Aircraft noise and cardiovascular disease near Heathrow airport in London: small area study

Abstract

Objective To investigate the association of aircraft noise with risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease in the general population.Design Small area study.Setting 12 London boroughs and nine districts west of London exposed to aircraft noise related to Heathrow airport in London.Population About 3.6 million residents living near Heathrow airport. Risks for hospital admissions were assessed in 12 110 census output areas (average population about 300 inhabitants) and risks for mortality in 2378 super output areas (about 1500 inhabitants).Main outcome measures Risk of hospital admissions for, and mortality from, stroke, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease, 2001-05.Results Hospital admissions showed statistically significant linear trends (P<0.001 to P<0.05) of increasing risk with higher levels of both daytime (average A weighted equivalent noise 7 am to 11 pm, L Aeq,16h ) and night time (11 pm to 7 am, L night ) aircraft noise. When areas experiencing the highest levels of daytime aircraft noise were compared with those experiencing the lowest levels (>63 dB v ≤51 dB), the relative risk of hospital admissions for stroke was 1.24 (95% confidence interval 1.08 to 1.43), for coronary heart disease was 1.21 (1.12 to 1.31), and for cardiovascular disease was 1.14 (1.08 to 1.20) adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, deprivation, and a smoking proxy (lung cancer mortality) using a Poisson regression model including a random effect term to account for residual heterogeneity. Corresponding relative risks for mortality were of similar magnitude, although with wider confidence limits. Admissions for coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease were particularly affected by adjustment for South Asian ethnicity, which needs to be considered in interpretation. All results were robust to adjustment for particulate matter (PM 10 ) air pollution, and road traffic noise, possible for London boroughs (population about 2.6 million). We could not distinguish between the effects of daytime or night time noise as these measures were highly correlated. ConclusionHigh levels of aircraft noise were associated with increased risks of stroke, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease for both hospital admissions and mortality in areas near Heathrow airport in London. As well as the possibility of causal associations, alternative explanations such as residual confounding and potential for ecological bias should be considered. IntroductionAlthough the literature on population annoyance associated with aircraft noise is extensive, 1 2 little research has been conducted on the potential effects of aircraft noise on cardiovascular health.2 Most studies of the health effects associated with aircraft noise have focused on blood pressure and the risk of hypertension. [3][4][5][6][7][8] The few reports of aircraft noise and risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, or cardiovascular disease are inconsistent, 9-12 partly reflecting reduced statistical power Noise levels show a graded, direct re...

Worldwide Exposures to Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Associated Health Effects

“…[147][148][149] There is little data on population noise exposure other than in some highincome countries. 150 Such data, through measurement and modeling studies, are needed to quantify the burden of CVDs and other diseases attributable to noise.…”

Auswirkungen von Fluglärm auf Schlaf und andere Schutzgüter

“…Zusätzlich werden mehr indirekte Krankheitsindikatoren wie Medikamentenverbrauch und Inanspruchnahme des Gesundheitssystems erfasst [11,13]. In den letzten 20 Jahren wurden mehrere multinationale Projekte zu Verkehrslärm durchgeführt [7,9,16].…”

Acute effects of aircraft noise on cardiovascular admissions – an interrupted time-series analysis of a six-day closure of London Heathrow Airport caused by volcanic ash

“…Current evidence linking aircraft noise to cardiovascular disease is generally interpreted as evidence of a chronic exposure effect (Babisch, 2006;Hansell et al, 2013;Correia et al, 2013;Floud et al, 2013;Jarup et al, 2008). Hansell et al found that people living near Heathrow airport and exposed to high levels of aircraft noise had increased rates of cardiovascular admissions and mortality .…”