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where the researchers used ultrasound to measure changes to the diameter of the main artery in the arm, which afects blood fow. Te results revealed that the arteries were stifer (also called endothelial dysfunction) after an aircraft noise night, and the more severe the noise, the less fexible the blood vessels became. Tis suggests that the blood vessels were afected by poor sleep as a result of the aircraft noise. Source: Schmidt, F.P., Basner, M., Kröger, G. et al. (2013) Efect of nighttime aircraft noise exposure on endothelial function and stress hormone release in healthy adults. European Heart Journal. DOI:10.1093/ eurheartj/eht269 Contact: tmuenzel@ uni-mainz.de Temes: Environment and health, Noise In those volunteers who were frst exposed to 30 episodes of aircraft noise, the efect on their arteries became worse (the arteries became less fexible) when they were then exposed to 60 noise episodes during the night. Tus, the vessel does not adapt to noise, and becomes more sensitive. Moreover, blood pressure increased in response to the aircraft noise. Te researchers also tested the volunteers’ blood for stress (fght-or-fight) hormones, and found there was a signifcant increase in adrenaline levels after exposure to nights where the volunteers were exposed to the aircraft noise. Volunteers also reported poor sleep quality on the noise nights. Over a long period of time, this repeated exposure to aircraft noise can result in permanently high blood pressure due to more rigid blood vessels leading to cardiovascular disease. In further tests, fve volunteers, who had been exposed to a 60-event aircraft noise night, were given Vitamin C in the laboratory. Te researchers detected an improvement in arterial fexibility. Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant, and the researchers suggest the mechanism by which the arteries become less fexible is related to oxidative stress of the blood vessels as a result of exposure to the aircraft noise. Taken together, the observed stifening of the arteries (even in young healthy adults), and the increase in adrenaline levels, combined with volunteers’ reported poor sleep quality, indicate that their raised blood pressure was most likely related to the aircraft noise at night, suggest the researchers. As this can lead to cardiovascular disease, night-time aircraft noise may be considered as a new risk factor. Reducing noise from aircraft at night would help prevent heart and circulatory problems in people living near airports. “Reducing noise from aircra" at night would help prevent heart and circulatory problems in people living near airports.” NOISE IMPACTS ON HEALTH 9 Health of vulnerable people exposed to noise is under-researched Vulnerable groups of people, including those with long-term illnesses, those sensitive to noise or tinnitus (ringing of the ears), people with mental health problems and unborn and newly born babies, are o!en more susceptible to physical and emotional stresses. So, vulnerable groups of people may be more at risk from exposure to environmental noise than healthy adults, say researchers a!er reviewing the health impacts. However, there is comparatively little research focusing on the adverse health efects of noise on vulnerable people. Tis study reviewed 62 papers, published from April 2006 to April 2011, which included the impact of environmental noise on the health of vulnerable people, including primary school children, young adolescents, preschool children, the elderly, and children with autism, asthma and attention defcit hyperactivity disorder. One study linked hospital admissions for respiratory diseases and pneumonia for young children (less than 10 years old) with exposure to road trafc noise, and another found that girls with asthma were prone to asthma attacks if they had been annoyed by night-time noise. Te most common efects of noise on the vulnerable identifed by the studies included: 1. Annoyance. Several studies found that schoolchildren (aged between eight and 14) are less annoyed by aircraft and road trafc noise then adults. One paper, reviewing multiple studies, found that both the youngest and people over 60 are the least likely to be highly annoyed by air and road trafc noise, irrespective of the level of noise or how sensitive to noise they were. 2. Sleep disturbance. Results from several studies indicate that children are less likely than adults to be woken by noise, but they tend to experience more physical reactions, including raised blood pressure. Studies have not found evidence of the long-term health efects of sleep disturbance for vulnerable groups, including people sensitive to noise. Source: van Kamp, I. and Davies, H. (2013). Noise and health in vulnerable groups: A review. Noise and Health. 15(64): 153-159. DOI: 10.4103/1463- 1741.112361 Available from: http://www.noiseandhealth.org/text. asp?2013/15/64/ 153/112361 Contact: irene.van. kamp@rivm.nl Temes: Environment and health, Noise 3. Heart and circulation problems. Research on the impact of aircraft and road trafc noise on the cardiovascular health of schoolchildren shows that the main efect appears to be short-term raised blood pressure, although the strength of the association between noise exposure and cardiovascular efects is inconsistent between studies because of diferences in the methods used. 4. Quality of life. Several studies have linked noise 

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