Transportation Noise Above 50 Decibels Tied to 8-10% Rise in Cardiovascular Risk Factors Independent of Sleep in 100k-Adult Analysis

Researchers merged U.S. transportation noise maps with electronic health records and surveys from more than 100,000 adults, defining exposure as 24-hour averages above 45-50 dB. Logistic models adjusted for age, sex, air pollution, income, depression, anxiety, and baseline risk factors showed consistent associations for both healthy and unhealthy sleep strata, contradicting the hypothesis that noise acts primarily through sleep disruption. Strongest signals appeared for incident hypercholesterolemia. The observational design cannot exclude residual confounding from unmeasured neighborhood stressors or selection bias in who lives near high-traffic corridors. Prior European cohorts in Environmental Health Perspectives and a 2023 Lancet meta-analysis reported similar 5-15% relative increases in incident hypertension and coronary events at comparable noise thresholds, supporting biological plausibility via sympathetic activation and oxidative stress pathways independent of sleep. Rural-urban exposure gradients remain under-examined; lower average noise in rural counties may mask pockets of rail or highway exposure that compound limited cardiology access.