Link between noisy neighbourboods and higher blood pressure

People living near busy roads and in noisy neighbourhoods are more at risk of developing high blood pressure compared to those living in quieter areas, according to latest research.

The study, published in the journal JACC: Advances, has found the heightened noise levels associated with living in such an environment can be a factor in higher blood pressure, including beeping horns, emergency sirens and vehicle engines.

Ozone pollution has also been linked to increased cardiovascular hospital admission risk, while traffic pollution has been linked to impaired brain function.

In the latest study, the team of scientists from China’s Peking University assessed the health data of 240,000 middle-aged adults and compared it with where they live to see if there is a link between high blood pressure and living on a busy road.

The study is believed to be the first large-sized prospective study directly addressing the effect of road traffic noise on the incidence of newly-diagnosed hypertension.

They found that the people who could hear regular road traffic noise from their house were significantly more at risk of developing hypertension than those living in a quieter area.

In addition, they discovered that individuals frequently exposed to air pollution are also at higher risk of developing hypertension.

Main author Professor Jing Huang, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, said: “We were a little surprised that the association between road traffic noise and hypertension was robust even after adjustment for air pollution.

“Road traffic noise and traffic-related air pollution coexist around us. It is essential to explore the independent effects of road traffic noise, rather than the total environment.

“The findings can support public health measures because they confirm that exposure to road traffic noise is harmful to our blood pressure,” she added.

The research also argued their findings made a compelling case for municipal authorities to be modifying road traffic noise and air pollution from both individual and societal levels as a way to improve cardiovascular health.