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Multicenter Study
. 2009 Nov;117(11):1713-7.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.0900933. Epub 2009 Jul 20.

Saliva cortisol and exposure to aircraft noise in six European countries

Jenny Selander  1 , Gösta Bluhm, Töres Theorell, Göran Pershagen, Wolfgang Babisch, Ingeburg Seiffert, Danny Houthuijs, Oscar Breugelmans, Federica Vigna-Taglianti, Maria Chiara Antoniotti, Emmanuel Velonakis, Elli Davou, Marie-Louise Dudley, Lars Järup; HYENA Consortium
Collaborators, Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Saliva cortisol and exposure to aircraft noise in six European countries

Jenny Selander et al. Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Several studies show an association between exposure to aircraft or road traffic noise and cardiovascular effects, which may be mediated by a noise-induced release of stress hormones.

Objective: Our objective was to assess saliva cortisol concentration in relation to exposure to aircraft noise.

Method: A multicenter cross-sectional study, HYENA (Hypertension and Exposure to Noise near Airports), comprising 4,861 persons was carried out in six European countries. In a subgroup of 439 study participants, selected to enhance the contrast in exposure to aircraft noise, saliva cortisol was assessed three times (morning, lunch, and evening) during 1 day.

Results: We observed an elevation of 6.07 nmol/L [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.32-9.81 nmol/L] in morning saliva cortisol level in women exposed to aircraft noise at an average 24-hr sound level (L(Aeq,24h)) > 60 dB, compared with women exposed to L(Aeq,24h) < or = 50 dB, corresponding to an increase of 34%. Employment status appeared to modify the response. We found no association between noise exposure and saliva cortisol levels in men.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that exposure to aircraft noise increases morning saliva cortisol levels in women, which could be of relevance for noise-related cardiovascular effects.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease; gender differences.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of cortisol for morning saliva samples from 439 participants exposed to aircraft noise in six European countries.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Median cortisol level for each country for morning, lunch, and evening saliva samples.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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