlier studies also linked noise exposure to short-term changes in circulation, including blood pressure, heart rate, and blood vessel narrowing, study authors said.
Image: © Luis Alvarez /Getty Images
About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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