Researchers have found out that the noise from air traffic is not only a source of irritation but also is not good for health. The outcome of a new study shows that the noise from traffic or aircraft can elevate blood pressure of a person at night, even though it does not awaken them.
The World Health Organization defines high blood pressure as 140/90 mmHg or more. High blood pressure can result in heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure. Globally, around a billion adults are affected by high blood pressure.
A group of European researchers examined one hundred and forty volunteers at their homes close to London Heathrow Airport and 3 other main European airports. The blood pressure of volunteers was calculated every 15 minutes. It was then analyzed in connection to the sound recorded in the volunteer’s bedrooms.
Lars Jarup, who led the European Commission-funded study said that the more louder the noise, the more elevated a volunteer’s blood pressure was, a finding that says persons those who reside near airports can have a larger risk of health problems. He also added “residing close to airports where you are exposed to aircraft noise at night time is a big issue”. Lars Jarup is an environmental health researcher at the University of Glasgow.
“Why we took airports is for the reason that there was no study that has examined exact problems of aircraft noise“, Jarup said.
The researchers used digital recorders for determining the noises that had the greatest effect on blood pressure, which ranged from snoring of a partner to aircraft noises.
It was found that the blood pressure of the volunteers increased evidently after they experienced a loud noise like that of traffic passing outside, airplanes traveling overhead etc. The impact could be seen even when the participant was sleeping and was not disturbed consciously.
The decibel level of the sound was the main aspect in determining the blood pressure of the volunteers.
The research team demonstrated that people those who are living close to a busy airport and beneath a flight path for a minimum of 5 years have a larger risk of developing chronic high blood pressure or hypertension, than those who are living in quieter regions.
“You may find that road traffic noise is not very bad at night” Jarup said. “If you reside close to an airport where there are night flights, then it is a different story.”
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Further Reading :
A larger EU study with 5,000 participants found that very low levels of aircraft noise created high blood pressure. The information below is from the study. FYI – 30 db is described as a whisper in a library. The note below refers to 10 db of aircraft noise as unhealthy! Sound levels are reduced approximately by half for every 3 db.
Exerpt from study with web site location follows:
Researchers discovered that an aircraft noise level elevated by 10 dB(A) corresponds to a roughly 14-percent increase in the risk of hypertension, affecting both women and men in equal measure.
Indeed, the higher the noise level, the higher the rating of disturbance registered by people.
The study has been published in English and is available on the Internet at: http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2007/10775/abstract.html
More information can be found on the consortium web site at: http://www.hyena.eu.com/links.htm
Dessau-Roßlau, 14 January 2008