title: Road traffic noise and cardiovascular risk.
abstract: Studies on the association between community noise and cardiovascular risk were subjected to a meta-analysis for deriving a common dose-effect curve. Peer-reviewed articles, objective assessment of exposure and outcome as well as control for confounding and multiple exposure categories were all necessary inclusion criteria. A distinction was made between descriptive (cross-sectional) and analytical (case-control, cohort) studies. Meta-analyses were carried out for two descriptive and five analytical studies for calculating a pooled dose-effect curve for the association between road traffic noise levels and the risk of myocardial infarction. No increase in risk was found below 60 dB(A) for the average A-weighted sound pressure levels during the day. An increase in risk was found with increasing noise levels above 60 dB(A) thus showing a dose-response relationship. A risk curve was estimated for the association using a polynomial fit of the data that can be used for risk assessment and the environmental burden of disease calculations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Hygiene, Federal Environment Agency, Germany. wolfgang.babisch@uba.de
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Babisch
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014186:Transportation