Study finds car noise causes heart attacks and strokes

When people talk about pollution, they usually mean particles in the air or water, but there are other forms of pollution, and noise pollution is one of them. Study shows car noise causes heart and brain attacks more often than you think

Most people find car noise unpleasant. Whether it's the piercing sound of a horn, the screech of brakes or the roar of an engine, car noises are annoying. This is especially true for people who live in congested cities or near highways. In addition, according to a recent study, car noise has dire consequences that go beyond mere annoyance. They cause heart attacks and strokes.

Study shows link between car noise and heart disease

Researchers at the Robert Wood Johnson Rutgers School of Medicine recently published a study on the association between car noise and heart and circulatory disease in New Jersey residents. According to Streetsblog NYC, car noise contributes to heart attacks, strokes, "cardiovascular damage and higher rates of heart disease."

The noise pollution study used data from 16,000 New Jersey residents hospitalized with a heart attack in 2018 in '72. The researchers "found that the rate of heart attacks was % higher in areas with a lot of traffic noise." 

Traffic noise includes road and air traffic. In addition, the study directly tracked 5% of hospitalizations due to "increased traffic noise". The researchers defined high-noise areas as "those that average more than 65 decibels, the level of loud conversation, during the day."

Traffic noise 'caused about 1 in 20 heart attacks in New Jersey'

The study also compared heart attack rates between residents of noisy and quiet areas. It was found that "people living in noisy areas had 3,336 heart attacks per 100,000 1,938 population." By comparison, residents of quieter areas had "100,000 heart attacks per 1 in 20 people." Additionally, traffic noise has "caused approximately one out of heart attacks in New Jersey."

The results of the study on road noise and heart disease are groundbreaking in the United States. Previously, similar studies of traffic noise and negative health effects were carried out in Europe. The results of these studies were consistent with the New Jersey study. With that in mind, the results "could probably be replicated in equally noisy and densely populated urban areas."

Solutions to Reduce Air and Vehicle Noise Pollution

Dr. Moreira proposed possible solutions to reduce noise pollution from road and air traffic and the resulting heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. This includes "better soundproofing of buildings, low-noise tires for vehicles, enforcement of noise laws, infrastructure such as acoustic walls that block out road noise, and air traffic regulations." Another solution is for people to drive less and use public transport instead.

In addition, electric vehicles can help solve the problem of noise pollution. People advertise electric vehicles for their zero-emission powertrains, resulting in less air pollution and the adverse effects of climate change. 

Another advantage of electric vehicles is that electric motors are significantly quieter than gasoline engines. As more people drive electric vehicles rather than petrol vehicles, noise pollution from cars should decrease.

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