Life in the big city can break hearts — but living in the concrete jungle also can dramatically increase your risk of suffering a literal heart attack, a new study out of Rutgers’ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has revealed.
One in 20 heart attacks occurring in urban settings may be linked to noise pollution, according to researchers.
Those who live near busy roads, public railways and airports are at a significantly higher risk of suffering cardiac events that cannot otherwise be blamed on individual health issues or air pollution, according to scientists whose findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st annual Scientific Session.
“When people talk about pollution, they’re usually talking about particles in the air or water,” said study author Dr. Abel Moreyra, a professor of cardiology at Rutgers, in a statement to South West News Service. “But there are other forms of pollution, and noise pollution is one of these.”
Moreyra’s team found that the rate of heart attacks is 72% higher in places with high noise exposure caused by transportation. Per 100,000 residents, these areas saw 3,336 heart attacks, while quieter zones produced just 1,938.
That breaks down to about 5% of all heart attacks in cities that could be attributed to noise, researchers concluded.
Their study pulled data from nearly 16,000 patients hospitalized for a heart attack in New Jersey during 2018, analyzing for noise exposure around their homes.
Those who experienced an average of 65 decibels — about as loud as a boisterous laugh — or higher on any given day at home were lumped into the highest noise group. The level of noise needn’t be constant, researchers pointed out, as many of these residents enjoy periods of quiet between loud bursts from planes, trains and automobiles.
“As cardiologists, we are used to thinking about many traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension or diabetes,” said Moreyra. “This study and others suggest maybe we should start thinking about air pollution and noise pollution as additional risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”
There’s yet another type of environmental pollution that’s piqued medical researchers as of late: light pollution. A study last year found that street lamps could be blamed for an increase of up to 55% of thyroid cancer by disrupting sleep hormones.