EPA study finds link between common heart condition and noise caused by road traffic

Fiachra Gallagher

Noise caused by road traffic accounts for almost 2 per cent of all cases of a common heart disease in Ireland, according to new research published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

As reported by the Irish Examiner, the study estimates that 256 cases of ischaemic heart disease — a condition characterised by the narrowing of heart arteries — can be linked to noise from road vehicle, equal to 1.87 per cent of all cases in the country.

The report states that noise from road traffic resulted in 3,445 lost years of healthy life for individuals affects.

More generally, the report outlines the risks of “environmental noise”: noise that is part of everyday living in a particular environment, particular in urban areas. This includes noise cause by road, rail and air transport in the country.

The report, prepared for the EPA by University College Dublin and The Economic and Social Research Institute, states that noise can be a serious risk to public health and wellbeing.

The study concluded that transport noise in Ireland resulted in over 14,000 years of heathy life lost to various conditions.

As well as ischaemic heart disease, exposure to environmental noise has also been associated with increased risk of serious cardiovascular disease, including a heart attack and stroke, diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment.

The report also noted emerging links between noise and cancers: “Studies are emerging that propose links between environmental noise and various cancers including breast cancer, colorectal cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

The report recommends various policy and practise amendments for better managing environmental noise in Ireland. One recommendation stated that specified noise-mapping bodies should compile data on noise throughout the country's road network, and submit this information to the European Commission.

The report also recommended the establishment on a centralised noise complaint process in the country.

“Currently, Ireland has no systematic and centralised strategy for recording or managing noise complaints nationally,” the report noted.