Noise

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Type of study:

Number of citations: 89

Year: 2023

Authors: Nirvikalpa Natarajan, Shelley A. Batts, K. Stankovic

Journal: Journal of Clinical Medicine

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) affects 5% of the world's population and has significant physical, mental, social, and economic impacts, with prevention and early detection being crucial.

Abstract: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the second most common cause of sensorineural hearing loss, after age-related hearing loss, and affects approximately 5% of the world’s population. NIHL is associated with substantial physical, mental, social, and economic impacts at the patient and societal levels. Stress and social isolation in patients’ workplace and personal lives contribute to quality-of-life decrements which may often go undetected. The pathophysiology of NIHL is multifactorial and complex, encompassing genetic and environmental factors with substantial occupational contributions. The diagnosis and screening of NIHL are conducted by reviewing a patient’s history of noise exposure, audiograms, speech-in-noise test results, and measurements of distortion product otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem response. Essential aspects of decreasing the burden of NIHL are prevention and early detection, such as implementation of educational and screening programs in routine primary care and specialty clinics. Additionally, current research on the pharmacological treatment of NIHL includes anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-excitatory, and anti-apoptotic agents. Although there have been substantial advances in understanding the pathophysiology of NIHL, there remain low levels of evidence for effective pharmacotherapeutic interventions. Future directions should include personalized prevention and targeted treatment strategies based on a holistic view of an individual’s occupation, genetics, and pathology.

Physiological Basis of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in a Tympanal Ear

Type of study:

Number of citations: 9

Year: 2019

Authors: B. Warren, G. Fenton, Elizabeth Klenschi, J. Windmill, A. S. French

Journal: The Journal of Neuroscience

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Noise-induced hearing loss in locust ears is primarily caused by changes in supporting cells, similar to those in the mammalian auditory system.

Abstract: Acoustic overexposure, such as listening to loud music too often, results in noise-induced hearing loss. The pathologies of this prevalent sensory disorder begin within the ear at synapses of the primary auditory receptors, their postsynaptic partners and their supporting cells. The extent of noise-induced damage, however, is determined by overstimulation of primary auditory receptors, upstream of where the pathologies manifest. Acoustic overexposure, such as listening to loud music too often, results in noise-induced hearing loss. The pathologies of this prevalent sensory disorder begin within the ear at synapses of the primary auditory receptors, their postsynaptic partners and their supporting cells. The extent of noise-induced damage, however, is determined by overstimulation of primary auditory receptors, upstream of where the pathologies manifest. A systematic characterization of the electrophysiological function of the upstream primary auditory receptors is warranted to understand how noise exposure impacts on downstream targets, where the pathologies of hearing loss begin. Here, we used the experimentally-accessible locust ear (male, Schistocerca gregaria) to characterize a decrease in the auditory receptor's ability to respond to sound after noise exposure. Surprisingly, after noise exposure, the electrophysiological properties of the auditory receptors remain unchanged, despite a decrease in the ability to transduce sound. This auditory deficit stems from changes in a specialized receptor lymph that bathes the auditory receptors, revealing striking parallels with the mammalian auditory system. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Noise exposure is the largest preventable cause of hearing loss. It is the auditory receptors that bear the initial brunt of excessive acoustic stimulation, because they must convert excessive sound-induced movements into electrical signals, but remain functional afterward. Here we use the accessible ear of an invertebrate to, for the first time in any animal, characterize changes in auditory receptors after noise overexposure. We find that their decreased ability to transduce sound into electrical signals is, most probably, due to changes in supporting (scolopale) cells that maintain the ionic composition of the ear. An emerging doctrine in hearing research is that vertebrate primary auditory receptors are surprisingly robust, something that we show rings true for invertebrate ears too.

Loud Music and Leisure Noise Is a Common Cause of Chronic Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and Hyperacusis

Type of study: literature review

Number of citations: 48

Year: 2021

Authors: M. Pienkowski

Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Journal ranking: Q2

Key takeaways: Loud music and leisure noise are common causes of noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, and hyperacusis, highlighting the need for noise limits and hearing conservation education in various settings.

Abstract: High sound levels capable of permanently damaging the ear are experienced not only in factories and war zones but in concert halls, nightclubs, sports stadiums, and many other leisure environments. This review summarizes evidence that loud music and other forms of “leisure noise” are common causes of noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, and hyperacusis, even if audiometric thresholds initially remain within clinically normal limits. Given the huge global burden of preventable noise-induced hearing loss, noise limits should be adopted in a much broader range of settings, and education to promote hearing conservation should be a higher public health priority.

What is noise-induced hearing loss?

Type of study:

Number of citations: 57

Year: 2019

Authors: T. Ding, Aihui Yan, Ke Liu

Journal: British journal of hospital medicine

Journal ranking: Q3

Key takeaways: Noise-induced hearing loss is caused by long-term exposure to noise, and while it can initially recover, it can be permanent and negatively impact people's quality of life and economic well-being.

Abstract: Noise-induced hearing loss is sensory deafness caused by long-term exposure of the auditory system to a noisy environment. Auditory fatigue is an early symptom of noise-induced hearing loss, and hearing can gradually recover after people leave a noisy environment. However, if people remain in a noisy environment for a prolonged period of time, their hearing will be permanently impaired. Societal changes mean that people are more likely to be exposed to noise. The hearing loss and tinnitus caused by noise seriously affect people's quality of life and lead to huge economic loss. The pathogenesis of noise-induced hearing loss is complex. Various theories try to explain this, such as the oxidative stress theory, but none perfectly explains the occurrence of noise-induced hearing loss. There is no treatment which can completely reverse the damage. More research is required to explore the pathogenesis and to better guide clinical practice. Preventative strategies, such as educating the public about hearing health, should be adopted to reduce the harm of noise-induced hearing loss.

Effects of noise on integration of acoustic and electric hearing within and across ears

Type of study: non-rct experimental

Number of citations: 13

Year: 2020

Authors: S. Willis, B. Moore, J. Galvin, Q. Fu

Journal: PLoS ONE

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Tonotopic mismatch affects integration of electric and acoustic hearing differently in quiet and noise, with both EAS and bimodal performance being similarly affected in both conditions.

Abstract: In bimodal listening, cochlear implant (CI) users combine electric hearing (EH) in one ear and acoustic hearing (AH) in the other ear. In electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS), CI users combine EH and AH in the same ear. In quiet, integration of EH and AH has been shown to be better with EAS, but with greater sensitivity to tonotopic mismatch in EH. The goal of the present study was to evaluate how external noise might affect integration of AH and EH within or across ears. Recognition of monosyllabic words was measured for normal-hearing subjects listening to simulations of unimodal (AH or EH alone), EAS, and bimodal listening in quiet and in speech-shaped steady noise (10 dB, 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio). The input/output frequency range for AH was 0.1–0.6 kHz. EH was simulated using an 8-channel noise vocoder. The output frequency range was 1.2–8.0 kHz to simulate a shallow insertion depth. The input frequency range was either matched (1.2–8.0 kHz) or mismatched (0.6–8.0 kHz) to the output frequency range; the mismatched input range maximized the amount of speech information, while the matched input resulted in some speech information loss. In quiet, tonotopic mismatch differently affected EAS and bimodal performance. In noise, EAS and bimodal performance was similarly affected by tonotopic mismatch. The data suggest that tonotopic mismatch may differently affect integration of EH and AH in quiet and in noise.

Adaptation to noise in normal and impaired hearing.

Type of study: literature review

Number of citations: 14

Year: 2022

Authors: Miriam I. Marrufo-Pérez, E. Lopez-Poveda

Journal: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Adaptation to noise can improve hearing in noise, but its impact on hearing-impaired listeners remains unclear.

Abstract: Many aspects of hearing function are negatively affected by background noise. Listeners, however, have some ability to adapt to background noise. For instance, the detection of pure tones and the recognition of isolated words embedded in noise can improve gradually as tones and words are delayed a few hundred milliseconds in the noise. While some evidence suggests that adaptation to noise could be mediated by the medial olivocochlear reflex, adaptation can occur for people who do not have a functional reflex. Since adaptation can facilitate hearing in noise, and hearing in noise is often harder for hearing-impaired than for normal-hearing listeners, it is conceivable that adaptation is impaired with hearing loss. It remains unclear, however, if and to what extent this is the case, or whether impaired adaptation contributes to the greater difficulties experienced by hearing-impaired listeners understanding speech in noise. Here, we review adaptation to noise, the mechanisms potentially contributing to this adaptation, and factors that might reduce the ability to adapt to background noise, including cochlear hearing loss, cochlear synaptopathy, aging, and noise exposure. The review highlights few knowns and many unknowns about adaptation to noise, and thus paves the way for further research on this topic.

Associations Between Recreational Noise Exposure and Hearing Function in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review.

Type of study: systematic review

Number of citations: 6

Year: 2024

Authors: Iris Elmazoska, Elina Mäki-Torkko, S. Granberg, Stephen Widén

Journal: Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Recreational noise exposure in adolescents and young adults may have short-term changes in hearing function, but long-term effects remain unclear due to inconsistencies in measuring exposure and outcomes.

Abstract: PURPOSE There is an increasing concern regarding hazardous recreational noise exposure among adolescents and young adults. Daily exposure to loud sound levels over a long period of time can increase the risk of noise-induced hearing loss. The full extent of the impact of recreational noise on hearing is not yet fully understood. The purpose of this review was to synthesize research that investigated hearing function in relation to recreational noise exposure in adolescents and young adults. METHOD A systematic literature search of five databases covering the years 2000-2023 was performed. The articles included investigated audiological measurements of hearing function in relation to recreational noise exposure. RESULTS Four hundred sixty records were identified, of which 20 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the results. This review showed that although some recreational noise activities can be potentially harmful, there is an unclear relationship between exposure and outcome. Some findings indicated hearing threshold shifts or reduced otoacoustic emission amplitudes after recreational noise exposure, but most changes were short term and in the extended high-frequency range. CONCLUSIONS There seemed to be inconsistencies regarding the utilization of methods of measuring exposure and outcome between studies. This might be one reason for the differing results in studies on the reported impact on hearing function from recreational noise exposure. To draw more certain conclusions about long-term effects, there is a need for longitudinal research that utilizes sound level measurements to assess low and high degrees of recreational noise exposure in relation to hearing function. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25114193.

Auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on health

Type of study: literature review

Number of citations: 1779

Year: 2014

Authors: M. Basner, W. Babisch, A. Davis, M. Brink, C. Clark, S. Janssen, S. Stansfeld

Journal: The Lancet

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Noise exposure can cause both auditory and non-auditory health effects, highlighting the need for adequate noise prevention and mitigation strategies for public health.

Long-term exposure to low-intensity environmental noise aggravates age-related hearing loss via disruption of cochlear ribbon synapses.

Type of study: non-rct in vitro

Number of citations: 15

Year: 2020

Authors: Shuai Feng, Le Yang, Lian Hui, Yangtuo Luo, Zhengde Du, Wei Xiong, Ke Liu, Xuejun Jiang

Journal: American journal of translational research

Journal ranking: brak

Key takeaways: Long-term exposure to low-intensity environmental noise can lead to hearing loss and aggravate age-related hearing loss by disrupting cochlear ribbon synapses and causing inflammation.

Abstract: Noise pollution is a major public hazard. Previous studies have shown that environmental noise affects the reorganization of the auditory cortex and leads to behavioral abnormality; however, the effects of long-term environmental noise exposure on the inner ear and hearing remain to be elucidated. In this study, we simulated environmental noise with a long-term 70 dB sound pressure level 'white' noise, observed its effect on the inner ears of C57BL/6J mice, and developed an in vitro model for mechanistic studies. We found that environmental noise increased the hearing threshold, decreased the auditory response amplitude, and aggravated the range and extent of age-related hearing loss (ARHL), especially in the intermediate frequency band in mice. Cochlear ribbon synapse is the primary site of inner ear injury caused by environmental noise. We also verified, through an in vitro simulation of the excitatory toxicity of glutamate and aging effects, that the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome plays a vital role in the cochlear ribbon synaptic damage. Our results show that long-term exposure to low-intensity environmental noise can lead to hearing loss via the disruption of ribbon synapses, which is caused by an inflammatory reaction. Additionally, environmental noise can further aggravate the progression of ARHL. This study expounded the pathogenesis of the inner ear damage caused by environmental noise exposure and provides a new direction for the prevention and treatment of hearing loss.

Noise

Type of study:

Number of citations: 0

Year: 2020

Authors: David Koh, T. Aw

Journal: Oxford Textbook of Medicine

Journal ranking: brak

Key takeaways: Noise-induced hearing loss can be prevented by reducing exposure to noise sources, using hearing protection, and participating in surveillance programs.

Abstract: Noise can affect hearing in the occupational setting but can have other effects where exposures are non-occupational. For clinical purposes, noise is measured in decibels weighted according to the sensitivity of the human ear (dB(A)). Regardless of source, the effects of overexposure to noise are similar. Initially there is a temporary threshold shift, where reversibility of hearing loss is possible with removal away from further noise. Noise-induced hearing loss occurs following prolonged or intense exposure, with poor prospects for improvement of hearing. The classical audiogram for noise-induced hearing loss shows a 4 kHz dip. Non-auditory effects of prolonged noise exposure include annoyance, sleep disturbance, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, stress, and impaired cognitive performance. Prevention of noise-induced hearing loss is by reducing exposure to noise at source minimizing exposure time, using hearing protection, and participating in surveillance.

The effects of noise exposure and aging on the acoustic reflex in normal-hearing people

Type of study:

Number of citations: 1

Year: 2022

Authors: W. Drennan, Lauren Langley, Zeyu Wei

Journal: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Higher noise exposure and aging can reduce middle ear muscle reflex growth, potentially indicating subclinical nerve damage in normal-hearing individuals.

Abstract: Noise exposure and aging can cause subclinical hearing problems that are not identified with conventional audiometry. Nerve damage among the normal hearing could reduce afferent auditory-nerve activity consequently reducing the middle ear muscle reflex (MEMR). It was hypothesized that normal-hearing individuals reporting more noise exposure would have slower growth of MEMR with increasing levels. Data were analyzed from sixty-one young, normal-hearing people. Each completed the four MEMR assessments and the Life-Time Exposure to Noise and Solvents Questionnaire. Reflex amplitudes were measured as a function of sound level using clinical equipment. High-pass noise stimuli (1.5-4.0 kHz) and a 1-KHz tone were used as elicitors with a 226-Hz probe tone. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed effects model. Individuals reporting higher noise exposure with the LENS-Q had significantly reduced growth of MEMR with level, supporting the hypothesis. Independent effects of age and gender were also observed. The effect of the pure-tone average on MEMR growth functions did not reach significance at the 5% level (p = 0.052). No significant relationships were observed between the MEMR measures and extended high-frequency thresholds nor with word recognition in noise. The results suggest that the MEMR could indicate subclinical nerve damage.

Awareness About the Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and Its Relation to Headphones Use at al Jouf Region, Northern Saudi Arabia

Type of study:

Number of citations: 1

Year: 2024

Authors: Meshari Mosleh G Alenzi, Osama Mohammed F Alenzi, Faisal Mosleh G Alenzi, A. S. Aldaham, Mohamed Hamoud E Alkhaldi, Abdullah Mohammad G Alruwaili, Mohammed Amid S Alkhaldi, Meshal A Alanazi, Ahmed Mohammed Alruwaili, W. M. A. Alruwaili

Journal: Asian Journal of Medicine and Health

Journal ranking: brak

Key takeaways: In Saudi Arabia, there is a lack of awareness about noise-induced hearing loss and its symptoms, but a positive trend towards recognizing its preventability.

Abstract: Background: Noise is an 'unwanted sound' with various adverse health effects. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) results from irreparable damage to the inner ear's cochlear hair cells. In addition, a potential consequence of using prevalent personal listening devices (PLDs) puts the users at greater risk of hearing loss when misusing these devices. Objectives: This study evaluates the awareness of NIHL and headphones use among general population in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with a representative random sample of the general population of Jouf, Northern Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed through the social media. We collected data regarding participants' awareness of NIHL caused by headphone use. Results: As regard knowledge about NIHL among the studied population, there were 46.1% admitted to not knowing whether NIHL is a type of conductive hearing loss, 42.5% recognized that a substantial amount of hearing loss is required to impact speech and social development. The data also highlighted a positive trend, with 54.1% acknowledging that noise-induced hearing problems were preventable. Interestingly, a notable portion, 28.1%, were uncertain about the minimum duration of exposure to loud noise that could harm hearing. Similarly, a significant percentage, 24.0%, were unsure about the minimum volume levels that could negatively affect hearing. Additionally, 21.5% unsure whether frequent exposure to hazardous noise leads to hearing loss due to a damaged eardrum. As regard PLD-related practices, there was a significant portion primarily use earphones (40.4%) and listen to audio for 1-2 hours a day (42.5%). Most individuals (40.4%) reported that people surrounding them are usually affected by the noise from their PLDs. Interestingly, a high percentage (71.9%) expressed the recommendation for installing voice limiting features on their ear devices. Additionally, (80.8%) are willing to change their behavior if presented with evidence of the negative impact of loud noise on hearing. Conclusion:  noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a prevalent and preventable public health issue that affects a significant portion of the population, including individuals in Saudi Arabia. The study highlighted a lack of awareness and knowledge about NIHL and its symptoms among the general population. However, there is a positive trend towards acknowledging the preventability of noise-induced hearing problems. The study also revealed concerning practices related to personal listening devices (PLDs), with a significant portion of respondents using earphones for extended periods and being surrounded by noise from their devices. There is a growing willingness among individuals to change their behavior if presented with evidence of the negative impact of loud noise on hearing.

Vestibular assessment in occupational noise-induced hearing loss

Type of study:

Number of citations: 6

Year: 2021

Authors: N. Ismail, Reda Behairy, D. Galhom, S. A. Metwally

Journal: Al-Azhar Assiut Medical Journal

Journal ranking: brak

Key takeaways: Noise exposure can cause hearing loss and may also damage the vestibular system, leading to vestibular dysfunction.

Abstract: Background Occupational noise can cause hearing loss and also may affect the vestibular system and result in vestibular dysfunction. Aim To study the effect of noise exposure on the cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) and to correlate between duration of noise exposure and vestibular dysfunction if present. Patients and methods A total of 60 patients were included in this study, comprising a study group of 30 patients with noise-induced hearing loss and a control group of 30 healthy participants with normal hearing and vestibular function. Patients of both groups underwent cVEMP and oVEMP. Results cVEMPs showed a highly statistically significant difference between the study and control groups regarding P13 and N23 latencies and P13–N23 amplitude, and oVEMPs showed a statistically significant difference between the study and control groups regarding N1 and P1 in latencies and N1–P1 amplitude. A positive correlation was found between duration of noise exposure and VEMPs latencies, whereas a negative correlation between it and VEMPs amplitude. Conclusion Noise exposure is a hazard to inner ear structures that can enhance the damage of vestibular part, especially the sacculocolic pathway.

Preventing Excessive Noise Exposure in Infants, Children, and Adolescents.

Type of study:

Number of citations: 15

Year: 2023

Authors: S. J. Balk, Risa E. Bochner, Mahindra A. Ramdhanie, Brian K Reilly

Journal: Pediatrics

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Greater awareness of noise hazards is needed to prevent hearing loss in infants, children, and adolescents, with disproportionate effects on underserved communities.

Abstract: Noise exposure is a major cause of hearing loss in adults. Yet, noise affects people of all ages, and noise-induced hearing loss is also a problem for young people. Sensorineural hearing loss caused by noise and other toxic exposures is usually irreversible. Environmental noise, such as traffic noise, can affect learning, physiologic parameters, and quality of life. Children and adolescents have unique vulnerabilities to noise. Children may be exposed beginning in NICUs and well-baby nurseries, at home, at school, in their neighborhoods, and in recreational settings. Personal listening devices are increasingly used, even by small children. Infants and young children cannot remove themselves from noisy situations and must rely on adults to do so, children may not recognize hazardous noise exposures, and teenagers generally do not understand the consequences of high exposure to music from personal listening devices or attending concerts and dances. Environmental noise exposure has disproportionate effects on underserved communities. In this report and the accompanying policy statement, common sources of noise and effects on hearing at different life stages are reviewed. Noise-abatement interventions in various settings are discussed. Because noise exposure often starts in infancy and its effects result mainly from cumulative exposure to loud noise over long periods of time, more attention is needed to its presence in everyday activities starting early in life. Listening to music and attending dances, concerts, and celebratory and other events are sources of joy, pleasure, and relaxation for many people. These situations, however, often result in potentially harmful noise exposures. Pediatricians can potentially lessen exposures, including promotion of safer listening, by raising awareness in parents, children, and teenagers. Noise exposure is underrecognized as a serious public health issue in the United States, with exposure limits enforceable only in workplaces and not for the general public, including children and adolescents. Greater awareness of noise hazards is needed at a societal level.

Noise-induced hearing loss and blood factors: results from a comprehensive cross-sectional study in Iran

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 0

Year: 2025

Authors: Sayed Vahid Esmaeili, Mahnaz Shakerian, Saied lotfi, Azim Karimi, Hamideh Ghasemian, Mojtaba Nakheipour, Mahdi Jalali, Sajad Mohebi, Reza Esmaeili

Journal: BMC Public Health

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Exposure to noise levels below the permissible limit can lead to hearing loss in individuals, with fasting blood glucose (FBS) being the most significant blood factor affecting hearing loss.

Abstract: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a common occupational hazard and a leading cause of hearing impairment among industrial workers. Previous studies have primarily focused on the association between physiological parameters and excessive noise exposure (above 85 dB). This study investigates the impact of sound exposure below the permissible limit (between 82 and 85 dB) on blood factors and hearing loss. This cross-sectional analytical study examined 8946 male facility technicians from various industries in Iran, who were exposed to sound levels between 82 and 85 decibels (action limit) over a period of one year. The study examined various blood factors, including complete blood cell count (CBC), blood group (BG), fasting blood glucose (FBS), lipid factors such as triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol (Chol), and also blood pressure (BP). Additionally, the hearing status of participants was evaluated using pure tone audiometry for both ears. The results indicated that age, work experience, SBP, FBS, Chol, Hb, Plt, and Hct were the main factors influencing hearing loss. FBS showed the highest impact on workers' hearing loss, accounting for 36.70% of the variance. Furthermore, Hb and PLT followed with weights of 19.10% and 12.4%, respectively. However, no significant relationship was observed concerning the blood group type. Exposure to noise levels below the permissible limit can lead to hearing loss in individuals. Moreover, FBS, Hb, and PLT were identified as blood factors affecting hearing loss in people. Understanding this will provide the basis for future guidelines on how to care for these workers.

Literature Review: Factors Causing Hearing Loss Due to Noise in Industrial Workers

Type of study: systematic review

Number of citations: 4

Year: 2021

Authors: A. Ulfa, L. Sulistyorini

Journal: The Indonesian Journal Of Occupational Safety and Health

Journal ranking: brak

Key takeaways: High noise levels in industrial areas can cause hearing loss in workers, with factors like age, working period, ear protection equipment use, and ear disease history also contributing.

Abstract: Introduction: Industry is a place where many individuals work. In the industrial field, one can do work by utilizing. However, high-tech applications can cause noise in industrial areas. The discomfort of this sound may indirectly pose a risk of health problems, including hearing loss. Methods: The method used in this study was a literature review study with an in-depth review of the articles through an electronic article data base with the keywords noise, hearing loss, and industrial workers. Then, a screening was carried out based on articles that have been published in a period of five years, and the sorting of articles was conducted according to the inclusion criteria, namely primary data research with cross sectional design, not descriptive research. Results: The journal research phase resulted in up to 101 papers, with 51 papers screened under pre-determined conditions. Then, sorting based on inclusion criteria resulted in 28 items. Finally, as many as 11 relevant articles and the full text were obtained as a result. Based on the review of the article, it is known that hearing loss that occurs among industrial workers is influenced by several problems in the industry such as the absence of noise measurements, the absence of ear health checks for workers, and the unavailability of ear protection equipment. Conclusion: Based on the review of the articles, it is known that hearing loss is caused by high noise levels. Besides, there are other factors that can affect hearing loss in workers such as age, working period, use of ear protection equipment, and a history of ear disease.Keywords: hearing loss, industry, literature review, noise

Negative Effects of Noise on NICU Graduates’ Cochlear Functions

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 11

Year: 2020

Authors: S. Beken, Esra Önal, B. Gündüz, U. Çakır, İ. Karagöz, Y. Kemaloğlu

Journal: Fetal and Pediatric Pathology

Journal ranking: Q3

Key takeaways: Noise exposure in NICUs negatively affects hearing tests in infants at six months of age, potentially impacting their cochlear functions.

Abstract: Abstract Aim To evaluate the adverse effects of noise on hearing. Methods: Thirty-two infants that had been admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and 25 healthy controls were included in this study. Noise levels were recorded continously during the hospitalization period. Results: All healthy controls passed the hearing screening tests before discharge and on the sixth-month follow up. Hospitalized infants had lower “Distortion Product Auto Acoustic Emission Signal Noise Ratio” (DPOAE SNR) amplitudes (dB) at five frequencies (1001, 1501, 3003, 4004, 6006 Hz in both ears). DPOAE fail rates at 1001 Hz and 1501 Hz were higher than in hospitalized infants (81.8% and 50.0% vs 20.0% and 4.0%). Infants who failed the test at 1001 and 1501 Hz were exposed to noise above the recommended maximum level for longer periods of time. Conclusion: Hearing tests performed at sixth-months of life were adversely affected in NICU graduates.

[Analysis of Environmental-Stress-Related Impairments of Inner Ear].

Type of study:

Number of citations: 1

Year: 2015

Authors: N. Ohgami, Machiko Iida, Yasuhiro Omata, C. Nakano, Wu Wenting, Xiang Li, Masashi Kato

Journal: Nihon eiseigaku zasshi. Japanese journal of hygiene

Journal ranking: brak

Key takeaways: Exposure to noise can cause hearing loss and impair balance in mice, with impaired activity of a deafness-related molecule linked to hearing loss and neurodegeneration.

Abstract: Noise stress generated in industry is one of the environmental factors that physically affects the functions of the inner ear. Exposure to noise can cause hearing loss, resulting in serious problems in occupational and daily life. At present, however, there are very limited ways to prevent hearing impairments. The inner ear consists of the organ of Corti, vestibule and semicircular canal. Functional or morphological damage of these tissues in the inner ear caused by genetic factors, aging or environmental factors can result in hearing or balance impairments. In this review, we first introduce a deafness-related molecule found by our clinical research. Our experimental research using genetically engineered mice further demonstrated that impaired activity of the target molecule caused congenital and age-related hearing loss with neurodegeneration of spiral ganglion neurons in the inner ears. We also describe impaired balance in mice caused by exposure to low-frequency noise under experimental conditions with indoor environmental monitoring. We believe that our approaches to pursue both experimental research and fieldwork research complementarily are crucial for the development of a method for prevention of impairments of the inner ear.

Auditory metabolomics, an approach to identify acute molecular effects of noise trauma

Type of study: non-rct experimental

Number of citations: 30

Year: 2019

Authors: Lingchao Ji, Ho-Joon Lee, Guoqiang Wan, Guo-Peng Wang, Li Zhang, Peter Sajjakulnukit, J. Schacht, C. Lyssiotis, G. Corfas

Journal: Scientific Reports

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Metabolomics can identify 40 metabolites affected by noise exposure, potentially leading to drug targets and novel therapies for noise-induced hearing loss.

Acceptable Noise Level in Unilateral Ménière’s Disease

Type of study:

Number of citations: 0

Year: 2021

Authors: Elahe Nasiri, Hamid Jalilvand, N. Yazdani, Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban

Journal: Auditory and Vestibular Research

Journal ranking: Q3

Key takeaways: Unilateral Meniere's disease affects the acceptable noise level in the affected ear, causing deterioration in speech perception in noise.

Abstract: Background and Aim: Noise tolerance and performance in noisy environments are influential factors of hearing aid use in people with hearing loss. One of the causes of hearing loss is Meniere’s disease (MD), which affects speech perception in noise. Acceptable noise level (ANL) is a test that measures the maximum tolerated background noise level (BNL) while listening to the running speech. Since the effect of MD on ANL needs further study, the present study aims to examine the ANL test results in people with unilateral MD, and compare the results between the two ears. Methods: This cross sectional study conducted on 33 individuals with unilateral MD (21 females and 12 males) aged 32–60 years who had the disease for at least one year, who participated in this study. Their most comfortable level (MCL), BNL, and ANL in both ears were then evaluated. Results: The mean MCL and BNL were significantly different between the two ears, where they were higher in the affected ear than in the contralateral ear. There was also a significant difference in the ANL results between the two ears. In the affected ear, a statistically significant relationship was reported between the ANL and the average hearing thresholds at frequencies of 250, 500, and 1000 Hz. Conclusion: MD affects the ANL in the affected ear and causes a deterioration in its level and speech perception in noise.

Environmental Noise and the Cardiovascular System.

Type of study:

Number of citations: 369

Year: 2018

Authors: T. Münzel, F. Schmidt, S. Steven, Johannes Herzog, A. Daiber, M. Sørensen

Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Environmental noise, particularly nighttime noise, increases stress hormones and vascular oxidative stress, leading to cardiovascular diseases like arterial hypertension and heart failure.

Transportation noise pollution and cardiovascular disease

Type of study: literature review

Number of citations: 339

Year: 2021

Authors: T. Münzel, M. Sørensen, A. Daiber

Journal: Nature Reviews Cardiology

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Transportation noise pollution is a significant cardiovascular risk factor, increasing the risk of diseases like hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and arrhythmia.

Transportation Noise Pollution and Cardiovascular Health

Type of study: literature review

Number of citations: 24

Year: 2024

Authors: T. Münzel, M. Molitor, Marin Kuntić, Omar Hahad, Martin Röösli, Nicole Engelmann, Mathias Basner, A. Daiber, Mette Sørensen

Journal: Circulation Research

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Transportation noise increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases, such as ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and stroke, by disrupting sleep, increasing stress hormone levels, and increasing oxidative stress in the vasculature and brain.

Abstract: Epidemiological studies have found that transportation noise increases the risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, with solid evidence for ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. According to the World Health Organization, at least 1.6 million healthy life years are lost annually from traffic-related noise in Western Europe. Traffic noise at night causes fragmentation and shortening of sleep, elevation of stress hormone levels, and increased oxidative stress in the vasculature and the brain. These factors can promote vascular (endothelial) dysfunction, inflammation, and arterial hypertension, thus elevating cardiovascular risk. The present review focusses on the indirect, nonauditory cardiovascular health effects of noise. We provide an updated overview of epidemiological research on the effects of transportation noise on cardiovascular risk factors and disease, and mechanistic insights based on the latest clinical and experimental studies and propose new risk markers to address noise-induced cardiovascular effects in the general population. We will discuss the potential effects of noise on vascular dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation in humans and animals. We will elaborately explain the underlying pathomechanisms by alterations of gene networks, epigenetic pathways, circadian rhythm, signal transduction along the neuronal-cardiovascular axis, and metabolism. We will describe current and future noise mitigation strategies. Finally, we will conduct an overall evaluation of the status of the current evidence of noise as a significant cardiovascular risk factor.

Short-term aircraft noise stress induces a fundamental metabolic shift in heart proteome and metabolome that bears the hallmarks of cardiovascular disease.

Type of study: non-rct experimental

Number of citations: 0

Year: 2025

Authors: Jair G. Marques, Marin Kuntić, Roopesh Krishnankutty, Giovanny Rodriguez Blanco, Mykyta I Malkov, Katie Frenis, Jimi Wills, Engy Shokry, Frederic Li Mow Chee, Cormac T. Taylor, Thomas Munzel, A. Daiber, A. von Kriegsheim

Journal: The Science of the total environment

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Short-term aircraft noise exposure leads to a fundamental metabolic shift in the heart, reminiscent of cardiovascular disease, within 4 days.

Noise causes cardiovascular disease: it’s time to act

Type of study: systematic review

Number of citations: 2

Year: 2024

Authors: Thomas Münzel, A. Daiber, Nicole Engelmann, Martin Röösli, Marin Kuntić, Jamie L Banks

Journal: Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Chronic transportation noise exposure increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, premature deaths, and sleep disturbances, with vulnerable individuals like those with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions being particularly vulnerable.

Environmental noise induces the release of stress hormones and inflammatory signaling molecules leading to oxidative stress and vascular dysfunction—Signatures of the internal exposome

Type of study:

Number of citations: 116

Year: 2019

Authors: A. Daiber, Swenja Kröller-Schön, Katie Frenis, M. Oelze, S. Kalinovic, K. Vujacic-Mirski, Marin Kuntić, María Teresa Bayo Jiménez, Johanna Helmstädter, S. Steven, B. Korac, T. Münzel

Journal: BioFactors

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Environmental noise induces stress hormones and inflammation, leading to oxidative stress and vascular dysfunction, increasing cardiometabolic diseases.

Abstract: Environmental noise is a well‐recognized health risk and part of the external exposome—the World Health Organization estimates that 1 million healthy life years are lost annually in Western Europe alone due to noise‐related complications, including increased incidence of hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Previous data suggest that noise works through two paired pathways in a proposed reaction model for noise exposure. As a nonspecific stressor, chronic low‐level noise exposure can cause a disruption of sleep and communication leading to annoyance and subsequent sympathetic and endocrine stress responses leading to increased blood pressure, heart rate, stress hormone levels, and in particular more oxidative stress, being responsible for vascular dysfunction and representing changes of the internal exposome. Chronic stress generates cardiovascular risk factors on its own such as increased blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood glucose, and activation of blood coagulation. To this end, persistent chronic noise exposure increases cardiometabolic diseases, including arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, diabetes mellitus type 2, and stroke. The present review discusses the mechanisms of the nonauditory noise‐induced cardiovascular and metabolic consequences, focusing on mental stress signaling pathways, activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical axis and sympathetic nervous system, the association of these activations with inflammation, and the subsequent onset of oxidative stress and vascular dysfunction. © 2019 BioFactors, 45 (4):495–506, 2019

Cardiovascular effects of environmental noise exposure

Type of study:

Number of citations: 642

Year: 2014

Authors: T. Münzel, T. Gori, W. Babisch, M. Basner

Journal: European Heart Journal

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Environmental noise exposure, particularly night-time noise, is associated with increased cardiovascular risks, emphasizing the need for noise mitigation strategies for public health.

Abstract: The role of noise as an environmental pollutant and its impact on health are being increasingly recognized. Beyond its effects on the auditory system, noise causes annoyance and disturbs sleep, and it impairs cognitive performance. Furthermore, evidence from epidemiologic studies demonstrates that environmental noise is associated with an increased incidence of arterial hypertension, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Both observational and experimental studies indicate that in particular night-time noise can cause disruptions of sleep structure, vegetative arousals (e.g. increases of blood pressure and heart rate) and increases in stress hormone levels and oxidative stress, which in turn may result in endothelial dysfunction and arterial hypertension. This review focuses on the cardiovascular consequences of environmental noise exposure and stresses the importance of noise mitigation strategies for public health.

A neurobiological mechanism linking transportation noise to cardiovascular disease in humans.

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 126

Year: 2019

Authors: M. Osborne, Azar Radfar, Malek Z O Hassan, Shady Abohashem, Blake Oberfeld, T. Patrich, Brian B. Tung, Ying Wang, Amorina Ishai, James A Scott, L. Shin, Z. Fayad, K. Koenen, S. Rajagopalan, R. Pitman, A. Tawakol

Journal: European heart journal

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Higher noise exposure increases the risk of major adverse cardiovascular disease events through a mechanism involving increased stress-associated limbic activity and heightened arterial inflammation.

Abstract: AIMS Chronic noise exposure associates with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk; however, the role of confounders and the underlying mechanism remain incompletely defined. The amygdala, a limbic centre involved in stress perception, participates in the response to noise. Higher amygdalar metabolic activity (AmygA) associates with increased CVD risk through a mechanism involving heightened arterial inflammation (ArtI). Accordingly, in this retrospective study, we tested whether greater noise exposure associates with higher: (i) AmygA, (ii) ArtI, and (iii) risk for major adverse cardiovascular disease events (MACE). METHODS AND RESULTS Adults (N = 498) without CVD or active cancer underwent clinical 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging. Amygdalar metabolic activity and ArtI were measured, and MACE within 5 years was adjudicated. Average 24-h transportation noise and potential confounders were estimated at each individual's home address. Over a median 4.06 years, 40 individuals experienced MACE. Higher noise exposure (per 5 dBA increase) predicted MACE [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval, CI) 1.341 (1.147-1.567), P < 0.001] and remained robust to multivariable adjustments. Higher noise exposure associated with increased AmygA [standardized β (95% CI) 0.112 (0.051-0.174), P < 0.001] and ArtI [0.045 (0.001-0.090), P = 0.047]. Mediation analysis suggested that higher noise exposure associates with MACE via a serial mechanism involving heightened AmygA and ArtI that accounts for 12-26% of this relationship. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that noise exposure associates with MACE via a mechanism that begins with increased stress-associated limbic (amygdalar) activity and includes heightened arterial inflammation. This potential neurobiological mechanism linking noise to CVD merits further evaluation in a prospective population.

Environmental Noise-Induced Effects on Stress Hormones, Oxidative Stress, and Vascular Dysfunction: Key Factors in the Relationship between Cerebrocardiovascular and Psychological Disorders

Type of study:

Number of citations: 201

Year: 2019

Authors: Omar Hahad, J. Prochaska, A. Daiber, T. Muenzel

Journal: Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Chronic low-level noise exposure increases mental stress, leading to cardiovascular complications and psychological disorders like depression and anxiety.

Abstract: The role of noise as an environmental pollutant and its adverse effects on health are being increasingly recognized. Beyond its direct effects on the auditory system (e.g., hearing loss and tinnitus induced by exposure to high levels of noise), chronic low-level noise exposure causes mental stress associated with known cardiovascular complications. According to recent estimates of the World Health Organization, exposure to traffic noise is responsible for a loss of more than 1.5 million healthy life years per year in Western Europe alone, a major part being related to annoyance, cognitive impairment, and sleep disturbance. Underlying mechanisms of noise-induced mental stress are centered on increased stress hormone levels, blood pressure, and heart rate, which in turn favor the development of cerebrocardiovascular disease such as stroke, arterial hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and myocardial infarction. Furthermore, traffic noise exposure is also associated with mental health symptoms and psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety, which further increase maladaptive coping mechanisms (e.g., alcohol and tobacco use). From a molecular point of view, experimental studies suggest that traffic noise exposure can increase stress hormone levels, thereby triggering inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways by activation of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase, uncoupling of endothelial/neuronal nitric oxide synthase inducing endothelial and neuronal dysfunction. This review elucidates the mechanisms underlying the relationship between noise exposure and cerebrocardiovascular and psychological disorders, focusing on mental stress signaling pathways including activation of the autonomous nervous system and endocrine signaling and its association with inflammation, oxidative stress, and vascular dysfunction.

Investigating the effects of occupational and environmental noise on cardiovascular diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Type of study: meta-analysis

Number of citations: 13

Year: 2021

Authors: H. Rabiei, Soleiman Ramezanifar, S. Hassanipour, Noradin Gharari

Journal: Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Occupational and environmental noise exposure is significantly associated with cardiovascular disease, with higher sound intensity affecting blood pressure in workers and higher ambient noise intensity affecting blood pressure in environmental settings.

Abstract: The present study aimed to use a meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between occupational and non-occupational noise exposure expressed in various studies with cardiovascular disease. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis study based on PRISMA checklist. In this study, the researchers searched five international databases of Medline/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ISI/web of knowledge, and Google Scholar. Search keywords included two categories noise and noise pollution, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. The Joanna Briggs Institute checklist was used to review and control the quality of the articles. After all screening stage 139 articles entered the final analysis. The results show that except for East African environmental studies and workplace studies in East Asia, Western Asia, and Northern Europe, there was a significant association between noise exposure and cardiovascular disease. Also, there was a significant difference between the intensity of sound and blood pressure in workers (OR = 1.28, CI 95%: 1.15–1.42, P < 0.001). Based on the results of environmental noise, there was a significant difference between ambient noise intensity and blood pressure (OR = 1.55, CI 95%: 1.53–1.57, P < 0.001). It can be concluded that it is very important to study and identify jobs or living environments with less than the recommended noise level and in addition to hearing aids that occur in over-standard exposures, such as cardiovascular disease.

Noise Exposure and Cardiovascular Health.

Type of study:

Number of citations: 28

Year: 2023

Authors: Chayakrit Krittanawong, Y. Qadeer, R. Hayes, Zhen Wang, S. Virani, M. Zeller, P. Dadvand, C. Lavie

Journal: Current problems in cardiology

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Noise exposure, particularly traffic noise, is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases through psychological stress, reduced sleep quality, and disruption in the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis.

Environmental noise-induced cardiovascular, metabolic and mental health disorders: a brief review

Type of study: systematic review

Number of citations: 55

Year: 2022

Authors: M. Zaman, Mohammad Muslim, A. Jehangir

Journal: Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Environmental noise exposure is linked to increased incidence of cardiovascular, metabolic, and mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression.

Abstract: BackgroundEnvironmental noise is a pervasive pollutant that is one of the greatest environmental threats to mental, physiological and psychological well-being and has a significant global health burden associated with it. Many epidemiological studies indicate long-term relationship of noise pollution with wide range of metabolic, cardio-vascular and respiratory disorders and diseases.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to thoroughly analyse available literature on public health implications and various underlying biological mechanisms associated with ambient noise exposure, taking into account both objective and subjective measures of noise exposure.MethodsA search of literature for review on environmental noise and associated cardiovascular, mental health and metabolic implications on human health was done using Web of Science, Google Scholar and PubMed databases.DiscussionExperimental studies indicate that noise exposure leads to endocrine effects, increased incidence of diabetes, impairment of cognitive performance, sleep disturbance and annoyance. Epidemiological evidence indicates that high levels of noise, particularly at night, may cause arterial hypertension and endothelial dysfunction due to higher level of stress hormones and oxidative stress. An increased incidence of cardio-vascular diseases like myocardial infarction, heart rate, ischemic heart disease, stroke and heart failure is associated with noise-induced mental stress. Furthermore, psychological and mental health issues like anxiety and depression are also related with exposure to noise pollution.ConclusionThis article summarises a comprehensive and systematic knowledge established in recent noise research with the spotlight on cardiovascular, metabolic and mental health disorders of environmental noise, providing unique understanding into underlying mechanisms.

Pathomechanistic synergy between particulate matter and traffic noise induced cardiovascular damage and the classical risk factor hypertension.

Type of study:

Number of citations: 2

Year: 2024

Authors: Marin Kuntić, O. Hahad, Sadeer Al-Kindi, M. Oelze, J. Lelieveld, A. Daiber, T. Münzel

Journal: Antioxidants & redox signaling

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Both traffic noise and air pollution contribute to cardiovascular damage, promoting atherosclerosis and thrombosis, with a complex interplay between them driving the onset and progression of cardiovascular diseases.

Abstract: SIGNIFICANCE In all modern urbanized and industrialized societies, non-communicable diseases, like cardiovascular disease (CVD), are becoming a more important cause of morbidity and mortality. Classic risk factors for CVDs, such as hypertension, are reinforced by behavioral risk factors, like smoking and diet, and environmental risk factors, like transportation noise and air pollution. RECENT ADVANCES Both transportation noise and air pollution have individually been shown to increase the risk for CVD in large cohorts. Insights from animal studies have revealed pathophysiologic mechanisms by which these stressors influence the cardiovascular system. Noise primarily causes annoyance and sleep disturbance, promoting the release of stress hormones. Air pollution primarily damages the lung, where it causes local inflammation and an increase in oxidative stress, which can propagate to the circulation and remote organs. CRITICAL ISSUES Both noise and air pollution converge at the vascular level, where the inflammatory state and oxidative stress cause dysfunction in vascular signaling and promote atherosclerotic plaque formation and thrombosis. Both inflammation and oxidative stress are key aspects of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as arterial hypertension. The similarities among the mechanisms of environmental risk factor-induced CVD and hypertension indicate that a complex interplay between them can drive the onset and progression of CVDs, leading to synergistic health impacts. FUTURE DIRECTIONS Our present overview of the negative effects of noise and air pollution on the cardiovascular system provides a mechanistic link to the traditional CVD risk factor, hypertension, which could be used to protect patients with pre-existing CVD better.

Redox Switches in Noise-Induced Cardiovascular and Neuronal Dysregulation

Type of study: literature review

Number of citations: 16

Year: 2021

Authors: Katie Frenis, Marin Kuntić, O. Hahad, María Teresa Bayo Jiménez, M. Oelze, S. Daub, S. Steven, T. Münzel, A. Daiber

Journal: Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Noise exposure may contribute to cardiovascular diseases by disrupting circadian rhythms, inflammatory signaling, gut microbiome composition, and vessel function through aberrant redox signaling.

Abstract: Environmental exposures represent a significant health hazard, which cumulatively may be responsible for up to 2/3 of all chronic non-communicable disease and associated mortality (Global Burden of Disease Study and The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health), which has given rise to a new concept of the exposome: the sum of environmental factors in every individual’s experience. Noise is part of the exposome and is increasingly being investigated as a health risk factor impacting neurological, cardiometabolic, endocrine, and immune health. Beyond the well-characterized effects of high-intensity noise on cochlear damage, noise is relatively well-studied in the cardiovascular field, where evidence is emerging from both human and translational experiments that noise from traffic-related sources could represent a risk factor for hypertension, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. In the present review, we comprehensively discuss the current state of knowledge in the field of noise research. We give a brief survey of the literature documenting experiments in noise exposure in both humans and animals with a focus on cardiovascular disease. We also discuss the mechanisms that have been uncovered in recent years that describe how exposure to noise affects physiological homeostasis, leading to aberrant redox signaling resulting in metabolic and immune consequences, both of which have considerable impact on cardiovascular health. Additionally, we discuss the molecular pathways of redox involvement in the stress responses to noise and how they manifest in disruptions of the circadian rhythm, inflammatory signaling, gut microbiome composition, epigenetic landscape and vessel function.

Occupational exposure to noise and the cardiovascular system: a meta-analysis.

Type of study: meta-analysis

Number of citations: 142

Year: 2010

Authors: G. Tomei, M. Fioravanti, D. Cerratti, A. Sancini, E. Tomao, M. V. Rosati, D. Vacca, T. Palitti, M. D. Famiani, R. Giubilati, S. D. Sio, F. Tomei

Journal: The Science of the total environment

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Chronic exposure to noise is associated with increased blood pressure, heart rate, and prevalence of hypertension and ECG abnormalities in workers.

Does air pollution confound associations between environmental noise and cardiovascular outcomes? - A systematic review.

Type of study: systematic review

Number of citations: 20

Year: 2023

Authors: Nigel Jones, J. Gulliver, K. Eminson, Georgia Rodgers, B. Fenech, Yutong Samuel Cai, Claire Blackmore, A. Hansell, Yingxin Chen

Journal: Environmental research

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Air pollution does not appear to confound associations between environmental noise and cardiovascular health, but more studies on potential interactions are needed.

Impact of Noise and Air Pollution on the Cardiovascular System through the Brain-Heart Axis

Type of study: literature review

Number of citations: 0

Year: 2025

Authors: Arijan Valar, Jiayin Zheng, Thomas Münzel, A. Daiber, Marin Kuntić

Journal: Redox Experimental Medicine

Journal ranking: brak

Key takeaways: Noise and air pollution negatively impact the brain-heart axis, causing neuroinflammation, cerebral oxidative stress, and cardiovascular damage.

Abstract: Non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease (CVD) are becoming more prevalent in urbanized and industrialized societies. Classic risk factors like hypertension are reinforced by behavioral factors like smoking and diet, as well as environmental risk factors like transportation noise and air pollution. Animal studies reveal that noise causes annoyance and sleep disturbance, promoting stress hormone release. Air pollution damages the lung, causing inflammation and oxidative stress that can spread to the circulation and remote organs. Both noise and air pollution converge at the vascular level, causing dysfunction in vascular signaling and atherosclerotic plaque formation. The complex interplay between environmental risk factors and CVD can lead to synergistic health impacts. The present review focusses on the impact of noise and air pollution on the brain-heart axis. Noise causes its primary health effects on the brain by activating the sympathetic nervous system, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and thereby causes neuroinflammation, cerebral oxidative stress and via stress hormone signaling, also induces cardiovascular damage. Air pollution activates the stress response as a homeostatic stressor. Uptake of (nano)particles into the brain can proceed by migration along the olfactory nerve. Particles in the brain can cause stress responses similar to neuroinflammation and cerebral oxidative stress due to noise. Understanding the negative effects of noise and air pollution on the cardiovascular system could help protect patients with pre-existing CVD.

Cardiovascular effects of noise.

Type of study: meta-analysis

Number of citations: 181

Year: 2011

Authors: W. Babisch

Journal: Noise & health

Journal ranking: Q3

Key takeaways: High levels of noise, such as occupational or environmental, can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure and ischemic heart diseases.

Abstract: The auditory system is continuously analyzing acoustic information, which is filtered and interpreted by different cortical and subcortical brain structures. According to the general stress concept, repeated temporal changes in biological responses can result in permanent metabolic changes of the organism leading to chronic diseases in the long run. Most epidemiological studies have been carried out with respect to health effects of occupational noise and – regarding environmental noise – with respect to road and air traffic noise. The studies suggest a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure and ischemic heart diseases in subjects persistently exposed to high levels of noise at the workplace or transportation noise outside their dwellings. Different expert groups have evaluated the evidence of the association. Road traffic noise levels at the facades of the houses exceeding 65 dB(A) during daytime and 55 dB(A) during the night were considered to be detrimental to cardiovascular health. Adverse health effects due to aircraft noise were found at even lower average noise levels. Most of the studies suggest a continuous increase in risk with increasing noise level. Based on meta-analyses, exposure–response relationships and regression coefficients have been derived that can be used for a quantitative risk assessment and burden of disease calculations in public health.

The cardiovascular effects of noise on man

Type of study: meta-analysis

Number of citations: 10

Year: 2015

Authors: W. Babisch

Journal: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Persistent exposure to environmental noise can negatively impact cardiovascular health, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, and stroke, with chronic sleep disturbance being a key mediator.

Abstract: Noise is pervasive in everyday life and induces both auditory and non-auditory health effects. Systematic research of the effects of noise on the cardiovascular system has been carried out for more than 50 decades. Noise is a stressor that affects the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system. Animal experiments, laboratory and field studies carried out on humans provide evidence that persistent exposure to environmental noise affects physiological endpoints, which in turn are adversely associated with cardiovascular diseases. These include hypertension, coronary heart disease, and stroke. New endpoints have been studied, including clinical states of metabolic syndrome such as diabetes mellitus. Chronic sleep disturbance is considered as an important mediator of the effects. Public health policies rely on quantitative risk assessment to set environmental quality standards and to regulate the noise exposure that is generated by environmental noise sources in the communities. Meta-analyses were carr...

Noise Pollution as a Cardiovascular Health Hazard

Type of study: systematic review

Number of citations: 0

Year: 2020

Authors: K. L, Tsaloglidou A, Koukourikos K, Pantelidou P

Journal: International Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Journal ranking: brak

Key takeaways: Noise pollution has adverse effects on health, particularly on the cardiovascular system, causing sleep deprivation and potentially increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Abstract:  Abstract — Introduction: Noise pollution is a health hazard and induces both auditory and non-auditory effects. Extensive levels of noise are associated with a high risk of physiological changes such as hypertension, increased levels of heart beat rate, peripheral vasoconstriction and thus peripheral vascular resistance. Noise can trigger both endocrine and autonomic nervous system responses that in turn affect the cardiovascular system and may be a high risk for the appearance of cardiovascular disease. Aim: This retrospective study provides a comprehensive review of the new evidence linking noise pollution to cardiovascular risk. It considers some fundamental issues concerning noise and its consequences on the cardiovascular system. Method: An extensive review of the International literature was performed through the electronic databases Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar and the Association of Greek Academic Libraries Link (Heal-Link), using as key words the following terms: noise pollution, noise exposure, cardiovascular risk, hypertension. Results: Sleep deprivation or fragmentation is usually considered the most severe non-auditory effect of noise pollution, which in turn affects the cardiovascular system. Noise exposure is also associated with hypertension and consequently with other cardiovascular disease, the results from the literature, however, are inconclusive. Conclusions: Noise pollution has many adverse effects on health and especially on the cardiovascular system. Understanding the harmful effects of noise pollution on cardiovascular health will help us to take all the appropriate measures to prevent or to reduce the possible health risks.

Noise and mental health: evidence, mechanisms, and consequences

Type of study: literature review

Number of citations: 55

Year: 2024

Authors: O. Hahad, Marin Kuntić, Sadeer Al-Kindi, Ivana Kuntić, Donya Gilan, Katja Petrowski, A. Daiber, Thomas Münzel

Journal: Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Exposure to noise, particularly traffic noise, can potentially impact the central nervous system and increase the susceptibility to mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, suicide, and behavioral problems in children and adolescents.

Environmental noise perception and risk of poor mental health in a region on the Mediterranean coast of Spain

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 0

Year: 2025

Authors: Andreu Nolasco, Jesús Rabasco, Nayara Tamayo-Fonseca, Javier Casillas-Clot, Pamela Pereyra-Zamora

Journal: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: High noise perception is associated with a higher risk of poor mental health, regardless of other factors.

Abstract: BACKGROUND Exposure to environmental noise may have a negative impact on a population's mental health. We estimated the prevalence of exposure perception to high environmental noise in the Valencian Community, a region on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, and analysed its association with poor mental health risk, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and health status variables. METHODS Cross-sectional study based on a sample of 5.485 subjects, aged 15 or above, of the 2016 Valencian Community Health Survey. The risk of poor mental health was assessed via Goldberg's questionnaire, a highly standardized self-reported questionnaire designed to screen for general psychological distress in the general population. Noise perception were determined in the home environment based on individuals' responses to the Valencian Survey question about external noise problems. Sociodemographic variables, such as sex, age, level of education, or country of birth, and health variables, such as self-perceived health, or chronic diseases, were also considered. Logistic regression was used to estimate the Odds Ratios and confidence intervals of association between variables according to sex. RESULTS The prevalence of poor mental health was 26.2% [n = 2665; 95% CI: 24.5-27.9] in men and 33.6% [n = 2820; 95% CI: 31.9-35.3] in women. A total of 7.8% [n = 5485; 95% CI: 6.8-8.8] presented exposure to high noise perception, with no differences according to sex. Being at risk of poor mental health was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with high noise perception after adjusting for the rest of the variables (OR: 2.16 [95% CI: 1.46-3.19] in men; 2.46 [95% CI: 1.72-3.50] in women). CONCLUSIONS Although the prevalence of exposure perception to high noise was not very high, population subgroups presenting high values were detected. High noise perception was related to the risk of poor mental health, regardless of other variables. Poor mental health risk was associated with exposure perception to high noise, other socioeconomic determinants, and health status. Improving noise exposure conditions could reduce the risk of poor mental health.

Noise pollution and mental health

Type of study:

Number of citations: 10

Year: 2022

Authors: M. Guha

Journal: Journal of Mental Health

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Exposure to traffic noise may increase the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, particularly Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract: Writers in this journal have frequently discussed the effects of the environment on mental health (e.g. Callaghan et al., 2021; Cheng, 2021; Guha & Channon, 2020), and have occasionally noted the possible ill effects of atmospheric pollution (e.g. Guha, 2019). A surprising omission however, has been any discussion of the effects of noise pollution on mental health. The Journal of Mental Health is not alone in inadequately covering this topic. Hegewald et al. (2020) found recent evidence that “traffic noise may negatively impact mental health” but that “existing systematic reviews provide an incomplete overview.” Their meta-analysis showed that depression risk increased significantly with aircraft noise, but they “did not find enough studies to meta-analyze anxiety... and dementia/cognitive impairment and any traffic noise.” Similarly Clark et al. (2020) found that there was evidence that there was a “harmful effect of road traffic noise on medication use and on interview measures of depression and anxiety” but that “conclusions remain limited by the low number of studies.” This dearth of relevant studies is surprising in that the World Health Organization (WHO REGIONAL Office for Europe, 2011) found traffic noise to be the second most damaging form of pollution to public health, after car exhausts. This could have been expected to have aroused more research interest. The situation is gradually changing however, with some clearer, more focussed projects. A major national cohort study of adults in Denmark (Cantuaria et al., 2021) examined incident cases of all cause dementia and dementia subtypes, identified from national hospital registries. They found that a “ten-year mean exposure to road traffic... noises were associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease” and that there were “associations between road traffic and Parkinson’s disease related dementia,” summarising their findings as “transportation noise can be associated with a higher risk of all cause dementia and dementia subtypes, especially Alzheimer’s disease.” The extent to which the effects of noise on mental health are omitted from research is irritating. There are many studies where noise pollution has simply not been taken into account. Thus, for example, Bravo-Moncayo et al. (2022) had found that people have a much clearer perception of the value of freedom from noise pollution than that from air pollution, and price their properties accordingly: rich people tend to live in quieter areas, so a US study finding that “Respondents reporting mental health difficulties... were more likely to be female, Hispanic or non-Hispanic black, have no more than a high school education, report lower incomes and less likely to be married” (Adepoju et al., 2018) might be significant in all sorts of ways, but one of them could well be that, in a very inegalitarian society, such people are more likely to be forced to live in noisy surroundings. Similarly, a study of the benefits of exercise on mental health, such as Bergman et al. (2021) might have taken into account the fact that running, etc. tends to be organized in off-road situations which are likely to be quieter than the places where users spend most of their lives.

Environmental Noise Exposure and Mental Health: Evidence From a Population-Based Longitudinal Study.

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 28

Year: 2022

Authors: Ang Li, E. Martino, Adelle Mansour, R. Bentley

Journal: American journal of preventive medicine

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Exposure to residential noise, particularly traffic noise, is associated with poorer mental health, with decreased noise exposure leading to an increase in mental health over time.

Traffic Noise and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Type of study: meta-analysis

Number of citations: 130

Year: 2020

Authors: J. Hegewald, M. Schubert, A. Freiberg, Karla Romero Starke, F. Augustin, S. Riedel-Heller, H. Zeeb, A. Seidler

Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Journal ranking: Q2

Key takeaways: Aircraft noise exposure increases the risk for depression, while road and railway traffic noise do not show statistically significant risk increases for depression or anxiety.

Abstract: Recent evidence suggests that traffic noise may negatively impact mental health. However, existing systematic reviews provide an incomplete overview of the effects of all traffic noise sources on mental health. We conducted a systematic literature search and summarized the evidence for road, railway, or aircraft noise-related risks of depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, and dementia among adults. We included 31 studies (26 on depression and/or anxiety disorders, 5 on dementia). The meta-analysis of five aircraft noise studies found that depression risk increased significantly by 12% per 10 dB LDEN (Effect Size = 1.12, 95% CI 1.02–1.23). The meta-analyses of road (11 studies) and railway traffic noise (3 studies) indicated 2–3% (not statistically significant) increases in depression risk per 10 dB LDEN. Results for road traffic noise related anxiety were similar. We did not find enough studies to meta-analyze anxiety and railway or aircraft noise, and dementia/ cognitive impairment and any traffic noise. In conclusion, aircraft noise exposure increases the risk for depression. Otherwise, we did not detect statistically significant risk increases due to road and railway traffic noise or for anxiety. More research on the association of cognitive disorders and traffic noise is required. Public policies to reduce environmental traffic noise might not only increase wellness (by reducing noise-induced annoyance), but might contribute to the prevention of depression and anxiety disorders.

Neighbour and traffic noise annoyance: a nationwide study of associated mental health and perceived stress

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 88

Year: 2018

Authors: H. R. Jensen, B. Rasmussen, O. Ekholm

Journal: European Journal of Public Health

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Noise annoyance from neighbors and traffic is strongly linked to poor mental health and high levels of perceived stress among individuals living in multistorey housing in Denmark.

Abstract: Background Noise exposure is a well-known risk factor for multiple adverse health effects. Annoyance is the most prevalent response to environmental noise and may result in negative emotional responses, including poor mental health and high levels of perceived stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between neighbour and traffic noise annoyance, and mental health and perceived stress. Methods Data were derived from the Danish Health and Morbidity surveys in 2010 and 2013. The study was based on a random sample of the adult population in Denmark living in multistorey housing (n = 7090). Information on neighbour and traffic noise annoyance during the past 2 weeks, and mental health and perceived stress, using Short Form-12 and Perceived Stress Scale instruments, respectively, was obtained by means of self-administered questionnaires. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between noise annoyance and poor mental health, and high perceived stress levels, respectively. Results Those who reported being very annoyed by neighbour noise had 2.34 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.83-2.99] times higher odds of having poor mental health and 2.78 (95% CI: 2.25-3.43) times higher odds to experience a high level of perceived stress than individuals not annoyed by noise from neighbours. Similar associations were observed with traffic noise annoyance. Conclusion The results from this study indicate that there is a strong relationship between noise annoyance and poor mental health and high levels of perceived stress among individuals living in multistorey housing in Denmark. Future studies are needed to determine the direction of causality.

Pathways linking residential noise and air pollution to mental ill‐health in young adults

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 81

Year: 2018

Authors: A. Dzhambov, I. Markevych, B. Tilov, Zlatoslav Arabadzhiev, D. Stoyanov, P. Gatseva, D. Dimitrova

Journal: Environmental Research

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Increased residential noise is linked to mental ill-health in young adults through indirect pathways, while air pollution is only indirectly associated with mental health.

Association between Noise Annoyance and Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Type of study: meta-analysis

Number of citations: 56

Year: 2022

Authors: Xiangpu Gong, B. Fenech, Claire Blackmore, Yingxin Chen, Georgia Rodgers, J. Gulliver, A. Hansell

Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Journal ranking: Q2

Key takeaways: High noise annoyance is associated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and general mental health problems, but more evidence is needed to confirm these findings.

Abstract: To date, most studies of noise and mental health have focused on noise exposure rather than noise annoyance. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate whether the available evidence supports an adverse association between noise annoyance and mental health problems in people. We carried out a literature search of Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and conference proceedings published between 2000 and 2022. Thirteen papers met the inclusion criteria. We conducted meta-analyses of noise annoyance in relation to depression, anxiety, and general mental health. In the meta-analyses, we found that depression was approximately 1.23 times greater in those who were highly noise-annoyed (N = 8 studies). We found an approximately 55% higher risk of anxiety (N = 6) in highly noise-annoyed people. For general mental health (N = 5), highly annoyed participants had an almost 119% increased risk of mental health problems as assessed by Short Form (SF) or General Household Questionnaires (GHQ), but with high heterogeneity and risk of publication bias. In conclusion, findings are suggestive of a potential link between noise annoyance and poorer mental health based on a small number of studies. More evidence is needed to confirm these findings.

WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region: A Systematic Review on Environmental Noise and Quality of Life, Wellbeing and Mental Health

Type of study: systematic review

Number of citations: 202

Year: 2018

Authors: C. Clark, K. Paunović

Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Journal ranking: Q2

Key takeaways: Environmental noise may impact quality of life, wellbeing, and mental health, but robust studies are needed for various noise sources and outcomes.

Abstract: This systematic review assesses the quality of the evidence across studies on the effect of environmental noise (road traffic noise, aircraft noise, railway noise, wind-turbine noise) on quality of life, wellbeing and mental health. Quantitative studies of noise effects on children and adults published from January 2005 up to October 2015 were reviewed. A total of 29 papers were identified. 90% of the papers were of cross-sectional design, with fewer studies of longitudinal or intervention design. Outcomes included depression and anxiety, medication use and childhood emotional problems. The quality of the evidence across the studies for each individual noise source was assessed using an adaptation of the GRADE methodology. Overall, given the predominance of cross-sectional studies, most evidence was rated as very low quality, with evidence of effects only being observed for some noise sources and outcomes. These ratings reflect inconsistent findings across studies, the small number of studies and a lack of methodological robustness within some domains. Overall, there are few studies of clinically significant mental health outcomes; few studies of railway noise exposure; and studies of large samples are needed. The lack of evidence for noise effects across studies for many of the quality of life, wellbeing and mental health domains examined does not necessarily mean that there are no effects: rather, that they have not yet been studied robustly for different noise sources.

Road traffic noise, sleep and mental health.

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 164

Year: 2014

Authors: Karin Sygna, Gunn Marit Aasvang, G. Aamodt, B. Oftedal, N. Krog

Journal: Environmental research

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Road traffic noise may be associated with poorer mental health in individuals with poor sleep quality, but not in those with good or medium sleep quality.

Evidence for Environmental Noise Effects on Health for the United Kingdom Policy Context: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Environmental Noise on Mental Health, Wellbeing, Quality of Life, Cancer, Dementia, Birth, Reproductive Outcomes, and Cognition

Type of study: systematic review

Number of citations: 104

Year: 2020

Authors: C. Clark, Clare Crumpler, Hilary Notley

Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Journal ranking: Q2

Key takeaways: Environmental noise has low-quality evidence for harming mental health, wellbeing, and quality of life, with potential harmful effects on cancer outcomes.

Abstract: This systematic review commissioned by the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), considers how the evidence base for noise effects on health has changed following the recent reviews undertaken for the WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines. This systematic review assesses the quality of the evidence for environmental noise effects on mental health, wellbeing, and quality of life; birth and reproductive outcomes; and cognition for papers published since the WHO reviews (mid-2015 to March 2019), as well as for cancer and dementia (January 2014 to March 2019). Using the GRADE methodology (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) most evidence was rated as low quality as opposed to very low quality in the previous reviews. There is now low-quality evidence for a harmful effect of road traffic noise on medication use and interview measures of depression and anxiety and low quality evidence for a harmful effect of road traffic noise, aircraft noise, and railway noise on some cancer outcomes. Many other conclusions from the WHO evidence reviews remain unchanged. The conclusions remain limited by the low number of studies for many outcomes. The quantification of health effects for other noise sources including wind turbine, neighbour, industrial, and combined noise remains a research priority.

Environmental Noise Annoyance and Mental Health in Adults: Findings from the Cross-Sectional German Health Update (GEDA) Study 2012

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 117

Year: 2016

Authors: Friederike Hammersen, H. Niemann, J. Hoebel

Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Journal ranking: Q2

Key takeaways: High noise annoyance is associated with impaired mental health in adults, with the association varying based on the source of environmental noise.

Abstract: The health implications of environmental noise, especially cardiovascular effects, have been studied intensively. Research on associations between noise and mental health, however, has shown contradictory results. The present study examined associations between individual levels of noise annoyance due to noise from various sources in the living environment and mental health of adults in Germany. It evaluated whether these associations persisted after adjusting for potential covariates. Data were obtained from the cross-sectional “German Health Update” study 2012 (GEDA 2012), a national health interview survey among adults in Germany conducted by the Robert Koch Institute (n = 19,294). Noise annoyance questions referred to overall noise and that from road traffic, neighbours, and air traffic. Mental health was measured with the five-item Mental Health Inventory. Bivariate analysis showed associations between high levels of noise annoyance and impaired mental health for all noise sources except air traffic. After adjusting for covariates (sociodemographic factors, chronic disease, and social support), both men and women who reported high overall noise annoyance showed more than doubled odds of impaired mental health compared to those who were not annoyed. The odds of impaired mental health in the highest noise annoyance category from road traffic and neighbours were also significantly increased. These findings indicate that high noise annoyance is associated with impaired mental health and that this association can vary with the source of environmental noise. Further research on covariates of this association is necessary. Particularly, longitudinal data are required to establish the direction of associations and to address questions of causality.

New determinants of mental health: the role of noise pollution. A narrative review

Type of study: systematic review

Number of citations: 24

Year: 2022

Authors: A. Tortorella, G. Menculini, P. Moretti, L. Attademo, P. Balducci, F. Bernardini, F. Cirimbilli, A. Chieppa, Nicola Ghiandai, A. Erfurth

Journal: International Review of Psychiatry

Journal ranking: Q2

Key takeaways: Noise pollution, including road, rail, and air traffic, is a risk factor for the emergence of affective disorders, potentially affecting psychological well-being and quality of life.

Abstract: Abstract Urbanisation processes and anthropogenic actions led to a significant increase in pollution levels, with relevant consequences on global health. In particular, noise pollution demonstrated an association with cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory diseases. Furthermore, increasing evidence underlined the possible role of air and noise pollution in the development of psychiatric disorders. In this narrative review, evidence concerning the relationship between noise pollution and the emergence of psychiatric symptoms or psychiatric disorders is summarised. After the literature search process was completed, 40 papers were included in the present review. The exposure to road-, rail-, and air- traffic represented a risk factor for the emergence of affective disorders. This could also be mediated by the occurrence of circadian rhythms disturbances or by noise annoyance and noise sensitivity, both influencing psychological well-being and health-related quality of life. Fewer studies concentrated on special populations, particularly pregnant women and children, for whom noise pollution was confirmed as a risk factor for psychopathology. The better clarification of the complex interaction between noise pollution and mental health may help to identify subjects at risk and targeting specific prevention and intervention strategies in the urban environment.

Negative Impact of Noise and Noise Sensitivity on Mental Health in Childhood

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 43

Year: 2018

Authors: Jongseok Lim, K. Kweon, Hyo-Won Kim, Seung Woo Cho, Jangho Park, C. Sim

Journal: Noise & Health

Journal ranking: Q3

Key takeaways: Noise and noise sensitivity negatively impact the mental health of children and adolescents, particularly in low-income groups.

Abstract: Introduction: Noise and noise sensitivity have negative effects on mental health and are not well-studied in children and adolescents. In this study, we investigated these effects in the aforementioned population with respect to sociodemographic variables and environmental factors. Materials and Methods: In this population-based study conducted in two large cities in South Korea, 918 elementary and middle-school students were included. After direct measurements at the selected sites, a noise map was created using an interpolation method. The road traffic noise of the participants’ residential areas was calculated based on this noise map. Noise sensitivity was assessed on an 11-point Likert scale. Using multivariate logistic regression, we investigated the relationship among noise, noise sensitivity, and the Child Behavior Checklist. Further analyses were performed subdividing the data according to household income levels. Results: Noise sensitivity was significantly associated with internalizing, externalizing, and total behavioral problems. Noise was positively associated with total behavioral problems. In the low-income group, the degree of association with problem behaviors was higher, whereas the relationship between noise sensitivity and externalization problems disappeared in the high-income group. Conclusion: Noise and noise sensitivity are negatively associated with the mental health of children and adolescents, particularly in low-income groups. The findings of this study suggest that noise sensitivity and socioeconomic status should be considered in coping with negative effects of noise in children and adolescents.

Associations of combined exposures to surrounding green, air pollution and traffic noise on mental health.

Type of study: non-rct observational study

Number of citations: 193

Year: 2019

Authors: J. Klompmaker, G. Hoek, L. Bloemsma, A. Wijga, Carolien L. van den Brink, B. Brunekreef, E. Lebret, U. Gehring, N. Janssen

Journal: Environment international

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Combined exposure to air pollution, traffic noise, and decreased surrounding green is associated with poor mental health, with associations differing by age.

Health Effects of Noise Exposure in Children

Type of study:

Number of citations: 145

Year: 2015

Authors: S. Stansfeld, C. Clark

Journal: Current Environmental Health Reports

Journal ranking: Q1

Key takeaways: Environmental noise exposure in children can lead to annoyance, lower well-being, stress responses, and potentially affect cognitive skills, well-being, and academic test scores.

Abstract: Environmental noise exposure, such as road traffic noise and aircraft noise, is associated with a range of health outcomes in children. Children demonstrate annoyance responses to noise, and noise is also related to lower well-being and stress responses, such as increased levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline. Noise does not cause more serious mental health problems, but there is growing evidence for an association with increased hyperactivity symptoms. Studies also suggest that noise might cause changes in cardiovascular functioning, and there is some limited evidence for an effect on low birth weight. There is robust evidence for an effect of school noise exposure on children’s cognitive skills such as reading and memory, as well as on standardised academic test scores. Environmental noise does not usually reach levels that are likely to affect children’s hearing; however, increasing use of personal electronic devices may leave some children exposed to harmful levels of noise.