A pioneering new study, published this month, has found a clear link between road noise and Parkinson’s disease. The research followed more than 3 million Danish participants, observing a modest but consistent effect: for every 11.5dB rise in noise level, the risk of the degenerative disorder increased by 3% over the 18-year study period.
This study contributes to a growing body of evidence indicating that auditory nuisance is associated with serious physical consequences. Last year, the European Environment Agency reported that over 110 million people across Europe suffer high levels of health-damaging noise pollution. This can lead to physiological stress and sleep disturbance, contributing to 66,000 early deaths annually, as well as heart disease, diabetes, and depression. The agency found the harm caused by noise pollution to be greater than that from secondhand tobacco smoke exposure.
Despite these findings, a 2023 report from the UK parliamentary science and technology committee described noise as a neglected pollutant that is poorly understood and regulated.