According to a study by researchers from the Cornell University, the chronic noise of everyday local traffic can cause stress in children and raise blood pressure, heart rates and levels of stress hormones. Researchers found that girls exposed to continuous traffic noise become less motivated presumably from the sense of helplessness that might develop from noise they cannot control. The study is the first to look at the health effects of typical ambient community noise.

The researchers analyzed the data on 115 fourth graders in Austria with similar family characteristics, such as parent education, parental marital status, housing and family size. They found that half the children lived in quiet areas with sound levels below 50 decibels whereas the other half lived in noisier residential areas with noise levels above 60 decibels.

Specifically, the researchers found that children who lived in noisier neighborhoods experienced marginally higher resting systolic blood pressure, greater heart rate reactivity to a test and higher overnight cortisol levels, which are signs of modestly elevated physiological stress. Boosts in stress hormones were also found, which is an issue of significant concern as it is linked with adult illnesses.

Source: Traffic noise harms health, The Hindu, New Delhi, 2001 May 31.