A Selection of Car Alarm Resources Recent Research on Noise, Kids, and Health "Community Noise Exposure and Stress in Children," by Evans et. al., Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2001; 109 (3) Extremely little is known about nonauditory consequences of typical, day-to-day noise exposure among young children. This study examined multimethodological indices of stress among children living under 50 dB or above 60 dB in small towns and villages in Austria. The major noise sources were local road and rail traffic. The two samples were comparable in parental education, housing characteristics, family size, marital status and body mass index. All children were prescreened for normal hearing acuity. Children in the noisier areas had elevated resting systolic blood pressure and 8-h, overnight urinary cortisol. Children from nosier neighborhoods also evidenced elevated heart rate reactivity to a discrete stressor (reading test) in the laboratory and rated themselves higher in perceived stress symptoms and a standardized index. Furthermore, girls, but not boys, evidenced diminished motivation in a standardized behavioral protocol. "A Prospective Study of Some Effects of Aircraft Noise on Cognitive Performance in Schoolchildren," by Hygge et al., Psychological Science, 2002; 13 (5), 469-474 Before the opening of the new Munich International Airport and the termination of the old airport, children near both sites were recruited into aircraft-noise groups (aircraft noise at present or pending) and control groups with no aircraft noise (closely matched for socioeconomic status). A total of 326 children (mean age = 10.4 years) took part in three data-collection waves, one before and two after the switch-over of the airports. After the switch, long-term memory and reading were impaired in the noise group at the new airport, and improved in the formerly noise-exposed group at the old airport. Short-term memory also improved in the latter group after the old airport was closed. At the new airport, speech perception was impaired in the newly noise-exposed group. Mediational analyses suggest that poorer reading was not mediated by speech perception, and that impaired recall was in part mediated by reading. "Chronic Aircraft Noise Exposure, Stress Responses, Mental Health and Cognitive Performance in School Children," Haines et. al., Psychological Medicine, 2001; 31, 265-277 Chronic aircraft noise exposure was associated with higher levels of noise annoyance and poorer reading comprehension measured by standardized scales with adjustments for age, deprivation and main language spoken. Chronic aircraft noise was not associated with mental health problems and raised cortisol secretion. The association between aircraft noise exposure and reading comprehension could not be accounted for by the mediating role of annoyance, confounding by social class, deprivation, main language or acute noise exposure. "Chronic Noise Exposure and Physiological Response: A Prospective Study of Children Living under Environmental Stress," by Evans et al., Psychological Science, 1998; 9 (1), 75-77 Chronic exposure to aircraft noise elevated psychophysiological stress (resting blood pressure and overnight epinephrine and norepinephrine) and depressed qualtiy-of-life indicators over a 2-year period among 9- to 11-year-old children. Data collected before and after the inauguration of a major new international airport in noise-impacted and comparison communities show that noise significantly elevates stress among children at ambient levels far below those necessary to produce hearing damage. "Chronic Noise and Psychological Stress," by Evans et al., Psychological Science, 1995; 6 (6), 333-338 Psychophysiological, cognitive, motivational, and affective indices of stress were monitored among elementary school children chronically exposed to aircraft noise. We demonstrate for the first time that chronic noise exposure is associated with elevated neuroendocrine and cardiovascular measures, muted cardiovascular reactivity to a task presented under acute noise, deficits in a standardized reading test administered under quiet conditions, poorer long-term memory, and diminished quality of life on a standardized index. Children in high-noise areas also showed evidence of poor persistence on challenging tasks and habituation to auditory distraction on a signal-to-noise task. They reported considerable annoyance with community noise levels, as measured utilizing a calibration procedure that adjusts for individual differences in rating criteria for annoyance judgments. "Noise Exposure and Public Health," by Passchier-Vermeer and Passchier, Environmental Health Perspectives, 2000; 108 (1), 123-131 Exposure to noise constitutes a health risk. There is sufficient scientific evidence that noise exposure can induce hearing impairment, hypertension and ischemic heart disease, annoyance, sleep disturbance, and decreased school performance. For other effects such as changes in the immune system and birth defects, the evidence is limited. Most public health impacts of noise were already identified in the 1960s and noise abatement is less of a scientific but primarily a policy problem...Noise exposure is on the increase, especially in the general living environment, both in industrialized nations and in developing world regions. This implies that in the twenty-first century noise exposure will still be a major public health problem. "The Association between Noise Exposure and Blood Pressure and Ischemic Heart Disease: A Meta-analysis," by van Kempen et al., Environmental Health Perspectives, 2002; 110 (3), 307-317 ...We conducted a meta-analysis of 43 epidemiological studies published between 1970 and 1999 that investigate the relation between noise exposure (both occupational and community) and blood pressure and/or ischemic heart disease. We studied a wide range of effects, from blood pressure changes to a myocardial infarction. With respect to the association between noise exposure and blood pressure, small blood pressure differences were evident. Our meta-analysis showed a significant association for both occupational nosie exposure and air traffic noise exposure and hypertension: We estimate relative risks per 5 dB(A) noise increase of 1.14 (1.01-1.29) and 1.26 (1.14-1.39), respectively. Air traffic noise exposure was positively associated with the consultation of a general practitioner or specialist, the use of cardiovascular medicines, and angina pectoris. In cross-sectional studies, road traffic noise exposure increases the risk of mnyocardial infarction and total ischemic heart disease. Although we can conclude that noise exposure can contribute to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, the evidence for a relation between noise exposure and ischemic heart disease is still inconclusive... "Noise Pollution: Non-Auditory Effects on Health," by Stansfeld and Matheson, British Medical Bulletin, 2003; 68, 243-257 Studies of occupational and environmental noise exposure suggest an association with hypertension, whereas community studies show only weak relationships between noise and cardiovascular disease. Aircraft and road traffic noise exposure are associated with psychological symptoms but not with clinically defined psychiatric disorder. In both industrial and community studies, noise exposure is related to raised catecholamine secretion. In children, chronic noise exposure impairs reading comprehension and long-term memory, and may be associated with raised blood pressure.