Traffic noise increases suicide risk, study finds

Traffic noise increases the risk of suicide, according to a new Swiss study. Every 10 decibel increase in average road traffic noise in the home increases the risk of suicide by 4 percent.

An association could also be observed between suicide risk and railway noise, the Swiss Institute of Tropical and Public Health (Swiss TPH), which conducted the study, announced on Wednesday. This relationship is less pronounced than for road traffic noise.

The results turned out to be solid, even when other factors such as air pollution, degree of greenery in the living environment and various socio-economic data were taken into account.

“Noise increases mental stress and contributes to the development of mental illness,” said Benedikt Wicki, a doctoral student at the Swiss TPH and first author of the study, is quoted in the statement. This is because noise is said to cause sleep disturbances, an increased release of stress hormones and changes in brain function. “Our brain registers sound as a sign of a potential threat and activates the fight-or-flight response,” adds Swiss TPH researcher Danielle Vienneau.

The study underlines the importance of considering the health impacts of traffic noise, air pollution and green spaces in urban planning and public health policy.

The study used data from 5.1 million people aged 15 and older from the Swiss National Cohort from the years 2001 to 2015. The researchers compared it to noise exposure from means of transport such as road traffic, trains and airplanes.

The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. (aeg/sda)