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The noise is an enemy invisible: it is not easily seen or quantified, but it is always present, like a Malaysian drop that, in a subtle but not silent way, undermines the physical and mental health of people and is associated with what is known as “oxidative stress”. “. This process occurs when there is an excess of free radicals in the body, and could be behind numerous cardiovascular, pulmonary and even neurological or mental diseases, such as stress, anxiety or depression.
This is the conclusion reached by a study published by the Carlos III Health Institute: noise can lead to worsening physical and mental healthaggravate diabetes, increase premature births and raise suicide rates in large cities, in addition to increasing hospital admissions related to heart or lung disease.
One of those responsible for this investigation was Dr. Julio Díaz. The studio signed it in 2017, but has kept it up to date throughout this time. “Noise can affect both hospital admissions and mortality“, sentences the ISCIII expert. “It affects neurological diseases, such as increased admissions due to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or dementia and even in some outbreaks of multiple sclerosis or diabetes“.
“Your body experiences noise as an attack,” says Julio Díaz, a doctor at the Carlos III Health Institute
There is a correlation between the increase in noise levels in a city and what is known as ‘stress oxidative‘. “We have not shown that noise causes Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, because there is no causality, but when the noise rises, hospital admissions for these pathologies immediately increase. This mechanism of oxidative stress is the same one that is behind the one caused by carbon dioxide. of nitrogen (NO2)”. According to his thesis, high levels of air pollution are just as dangerous as loud noises caused, among others, by traffic.
cellular aging
“Your body experiences noise as aggression“, says the specialist. “In response, the first thing the body does is increase blood pressure, pumping and your heart rate so that more oxygen reaches the blood. For that to happen, you have to pour into it substances such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, glucose or cortisol“. These substances are accumulated in the body and are not burned, which causes a cellular aging that can aggravate other types of pre-existing pathologies.
There is scientific evidence that certifies this relationship between noise and the increase in substances such as cortisol. A German study with twins showed that if one slept in a noisy room and the other in a quiet one, the first child produced much more salivary cortisol than the other. “That means that even asleep, the body is aware of the level of external noise. You can say that you are ‘used’ to noise, but your body pours the same substances into your blood“.
Julio Díaz is blunt: noise is associated with stress, and stress awakens other types of pathologies that can lead to illness and even an increase in deaths. “One of the main causes of premature births is the increase in blood pressure, pre-eclampsia: if the noise goes up, blood pressure goes up too“. But it is not the only thing: “The last thing we did is relate noise with depression, anxiety and suicides: today the noise goes up and today urgent hospital admissions for anxiety and depression increase… and tomorrow suicides increase. Noise does exactly the same thing as chemical pollution. The effect it exerts on mortality is similar to that of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5).”
Lack of institutional response
Practically all European cities suffer from levels of noise pollution that exceed the barriers recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). A year, only in Europe noise causes 12,000 premature deaths and about 22 million chronic complaints. According to European Environment Agency, 1 in 5 Europeans he lives surrounded by noise levels that are harmful to his health.
When noise pollution exceeds 65 dbA, the health and well-being of people (ODS 3) are severely affected, and traffic is part of the blame for all this noise in big cities.
“Madrid is one of the few cities in the world that has a noise network that provides measurements in real time,” says the scientist
Girona, Barcelona, Logroño and Castellón They are among the cities with the largest population affected and, in fact, almost 50% of the citizens of Spain suffer from noise levels above 65 decibels per day and 55 decibels at night, the minimum recommended by the WHO.
Vigo, without going any further, is the city in Spain that is most affected by the noise of vehicles. The one known as Autopista del Atlántico crosses between two of the busiest neighborhoods in the Galician city due to the lack of political measures; the noise of the bars makes it impossible to fall asleep in Malaga; the complexity of the traffic in Madrid and Barcelona make them two population centers in which it is difficult to bet on silence.
Julio Díaz recalls that his studies are done in Madrid, although the model could be exported to other large cities if the appropriate means existed. “Madrid is one of the few cities in the world that has a noise network that provides measurements in real time. We introduce noise as yet another variable, just as we introduce nitrogen dioxide or ozone. The associations of traffic noise, which is more than 75% of the noise in a large city, have a greater effect than chemical pollutants […] We found that the more cars, the more income.”
One of the great demands of scientists is that noise be taken into account in the strategies of Low Emission Zones. “As the noise is not seen, no action is taken“, Cries Diaz. “It would be very easy to take them, since the WHO recently released a guide in which they talk about action measures. There is no clear awareness that noise is a health problem. When they talk about Low Emission Zones they always mention the benefits of reducing cars so that they reduce nitrogen dioxide. But no one talks about noise, when we know that its impact on mortality is just as high“.