Noisy work means more risk for heart disease

William Atkins
Thursday, 07 October 2010 23:30

Science - Health

A study by Canada researchers performed in the United States found that a noisy workplace means such workers have two to three times the risk from coronary heart disease and hypertension when compared to employees in quiet environments.

 

Dr. Wen Qi Gan, from the University of British Columbia, led the study of 6,307 U.S. workers from 20 years of age and older.

The study was part of the larger U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination, which was conducted from 1999 to 2004.

Two groups participated in the study: one in which employees consistently heard loud noises (it was difficult to talk because of the noisy conditions), and the other group in which workers had a mostly quiet environment.

The researchers found that workers in the noisy environment weighed more, on average, and smoked cigarettes more often than employees in the quiet environment.

The article 'Exposure to occupational noise and cardiovascular disease in the United States: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004' in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine chronicles the study's results.

Besides Dr. Gan, the other authors include Hugh W. Davies and Paul A. Demers, all three from the School of Environmental Health at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

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