A study carried out by the University of Bern (Switzerland) and based on epidemiological data from more than 4.6 million Swiss adults has revealed that people living inresidential areas over which commercial air routes passthey have aincreased risk of having a heart attackthan the rest of the population.
The research, published in the latest issue of the journalEpidemiology, suggests that daily exposure tonoise levels above 60 decibels(equivalent to that generated by an agglomeration of people)increases the risk of dying from a heart attack by 30 percent, compared to people who are exposed to levels below 45 decibels (similar to levels generated by a conversation).
Furthermore, Swiss scientists have recorded that,after 15 years of exposure to levels above 60 decibels, the risk increases to 50 percent, compared to the general population. Measuring the exposure of people living in areas with air traffic has been difficult, according to the authors, “since aircraft noise is intermittent and can exceed 100 decibels during take-off or landing.” However, according to study author Matthias Egger, “60 decibelsit is an average that approximates the noise to which these people are exposed,something like living in a crowded bar“.
Along the same lines, Egger’s team also found thatliving less than 100 meters from a highway also increased the riskof heart attack, although no significant heart problems associated with pollution were found. Although road and air traffic produce different levels of noise (the road is more constant), and it is not easy to make comparisons, Egger says that “it has become clear that noise negatively affects people’s health.”
