What impact can aircraft noise have on heart function and health? This is what a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology hopes to address as a team of more than a dozen researchers from the United Kingdom (UK) investigated connections between increased levels of aircraft noise and heart health, specifically for individuals who live near airports. This study holds the potential to help researchers, city planners, and the public better understand the short- and long-term health implications of aircraft noise and the steps that can be taken to mitigate them.
For the study, the researchers analyzed aircraft noise data obtained from the UK Civil Aviation Authority and health data obtained from the UK Biobank (UKB) for 3,635 participants who received cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging beginning in 2014. The metrics the researchers used included night-time aircraft noise levels and 24-hour day-evening-night aircraft noise levels.
In the end, the researchers found that 3 percent of participants experienced increased night-time aircraft noise levels while 8 percent experienced increased 24-hour day-evening-night aircraft noise levels. Additionally, the researchers found that 7 percent of participants who experienced night-time aircraft noise levels exhibited larger left ventricular (LV) mass while 4 percent of participants experienced thicker LV walls.
“Our study is observational so we cannot say with certainty that high levels of aircraft noise caused these differences in heart structure and function,” said Dr. Gaby Captur, who is a consultant cardiologist at University College London and a co-author on the study. “However, our findings add to a growing body of evidence that aircraft noise can adversely affect heart health and our health more generally. Concerted efforts from government and industry are needed to reduce our exposure to aircraft noise and mitigate its impact on the health of millions of people who live close to airports or under flight paths.”
What new discoveries between aircraft noise and heart health will researchers make in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, EurekAlert!