RELATED: Study: Wildfires from Washington, other states produced up to half of pollution in western U.S."As cardiologists, we are used to thinking about many traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension or diabetes," Moreyra said in a news release. "This study and others suggest maybe we should start thinking about air pollution and noise pollution as additional risk factors for cardiovascular disease."The study is one of the first to look at the link between noise and heart disease in America, but researchers said it aligns with other studies done in Europe.
Moreyra said other dense urban areas would likely see a similar pattern.The study didn’t examine the biology behind the link, but noise can cause chronic stress, sleep loss, anxiety and depression, all of which can impact heart health, Moreyra said.
Living near transportation infrastructure also brings more exposure to vehicle exhaust and other pollution that increase rates of heart disease.RELATED: What is net-zero living and why experts say it’s worth it"Air pollution and noise go hand-in-hand," Moreyra said. "The question is: how much of this effect is due to particle pollution, and how much is noise?"There is a caveat in the findings: Researchers didn’t account for demographic, socioeconomic or other health risk factors.