TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A new research led by Jaana Halonen from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine relates traffic noises with shorter life on humans. Jaana said the study is focused on the correlation between roadway noises with occurrences of stroke and death.
The study, that involved 8.6 million of people in London from 2003 to 2010, finds that people who is surrounded by noises of operating trucks, horns, and squeaking wheels are exposed to 60 decibel of noise intensity. The exposure causes increased blood pressure, sleeping disorders and stress.
The study also finds that adults who live in high intensity of traffic noises are 5 percent more likely to hit hospitals for stroke compared to those living in calmer areas.
The World Health Organisation defines 55 decibel as the intensity of noise that can cause health problems.
Professor Francesco Cappuccio, chair of Cardiovascular Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Warwick commented to finding by saying that traffic noise do not imply a direct cause-effect relationship. However, they are consistent with other evidence to suggest a possible causal link.
"For instance, it has been well established that nocturnal traffic noise disrupts sleep quantity and quality. If sustained over time, these disturbances, like sleep deprivation, have been associated with a 12 percent increased risk of all-cause mortality, mainly due to a 15 percent increase in stroke events and high blood pressure,” said the professor as quoted by Daily Mail.
"Public health policies must pay more attention to this emerging evidence."
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