Living near noisy roads ‘increases blood pressure’

A new study has found that living next to busy roads can increase the risk of high blood pressure.

Researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open access journal Environmental Health found that people exposed to high levels of noise from roads are more likely to suffer from hypertension.

Theo Bodin, who worked on the study, said: “Non-auditory physical health effects that are biologically plausible in relation to noise exposure include changes in blood pressure, heart rate and levels of stress hormones.”

The most extreme effects were experienced at higher exposure levels among relatively young and middle-aged people, whereas no effects at higher levels were discerned in the oldest age group (60 to 80 years old).

Research suggests around 30 per cent of the population of the European Union is currently exposed to a day-night average of traffic noise exceeding 55dB(A), and the number is said to be increasing.