Noise Pollution: Cancer Risk And Health Hazards

Noise pollution has been linked to a variety of health issues, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Traffic noise, in particular, is considered one of the worst environmental stressors for humans, second only to air pollution.

Noise is a known psychological and physiological stressor. It can trigger a classic stress response, with activation of the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system, leading to a cascade of effects, including a rise in heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline). Chronic noise exposure has been associated with sleep disturbances and increased incidence of diabetes.

Recent studies have found that exposure to road traffic noise is associated with an increased risk of abdominal obesity and diabetes. Both these health outcomes could be a consequence of exposure to prolonged stress. There is also strong evidence that road traffic noise exposure is associated with an increased risk of heart attack.

Noise has also been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, with some studies suggesting that nighttime noise exposure may be particularly harmful.

Traffic noise and breast cancer

Traffic noise is a persistent environmental stressor that poses a huge and increasing health burden on urban populations. Epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to residential road traffic noise can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, and possibly breast cancer.

A 2018 cohort study found a positive association between residential road traffic noise and the risk of breast cancer. The study involved 22,466 female nurses from Denmark, aged over 44 years, who reported information on breast cancer risk factors in 1993 or 1999. The study found that for each 10 dB increase in 24-year mean noise levels at their residence, there was a statistically significant 10% increase in total breast cancer incidence and a 17% increase in analyses based on 611 breast cancer cases with complete estrogen and progesterone receptor information.

The study also found a positive and statistically significant association between noise levels and estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer but not estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer. The association between noise and estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer was statistically significantly stronger in nurses working night shifts than in those not working at night.

The study concluded that long-term exposure to road traffic noise may increase the risk of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

Traffic noise and cardiovascular disease

Traffic noise is a significant cardiovascular risk factor, with epidemiological studies showing that transportation noise increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Traffic noise at night causes sleep fragmentation, elevated stress hormone levels, and increased oxidative stress, which can promote vascular dysfunction, inflammation, and hypertension. These factors elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Traffic noise, especially at night, has been associated with increased blood pressure, endothelial dysfunction, and oxidative stress. These factors are linked to cardiovascular diseases such as arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmia, and stroke.

Traffic noise has also been linked to an increased risk of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, and heart failure.

Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Disease Induced by Traffic Noise

Traffic noise is a nonspecific stressor that activates the autonomous nervous system and endocrine signaling. The noise reaction model introduced by Babisch and colleagues suggests that chronic low levels of noise can cause nonauditory effects, such as disturbances of activity, sleep, and communication, which can trigger annoyance and subsequent stress. Chronic stress is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, including increased blood pressure and dyslipidemia, increased blood viscosity and blood glucose, and activation of blood clotting factors.

Effects of Traffic Noise on Sleep and Cardiovascular Health

Lack of sleep or sleep fragmentation can have detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system. Epidemiological studies have shown that short sleep, less than six hours per night, is associated with cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, and increased all-cause mortality.

Traffic noise during sleep can cause autonomic arousals and increased heart rate. It can also lead to endothelial dysfunction and increased blood pressure.

Mitigation Strategies for Traffic Noise

To reduce the levels of road traffic noise, effective measures include reducing speed, using noise-reducing asphalt, removing a portion of traffic, and implementing sound-reducing windows.

Traffic noise and diabetes

Traffic noise is a persistent environmental stressor that poses a huge and increasing health burden on urban populations. Epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to residential road traffic noise can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, and possibly breast cancer.

Traffic noise can lead to an increase in stress hormones and sleep disturbances, which are major risk factors for type 2 diabetes. A 2013 study found that a 10-dB higher level of average road traffic noise at diagnosis and during the 5 years preceding diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of incident diabetes. A 2015 meta-analysis found that people exposed to high residential noise (Lden > 60 dB vs. Lden < 60-64 dB) might be at a significantly higher risk (19-22%) for developing type 2 diabetes.

Traffic noise and obesity

Traffic noise has been linked to an increased risk of obesity and diabetes. This is thought to be caused by the stress and sleep disturbances that noise can induce.

Traffic noise has been found to be a stressor that can activate the autonomous nervous system and endocrine signalling. This can lead to a release of stress hormones, which can in turn cause an increase in blood pressure and dyslipidemia.

Traffic noise has also been found to be associated with weight gain, obesity, and type II diabetes mellitus.

One study found that women who reported higher levels of traffic noise in their bedroom had a higher body mass index and waist circumference than women who reported no traffic noise in their bedroom. This association was found to be mediated by sleep disturbance.

Another study found that women who reported higher levels of traffic noise in their bedroom had a higher risk of being overweight or obese. This association was also found to be mediated by sleep disturbance.

Traffic noise and sleep disturbances

Traffic noise is a major environmental hazard of the modern world, originating from a wide variety of sources, including traffic (air, road, or rail), industrial facilities, or social activities. Exposure to traffic noise is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, and possibly breast cancer.

Traffic noise is a known psychological and physiological stressor. It can trigger a classic stress response, with activation of the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system, leading to a cascade of effects, including rise in heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline). This general stress response is a physiologic acute adaptation to stress, which may ultimately lead to pathophysiologic alterations if the exposure is chronic, resulting in health effects.

While the conscious experience with noise may be the primary source of stress during daytime, the unconscious response during nighttime sleep, is thought to play a particularly important role in effects of traffic noise on health. Exposure to transportation noise at normal urban levels has been shown to result in sleep disturbances from sleep stage changes to full awakening. Recent experimental studies have shown nighttime transportation noise to increase a number of biological risk factors, such as endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and blood pressure. Also, a disturb sleep is known to be associated with major diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and potentially also cancer.

Urban population living in noisy area was at higher risk for sleep disturbances than population living in the quiet area. Furthermore, sleep disturbances were significantly and positively related to personality traits of neuroticism, subjective noise sensitivity, and noise annoyance.

Long-term exposure to road traffic noise may increase risk of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive (ER+) breast cancer.

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