Transportation noise could contribute to cardiovascular disease
Noise from aircrafts, rail and road traffic could be negatively impacting the cardiovascular health of people regularly exposed to it, according to researchers in Switzerland.
The SiRENE study, a research project started in 2014 by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), shows that cardiovascular disease mortality is highly associated with road noise, contributing to diseases like myocardial infarction, hypertension and heart failure. The results were presented at the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise meeting this week in Zurich.
Researchers found that the risk of dying from a myocardial infarction increases by 4 percent per 10 decibels increase in road noise at home.
"Particularly critical are most likely noise events at night regularly disturbing sleep," said Martin Röösli, the principal investigator of SiRENE and a professor of environmental epidemiology at Swiss TPH and the University of Basel, in a statement. "The threshold for negative health impact is lower than previously suspected."
These initial results could help influence the implementation of transportation regulations in Switzerland, Röösli said, but more findings on the topic are expected to be released this year and next.
Senior Writer
As a Senior Writer for TriMed Media Group, Katherine primarily focuses on producing news stories, Q&As and features for Cardiovascular Business. She reports on several facets of the cardiology industry, including emerging technology, new clinical trials and findings, and quality initiatives among providers. She is based out of TriMed's Chicago office and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has appeared in Modern Healthcare, Crain's Chicago Business and The Detroit News. She joined TriMed in 2016.