Noise and Heart Attack Risk

I read an interesting article this morning:

Traffic Noise Causes Heart Attacks

Whilst traffic noise and laminate flooring impact noise are two different kinds of noise, it is interesting (and rather worrying) to note the similarities - invasive, erratic, irregular and outside the control of the person being subjected to the noise.

Also, as noted in the article, "the researchers found that there was a 40 percent higher risk of a heart attack in people exposed to traffic noise exceeding 50 decibels — a relatively quiet level of noise;" The noises that I experience from the laminate flooring above me are generally louder than the traffic noise from the busy road outside. I would love to see a study done into the actual effects of laminate flooring noise on health - a study that takes the 2005 DEFRA Study a step further than simply saying "laminate flooring creates a noise problem but all we are going to do is produce a leaflet no-one is obliged to adhere to, evern if they bother to read it."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) have produced studies on the effects of noise on health. They also raise the issue of noise creating heart attack risk ~

"Acute noise exposures activate the autonomic and hormonal systems, leading to temporary changes such as increased blood pressure, increased heart rate and vasoconstriction. After prolonged exposure, susceptible individuals in the general population may develop permanent effects, such as hypertension and ischaemic heart disease associated with exposures to high sound pressure levels (for a review see Passchier-Vermeer 1993; Berglund & Lindvall 1995). The magnitude and duration of the effects are determined in part by individual characteristics, lifestyle behaviours and environmental conditions. Sounds also evoke reflex responses, particularly when they are unfamiliar and have a sudden onset." (Section 3.4 Cardiovascular and Physiological Effects)

It is not a huge leap of the imagination to suggest that people jumping, running, thumping, banging, door slamming and dancing on laminate flooring - ie force feeding random, loud, impact noises into a neighbour's property are in fact risking their neighbour's lives.

Why is there no legislation about this type of noise?

Laminate Flooring Noise and Sleep Disturbance

"WHO guidelines say that for good sleep, sound level should not exceed 30 dB(A) for continuous background noise, and individual noise events exceeding 45 dB(A) should be avoided."

The DEFRA study on Laminate and Hardwood flooring says: "Impact noise from footfalls** is quite unique as the exposed dweller feels they are unable to avoid it, no matter which room they are in. Impact noise from footfall can occur at all times of the day and night dependent on the living style and sleep patterns of the upper occupants."

On the same page of the DEFRA study Table 3.1 displays the typical impact performance of floors in various dwellings. The table shows impact noise transmission of hardwood flooring ranges between 59 dB and 72 dB.

If it is the case that simple footfall transmissions at their lowest level measure 59 dB and WHO guidelines state that individual noise events exceeding 45 dB should be avoided during sleep, then it is not unreasonable to suggest that laminate flooring creates a noise problem that causes sleep disturbance.

**As stated in a previous post, footfall is only one type of impact sound experienced by those living below properties where laminate flooring has been installed.

How Low Frequency Noise Affects Health

"In humans the effects studied have been on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, eye structure, hearing and vestibular function, and the endocrine system. Special central nervous system (CNS) effects studied included annoyance, sleep and wakefulness, perception, evoked potentials, electroencephalographic changes, and cognition. Reduction in wakefulness during periods of infrasonic exposure above the hearing threshold has been identified through changes in EEG, blood pressure, respiration, hormonal production, performance and heart activity." (From DEFRA Study on the Health Effects of Low Frequency Noise)

This suggests that daily exposure to the Low Frequency Noise generated by laminate flooring could have serious health implications. The World Health Organisation (WHO) have also produced studies relating to the health effects of exposure to noise. The WHO document, Guidelines for Community Noise, contains a chapter detailing the Adverse Health Effects of Noise detailing the following:

• Noise-induced hearing impairment
• Interference with Speech Communication
• Sleep disturbance
• Cardiovascular and physiological effects
• Mental health effects
• The effects of noise on performance
• Effects of Noise on Residential Behaviour and Annoyance