9 ms·

Transport noise linked to increased risk of dementia, study finds

95 points by adamjb 5y ago

ggm 5y ago
Very hard to see how they can discount confounding correlates to diesel particulate and other PM10 and finer materials, brake dust &c. Not that I don't think the science is good, I'm sure they do and the article says they do, but I struggle to see how you can isolate noise from particulate exposure: they'd have semi identical square law dropoff by distance and volume.
- WalterBright 5y ago
  The article says: “The results are strengthened by the authors controlling for levels of traffic pollution, which was recently shown to be associated with dementia as well as other diseases.”
  - jstanley 5y ago
    How can you possibly control for traffic pollution in a way that is independent from traffic noise?
    - lathiat 5y ago
      With ear plugs apparently. But then you have an entirely different control problem.
    - nerdponx 5y ago
      Skimming the article [0], it looks like they compared outcomes of people who lived closer to the road against people who lived farther away from the road, in the same building. I think the idea is that people living in the same building should all have roughly the same particulate and pollution exposure, but people living on a road-facing side of the building will have more exposure to road noise. It's an extremely clever study design. 0: https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1954 https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1954
      - hardlianotion 5y ago
        If the assumption is that people in the same building have the same exposure to pollution but differential exposure to noise based on distance, I would prefer that it were tested. I am sceptical that this is the case, as I would expect folk on the road facing side to be exposed to more particulates and pollution and noise.
        nerdponx 5y ago
        That's a good point, and I didn't read far enough in the paper to see if they tested that assumption or not. It seems like they developed some kind of model of noise exposure as a function of elevation and proximity to the road, so it's possible they developed a similar model for pollution.
  - Goety 5y ago
    We dont have an accurate assessment of traffic pollution or air pollution in general. Thanks 'regulatory agencies'
- dannyw 5y ago
  Two ways I can think of: 1. Electric trains wont generate diesel particulate, but will generate road noise. 2. It's relatively straightforward to measure pollution and noise, so you can do analysis to try and separate them. In many situations these would not be correlated exactly. For example, terrain, wind patterns, noise dampening structures, etc.
  - vladvasiliu 5y ago
    > 1. Electric trains wont generate diesel particulate, but will generate road noise. They don't generate diesel particulate, by they do generate "other PM10 and finer particulate", from the brakes for example. In Paris there's a lawsuit against the RATP (local transit authority) for particulate pollution inside the stations. [0] There's also the fact that, at least in Paris, some metros are running on tires. For those that run on metal wheels and rails, some turns are quite sharp, and you can hear the screeching of the metal. This is likely to contribute to particulate pollution. I suppose for overground trains, this is less of an issue. --- [0] https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20210323-french-ngo-sues-paris-metro-operator-over-critical-pollution-levels-air-environment-health https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20210323-french-ngo-sues-paris-...
    - LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
      They could adapt the system of [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro#Design https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro#Design Popcorn!
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - fighterpilot 5y ago
    Except road noise was associated with dementia and train noise wasn't, which suggests it's pollution related according to your (1) The other problem is that people that live near noise are poorer. Did they control for wealth? These epidemiological observational studies are so hard to take seriously. I get why so many of them are done though. It's a relatively lower effort way to get publications out the door, all you need is a dataset and a few days in python.
harperlee 5y ago
I also heard somewhere a saying that goes something like ‘windy places have more crazy people’.
- eurasiantiger 5y ago
  The meaning of that saying is not literal; ”windy places” refers to unstable leadership in an organisation, with high-level executives often getting replaced.
  - lostlogin 5y ago
    It could be both. Wellington, New Zealand is a touch blasted, and after a decent gale down there I’ve felt unhinged.
  - GuB-42 5y ago
    I think it is literal. In the region of Toulouse, France, "vent d'Autan", a strong wind that blows in that region is called "vent qui rend fou", the wind that drives people crazy. It is a bit of folk knowledge that seems to be verified: crimes rates are higher, people and animals are more agitated, ect... And it is not the only occurrence where strong wind is associated with madness.
    - alcover 5y ago
      Exact. In Millau (Aveyron), I've heard about le "vent des fous". And I can attest that on Sundays, when the city is silent, that howling wind and the loose shutters banging make you feel strange indeed.
      - eurasiantiger 5y ago
        It seems I was wrong and the phenomenon does really exist. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_madness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_madness > Some settlers specifically spoke of the wind that rushed through the prairie, which was loud, forceful, and alien compared to what settlers had experienced in their former lives. https://core.tdar.org/document/441632/the-wind-cries-mary-the-effects-of-soundscape-on-the-prairie-madness-phenomenon https://core.tdar.org/document/441632/the-wind-cries-mary-th... > A number of conditions such as acute hyperacusis can cause increased sensitivity to environmental sounds. These conditions can result from high stress and have been known to cause behavior consistent with descriptions of prairie madness such as depression, insomnia, and violent behavior. I also found this interesting case report: https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2012/bcr-2012-006300.short https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2012/bcr-2012-006300.sho... > Wind direction appeared to be related to the patient's energy levels; these were significantly lower when the wind blew from the southeast. This effect could not be explained by other weather parameters. Decreases in energy in turn predicted increases in anxiety. The reverse effect was observed as well, with increases in anxiety predicting decreases in energy, indicating a positive feedback loop. It seems plausible that wind from a specific direction through and across certain building structures could produce sound that is causing these variances. Mythbusters assemble!
jopsen 5y ago
Impressive study... as someone who just bought a house 100m from large road, I'm just going to make myself read the last paragraph a few extra times: > the best way to maintain brain health was to stay physically and mentally active, eat a healthy balanced diet, and keep your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure in check.
- loloquwowndueo 5y ago
  So the best way to maintain health is to … stay healthy?
  - jopsen 5y ago
    Yeah, and don't worry about noise pollution -- the stress might kill you :)
- viktorcode 5y ago
  I'd suggest noise isolating the house. Triple pane windows do wonders in my case, but they aren't always desirable depending on where you live.
  - jopsen 5y ago
    I haven't moved in yet... But given that it's only 10 years old, I doubt we'll be able to hear much inside the house :) In any case, noise isolation can make a huge difference.
    - fighterpilot 5y ago
      That works for car noises but not low frequency construction noises, which pass through almost anything. A room in a room seems to be the only solution there
      - jopsen 5y ago
        Ideally construction noises are temporary though :)
numpad0 5y ago
Fun fact: electric cars make larger, not smaller, road noises. This is because wind and tire rolling noises take over any engine noise at > 15mph, and because electric vehicles are usually substantially larger and heavier than its counterparts. Those whooosh noise of a car passing is mostly the sound of an 1.75t object rolling through displacing air.
- dotancohen 5y ago
  Does the mass really affect the sound through the air? I'm sure that the shape and size of the vehicle will affect the wind noise, but I fail to see how the mass of the object directly affects the wind noise. Tire noise, possibly, as the tire is holding that mass.
- mfgs 5y ago
  Interesting. I'm definitely looking forward to electric buses and trucks though. Standing on the sidewalk when a bus accelerates next to you can be offensively loud.
  - eurasiantiger 5y ago
    Breathing in the exhaust is worse than the sound, though.
  - sva_ 5y ago
    A city in Germany (Osnabrueck) has switched all their buses to electric. They are much more silent, for sure. I also don't feel like electric cars are more loud, at least at moderate speeds. I always had the impression that they're a lot more silent inside cities. Maybe on a highway that would be different, I can't say. The biggest offenders of background noise are obviously trucks though.
    - PopePompus 5y ago
      Not where I lived, when I lived in a city. The worst offenders by far were motorcycles and cars which had aftermarket exhausts designed to be noisy. Much of the noise on roads is intentional.
Symbiote 5y ago
This looks to be the study. It's odd that the Guardian neither links to it, nor even names the researchers or their institution. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1954 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1954
- jsilence 5y ago
  I loathe this every time when I have to fish and dig for the actual study that is being reported on in any media. To me that is bad journalism.
  - fighterpilot 5y ago
    It's good business, though. They want you to click on another link or ad on their site. If they even shared identifying information of the authors, you're more likely to go to google and search for it.
    - kbob 5y ago
      Worse, it can take several hours to thoroughly study a research paper. That's hundreds of cheap articles whose ads you didn't see.
      - specialist 5y ago
        Huh. Of course. Hoarding the attention budget. Great framing, thanks.
  - snarf21 5y ago
    This is a misalignment of incentives. They want to click bait you to watching ads, you just want unbiased information.
- vanderZwan 5y ago
  > These associations showed a general pattern of higher hazard ratios with higher noise exposure, but with a levelling off or even small declines in risk at higher noise levels I wouldn't be surprised further study will show the last bit is due to earplugs at higher noise levels, resulting in a relative reduction in sleep disruption. Unless they also took earplug use into account already, then I'm genuinely curious what could be the reason
paisawalla 5y ago
I hope this translates into stronger enforcement against very loud motorcycle exhaust. These seem designed to be unconscionably loud for the purpose of offending as many around as possible.
- WarOnPrivacy 5y ago
  I am told the extra loudness is from owners removing the exhaust baffles https://duckduckgo.com/?q=harley+davidson+remove+baffles https://duckduckgo.com/?q=harley+davidson+remove+baffles
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
ncmncm 5y ago
The most astonishing recent news about dementia surfaced in April, here on HN: A recent Tdap vaccination correlates very, very robustly with a 40% reduction in dementia risk (doi:10.1093/gerona/glab115). Nobody knows how to interpret it. 40% is a huge effect size! (I doubt aspirin shows up as more effective against headache.) Is it the tetanus, the diphtheria, the pertussis antigen? Something else they put in the vaccine? You can get a Tdap at any pharmacy, on demand. I did.
- akoluthic 5y ago
  This isn't a randomized controlled trial, so I wouldn't put much stock in the results, although it should provide a catalyst for further study (if it hasn't already).
  - ncmncm 5y ago
    Fetishizing RCTs is a source of much harm in medical policy. A correctly-designed RCT can give more confidence in a result, particularly to non-statisticians, but very large effect and cohort sizes should not be ignored. We could tell just from the topical statistics that smoking was a major cause of lung cancer and other harms, despite the tobacco industry insisting nothing was proven. Typical RCTs with only a few hundred patients deliver much less resolution than this result. We do still need trials to home in on the molecular agent, but Tdap is already proven safe, and wise to stay current on, so it would be foolish to "wait and see". If it turns out Tdap (e.g.) protects only some patients from dementia, you are anyway safe from tetanus infection. It is similar to the case where arginine supplements appear to cut epithelial tissue side effects of SARS-2 vaccines. It needs more study, but arginine is cheap and perfectly safe, so starting immediately to administer arginine supplements alongside vaccination is the prudent course. Some RCTs even yield spurious results, as a consequence of poor design or execution, such as those lately promoted as showing that anti-depressants have no effect. Fetishism should have no place in medicine.
    - TaupeRanger 5y ago
      "Fetishizing" RCTs (i.e. realizing their importance) is a source of no harm, because it is the best design we have to determine whether some intervention actually helps people live longer or better. Effects from other kinds of studies should of course be weighed accordingly. Fetishizing observational/non-random studies is the source of harm. Taking the Tdap is very unlikely to hurt you, but calling this single study "astonishing" and implying that it indeed shows a 40% reduction in risk (it doesn't) is hyperbolic.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
barrenko 5y ago
I was hiking once in my home rural area after they "terraformed" a highway through the mountains. The main thought in my mind was - it will never be quiet here again.
Goety 5y ago
Maybe it is toxic air? Where is my nobel?
- FullKirby 5y ago
  No, no. Noise leads to poorer sleep quality, which increases dementia risk. I'll take that nobel, thank you
  - Goety 5y ago
    they probably didnt control for occupation on sleep quality so
ksaj 5y ago
Interestingly I've heard the same thing said about hearing loss. They may or may not be connected. But I think the people here adding diesel and braking particulates into the equation are probably onto something. Have they studied if air conditioner or fan sounds have a similar effect?
morninglight 5y ago
The negative health outcomes in this study correlate well with those found in lead poisonig studies. Enormous quantities of lead were deposited along our roadways over a period greater than 50 years. It would be very difficult to decouple "transport noise" from the lead pollution that is known to exist along those transport routes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/herbert-needleman/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/herbert-needleman/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.

95 points by adamjb 5y ago

ggm 5y ago

Very hard to see how they can discount confounding correlates to diesel particulate and other PM10 and finer materials, brake dust &c. Not that I don't think the science is good, I'm sure they do and the article says they do, but I struggle to see how you can isolate noise from particulate exposure: they'd have semi identical square law dropoff by distance and volume.

WalterBright 5y ago
The article says: “The results are strengthened by the authors controlling for levels of traffic pollution, which was recently shown to be associated with dementia as well as other diseases.”
- jstanley 5y ago
  How can you possibly control for traffic pollution in a way that is independent from traffic noise?
  - lathiat 5y ago
    With ear plugs apparently. But then you have an entirely different control problem.
  - nerdponx 5y ago
    Skimming the article [0], it looks like they compared outcomes of people who lived closer to the road against people who lived farther away from the road, in the same building. I think the idea is that people living in the same building should all have roughly the same particulate and pollution exposure, but people living on a road-facing side of the building will have more exposure to road noise. It's an extremely clever study design. 0: https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1954 https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1954
    - hardlianotion 5y ago
      If the assumption is that people in the same building have the same exposure to pollution but differential exposure to noise based on distance, I would prefer that it were tested. I am sceptical that this is the case, as I would expect folk on the road facing side to be exposed to more particulates and pollution and noise.
      - nerdponx 5y ago
        That's a good point, and I didn't read far enough in the paper to see if they tested that assumption or not. It seems like they developed some kind of model of noise exposure as a function of elevation and proximity to the road, so it's possible they developed a similar model for pollution.
- Goety 5y ago
  We dont have an accurate assessment of traffic pollution or air pollution in general. Thanks 'regulatory agencies'
dannyw 5y ago
Two ways I can think of: 1. Electric trains wont generate diesel particulate, but will generate road noise. 2. It's relatively straightforward to measure pollution and noise, so you can do analysis to try and separate them. In many situations these would not be correlated exactly. For example, terrain, wind patterns, noise dampening structures, etc.
- vladvasiliu 5y ago
  > 1. Electric trains wont generate diesel particulate, but will generate road noise. They don't generate diesel particulate, by they do generate "other PM10 and finer particulate", from the brakes for example. In Paris there's a lawsuit against the RATP (local transit authority) for particulate pollution inside the stations. [0] There's also the fact that, at least in Paris, some metros are running on tires. For those that run on metal wheels and rails, some turns are quite sharp, and you can hear the screeching of the metal. This is likely to contribute to particulate pollution. I suppose for overground trains, this is less of an issue. --- [0] https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20210323-french-ngo-sues-paris-metro-operator-over-critical-pollution-levels-air-environment-health https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20210323-french-ngo-sues-paris-...
  - LargoLasskhyfv 5y ago
    They could adapt the system of [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro#Design https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro#Design Popcorn!
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- fighterpilot 5y ago
  Except road noise was associated with dementia and train noise wasn't, which suggests it's pollution related according to your (1) The other problem is that people that live near noise are poorer. Did they control for wealth? These epidemiological observational studies are so hard to take seriously. I get why so many of them are done though. It's a relatively lower effort way to get publications out the door, all you need is a dataset and a few days in python.

harperlee 5y ago

I also heard somewhere a saying that goes something like ‘windy places have more crazy people’.

eurasiantiger 5y ago
The meaning of that saying is not literal; ”windy places” refers to unstable leadership in an organisation, with high-level executives often getting replaced.
- lostlogin 5y ago
  It could be both. Wellington, New Zealand is a touch blasted, and after a decent gale down there I’ve felt unhinged.
- GuB-42 5y ago
  I think it is literal. In the region of Toulouse, France, "vent d'Autan", a strong wind that blows in that region is called "vent qui rend fou", the wind that drives people crazy. It is a bit of folk knowledge that seems to be verified: crimes rates are higher, people and animals are more agitated, ect... And it is not the only occurrence where strong wind is associated with madness.
  - alcover 5y ago
    Exact. In Millau (Aveyron), I've heard about le "vent des fous". And I can attest that on Sundays, when the city is silent, that howling wind and the loose shutters banging make you feel strange indeed.
    - eurasiantiger 5y ago
      It seems I was wrong and the phenomenon does really exist. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_madness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_madness > Some settlers specifically spoke of the wind that rushed through the prairie, which was loud, forceful, and alien compared to what settlers had experienced in their former lives. https://core.tdar.org/document/441632/the-wind-cries-mary-the-effects-of-soundscape-on-the-prairie-madness-phenomenon https://core.tdar.org/document/441632/the-wind-cries-mary-th... > A number of conditions such as acute hyperacusis can cause increased sensitivity to environmental sounds. These conditions can result from high stress and have been known to cause behavior consistent with descriptions of prairie madness such as depression, insomnia, and violent behavior. I also found this interesting case report: https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2012/bcr-2012-006300.short https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2012/bcr-2012-006300.sho... > Wind direction appeared to be related to the patient's energy levels; these were significantly lower when the wind blew from the southeast. This effect could not be explained by other weather parameters. Decreases in energy in turn predicted increases in anxiety. The reverse effect was observed as well, with increases in anxiety predicting decreases in energy, indicating a positive feedback loop. It seems plausible that wind from a specific direction through and across certain building structures could produce sound that is causing these variances. Mythbusters assemble!

jopsen 5y ago

Impressive study... as someone who just bought a house 100m from large road, I'm just going to make myself read the last paragraph a few extra times: > the best way to maintain brain health was to stay physically and mentally active, eat a healthy balanced diet, and keep your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure in check.

loloquwowndueo 5y ago
So the best way to maintain health is to … stay healthy?
- jopsen 5y ago
  Yeah, and don't worry about noise pollution -- the stress might kill you :)
viktorcode 5y ago
I'd suggest noise isolating the house. Triple pane windows do wonders in my case, but they aren't always desirable depending on where you live.
- jopsen 5y ago
  I haven't moved in yet... But given that it's only 10 years old, I doubt we'll be able to hear much inside the house :) In any case, noise isolation can make a huge difference.
  - fighterpilot 5y ago
    That works for car noises but not low frequency construction noises, which pass through almost anything. A room in a room seems to be the only solution there
    - jopsen 5y ago
      Ideally construction noises are temporary though :)

numpad0 5y ago

Fun fact: electric cars make larger, not smaller, road noises. This is because wind and tire rolling noises take over any engine noise at > 15mph, and because electric vehicles are usually substantially larger and heavier than its counterparts. Those whooosh noise of a car passing is mostly the sound of an 1.75t object rolling through displacing air.

dotancohen 5y ago
Does the mass really affect the sound through the air? I'm sure that the shape and size of the vehicle will affect the wind noise, but I fail to see how the mass of the object directly affects the wind noise. Tire noise, possibly, as the tire is holding that mass.
mfgs 5y ago
Interesting. I'm definitely looking forward to electric buses and trucks though. Standing on the sidewalk when a bus accelerates next to you can be offensively loud.
- eurasiantiger 5y ago
  Breathing in the exhaust is worse than the sound, though.
- sva_ 5y ago
  A city in Germany (Osnabrueck) has switched all their buses to electric. They are much more silent, for sure. I also don't feel like electric cars are more loud, at least at moderate speeds. I always had the impression that they're a lot more silent inside cities. Maybe on a highway that would be different, I can't say. The biggest offenders of background noise are obviously trucks though.
  - PopePompus 5y ago
    Not where I lived, when I lived in a city. The worst offenders by far were motorcycles and cars which had aftermarket exhausts designed to be noisy. Much of the noise on roads is intentional.

Symbiote 5y ago

This looks to be the study. It's odd that the Guardian neither links to it, nor even names the researchers or their institution. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1954 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1954

jsilence 5y ago
I loathe this every time when I have to fish and dig for the actual study that is being reported on in any media. To me that is bad journalism.
- fighterpilot 5y ago
  It's good business, though. They want you to click on another link or ad on their site. If they even shared identifying information of the authors, you're more likely to go to google and search for it.
  - kbob 5y ago
    Worse, it can take several hours to thoroughly study a research paper. That's hundreds of cheap articles whose ads you didn't see.
    - specialist 5y ago
      Huh. Of course. Hoarding the attention budget. Great framing, thanks.
- snarf21 5y ago
  This is a misalignment of incentives. They want to click bait you to watching ads, you just want unbiased information.
vanderZwan 5y ago
> These associations showed a general pattern of higher hazard ratios with higher noise exposure, but with a levelling off or even small declines in risk at higher noise levels I wouldn't be surprised further study will show the last bit is due to earplugs at higher noise levels, resulting in a relative reduction in sleep disruption. Unless they also took earplug use into account already, then I'm genuinely curious what could be the reason

paisawalla 5y ago

I hope this translates into stronger enforcement against very loud motorcycle exhaust. These seem designed to be unconscionably loud for the purpose of offending as many around as possible.

WarOnPrivacy 5y ago
I am told the extra loudness is from owners removing the exhaust baffles https://duckduckgo.com/?q=harley+davidson+remove+baffles https://duckduckgo.com/?q=harley+davidson+remove+baffles

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

ncmncm 5y ago

The most astonishing recent news about dementia surfaced in April, here on HN: A recent Tdap vaccination correlates very, very robustly with a 40% reduction in dementia risk (doi:10.1093/gerona/glab115). Nobody knows how to interpret it. 40% is a huge effect size! (I doubt aspirin shows up as more effective against headache.) Is it the tetanus, the diphtheria, the pertussis antigen? Something else they put in the vaccine? You can get a Tdap at any pharmacy, on demand. I did.

akoluthic 5y ago
This isn't a randomized controlled trial, so I wouldn't put much stock in the results, although it should provide a catalyst for further study (if it hasn't already).
- ncmncm 5y ago
  Fetishizing RCTs is a source of much harm in medical policy. A correctly-designed RCT can give more confidence in a result, particularly to non-statisticians, but very large effect and cohort sizes should not be ignored. We could tell just from the topical statistics that smoking was a major cause of lung cancer and other harms, despite the tobacco industry insisting nothing was proven. Typical RCTs with only a few hundred patients deliver much less resolution than this result. We do still need trials to home in on the molecular agent, but Tdap is already proven safe, and wise to stay current on, so it would be foolish to "wait and see". If it turns out Tdap (e.g.) protects only some patients from dementia, you are anyway safe from tetanus infection. It is similar to the case where arginine supplements appear to cut epithelial tissue side effects of SARS-2 vaccines. It needs more study, but arginine is cheap and perfectly safe, so starting immediately to administer arginine supplements alongside vaccination is the prudent course. Some RCTs even yield spurious results, as a consequence of poor design or execution, such as those lately promoted as showing that anti-depressants have no effect. Fetishism should have no place in medicine.
  - TaupeRanger 5y ago
    "Fetishizing" RCTs (i.e. realizing their importance) is a source of no harm, because it is the best design we have to determine whether some intervention actually helps people live longer or better. Effects from other kinds of studies should of course be weighed accordingly. Fetishizing observational/non-random studies is the source of harm. Taking the Tdap is very unlikely to hurt you, but calling this single study "astonishing" and implying that it indeed shows a 40% reduction in risk (it doesn't) is hyperbolic.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

barrenko 5y ago

I was hiking once in my home rural area after they "terraformed" a highway through the mountains. The main thought in my mind was - it will never be quiet here again.

Goety 5y ago

Maybe it is toxic air? Where is my nobel?

FullKirby 5y ago
No, no. Noise leads to poorer sleep quality, which increases dementia risk. I'll take that nobel, thank you
- Goety 5y ago
  they probably didnt control for occupation on sleep quality so

ksaj 5y ago

Interestingly I've heard the same thing said about hearing loss. They may or may not be connected. But I think the people here adding diesel and braking particulates into the equation are probably onto something. Have they studied if air conditioner or fan sounds have a similar effect?

morninglight 5y ago

The negative health outcomes in this study correlate well with those found in lead poisonig studies. Enormous quantities of lead were deposited along our roadways over a period greater than 50 years. It would be very difficult to decouple "transport noise" from the lead pollution that is known to exist along those transport routes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/herbert-needleman/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/herbert-needleman/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.