SANCHITA SHARMA

Dust mixed with toxic fumes from vehicular exhausts exacerbate lung and heart diseases and trigger death from heart attack, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung infections like pneumonia, and cancers of the lung and respiratory tract.

What is less known is traffic noise adds to this incessant vehicular assault on human health. Revving motors, ceaseless honking, overloaded vehicles and blaring music not just damage the health of commuters but also those who live or work around busy roads.

Annoyance, irritability and hearing damage are the obvious fallouts, but several studies show that traffic noise leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, heart failure, diabetes, depression, memory impairment, disrupted sleep and hyperactivity in children.

With the time spent commuting growing by the day in noisy cities, both big and small, even those who do not live close to busy roads risk sacrificing more than just sleep.

HEART DISEASE

Environmental noise from traffic and aircraft disrupts the body on cellular level to raise heart disease risk factors, according to a review of underlying mechanisms that lead to noise-induced heart disease. Sound pollution causes metabolic abnormalities and autonomic imbalance, which is characterised by dizziness and exercise intolerance, said the study.

Noise activates the sympathetic nervous system to induce a stress response, which raises the blood levels of the stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenalin, even during sleep. These hormones prepare the