Continuous noise in the workplace more than doubles the risk of a heart attack in workers, according to research published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Young men who smoke cigarettes are most at risk, the analysis showed.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, came to this conclusion after analyzing data collected between 1999 and 2004 among 6307 employees aged 20 and over. They were interviewed at home about their lifestyle, working conditions, and underwent medical examinations and blood tests.
One-fifth of the respondents admitted that they had been exposed to nuisance noise for the last nine months or more – i.e. noise in which it is difficult to communicate at the usual volume of voice.
They found that people who had to endure continuous noise at work were two to three times more likely to develop serious heart problems – such as heart attacks, coronary artery disease, angina (a form of ischemic heart disease), and isolated diastolic hypertension – than their working peers. in silence.
This mainly concerned men under the age of 50 who smoked. In this group, cardiovascular disease was three to four times more common.
Blood tests did not show a relationship between exposure to noise and an increase in cholesterol or pro-inflammatory proteins, classified as risk factors for heart disease.
According to the authors of the study, these results indicate that long-term exposure to high noise at work may be as strong a stressor for the cardiovascular system as sudden strong emotions or physical exertion. (PAP)