According to a study published in the European Heart Journal exposure to noise from road traffic can increase the risk of stroke, particularly in those aged 65 years and over.
The study found that for every 10 decibels more noise the risk of having a stroke increased by 14% among the 51,485 study participants. When the Danish researchers looked at the data more closely, they found that for people aged less than 65 years there was no statistically significant increased risk of stroke; however, the risk increased by 27% for every 10dB of higher road traffic noise in those aged 65 years and over. Furthermore, in older people they found indications of a threshold limit at approximately 60 dB, above which the risk for stroke seemed to increase even more.
