TraNQuIL2 - Toward prevention of health effects from acute and chronic noise exposure

Epidemiological research in the last decade has revealed associations between various cardiometabolic diseases and road, railway and aircraft noise. However, still little is known about mental health effects and most effective interventions to reduce health burden from transportation noise exposure.

Overall objective: The study addresses several important research questions in relation to acute and long-term health effects from transportation noise to enhance our understanding of effective individual and population-level prevention measures.

Specific aims:

1. To investigate acute effects of military aircraft noise on mental health in patients at a psychiatric clinic located near a military airport.
2. To elucidate the interplay of long-term road traffic noise exposure and physical activity for various cardiometabolic biomarkers in a sample of healthy adults.
3. To calculate burden of disease from transportation noise exposure based on most recent evidence from Switzerland and the international epidemiological literature.
4. To evaluate preventive effects of noise barriers and soundproof windows on cardiovascular mortality.

Methods: Acute noise exposure in a psychiatric clinic located about 5 km from a military airfield (aim 1) is prospectively measured from 2021 onwards and retrospectively modelled for 2015-2020 based on daily number of flights, aircraft type, air route, and noise footprint. Using a time series approach, acute noise exposure is linked to daily hypnotic drug consumption and systematically collected mental health symptoms data of the patients.

In a sample of 650 individuals in the age range of 20 to >80 years, mediation analysis is conducted to obtain a better understanding of the preventive role of physical activity and sleep for the association of modelled road traffic noise exposure at home and early markers of cardiometabolic disease (aim 2). This rich dataset will allow for a high number of relevant covariables to be included in the analysis.

Methods for assessing burden of disease from noise (aim 3) is further developed and applied to the European population. In collaboration with the European Environmental Agency the burden for Europe is calculated.

A natural experiment approach is retrospectively applied to the data from the Swiss National Cohort to quantify changes in cardiovascular mortality risk ratios after implementation of noise barriers and sound insulation windows (aim 4). To do so, we implement spectral propagation algorithms in current noise models for Swiss-wide exposure assessment to account for the highly frequency dependent diffraction around noise barriers. In the analysis, we will also consider changes in noise exposure from low noise pavements, modifications of large infrastructure and moving home.

Results and broader impact: We have observed an assocation between sedative and analgesic drug consumption and military aircraft noise in the previous three hours. Extensive analysis of early markers of cardiometabolic disease in connection with physical activity and sleep indicates that road traffic noise had a significant, small-medium sized direct link with cardiovascular risk, while negligible associations with sleep efficiency or metabolic risk. Conversely, railway noise was mainly associated with lower sleep efficiency and increased metabolic risk with only a negligible association with cardiovascular risk. In terms of structural prevention, an estimated 350,000 and 400,000 individuals have respectively profited from noise barriers and sound insulation windows in Switzerland the last 20 years. This study showcase unique analyses designed to directly evaluate the health effects of transportation noise also in a vulnerable population of psychiatric patients and the benefit of noise prevention measures. 

Project team:
Empa: Beat Schäffer, Jean Marc Wunderli;
Sport and Exercise Medicine, Department for Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel: Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss;
Privatklinik Meiringen: Charlotte Pervilhac, Thomas Müller;
Swiss TPH: Danielle Vienneau, Benedickt Wicki, Nicole Engelmann, Martin Röösli (principal investigator)

Vienneau D, Wicki B, Flückiger B, Schäffer B, Wunderli J.M, Röösli M. Long-term exposure to transportation noise and diabetes mellitus mortality: a national cohort study and updated meta-analysis. Environ Health. 2024;23:46. DOI: 10.1186/s12940-024-01084-0

Wicki B, Vienneau D, Schäffer B, Müller T.J, Raub U, Widrig J, Pervilhac C, Röösli M. Acute effects of military aircraft noise on sedative and analgesic drug administrations in psychiatric patients: a case-time series analysis. Environ Int. 2024;185:108501. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108501

Sørensen M, Pershagen G, Thacher J.D, Lanki T, Wicki B, Röösli M, Vienneau D, Cantuaria M.L, Schmidt J.H, Aasvang G.M, Al-Kindi S, Osborne M.T, Wenzel P, Sastre J, Fleming I, Schulz R, Hahad O, Kuntic M, Zielonka J, Sies H, Grune T, Frenis K, Münzel T, Daiber A. Health position paper and redox perspectives: disease burden by transportation noise. Redox Biol. 2024;69:102995. DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102995

Wicki B, Schäffer B, Wunderli J.M, Müller T.J, Pervilhac C, Röösli M, Vienneau D. Suicide and transportation noise: a prospective cohort study from Switzerland. Environ Health Perspect. 2023;131(3):37013. DOI: 10.1289/EHP11587

Vienneau D, Stafoggia M, Rodopoulou S, Chen J, Atkinson R.W, Bauwelinck M, Klompmaker J.O, Oftedal B, Andersen Z.J, Janssen N.A.H, So R, Lim Y.H, Flückiger B, Ducret-Stich R, Röösli M, Probst-Hensch N, Künzli N, Strak M, Samoli E, de Hoogh K, Brunekreef B, Hoek G. Association between exposure to multiple air pollutants, transportation noise and cause-specific mortality in adults in Switzerland. Environ Health. 2023;22(1):29. DOI: 10.1186/s12940-023-00983-y

Vienneau D, Saucy A, Schäffer B, Flückiger B, Tangermann L, Stafoggia M, Wunderli J.M, Röösli M, SNC study Group. Transportation noise exposure and cardiovascular mortality: 15-years of follow-up in a nationwide prospective cohort in Switzerland. Environ Int. 2022;158:106974. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106974

Wicki B, Vienneau D, Schäffer B, Müller T.J, Pervilhac C, Röösli M. Military aircraft noise and drug administrations in psychiatric patients: follow-up and in-depth case-time series analysis. Environ Epidemiol. 2025;9(3):e390. DOI: 10.1097/ee9.0000000000000390

Wicki B, Vienneau D, Schwendinger F, Schmidt-Trucksäss A, Wunderli J.M, Schalcher S, Röösli M. Associations of exposure to transportation noise with sleep and cardiometabolic health: exploration of pathways. Environ Res. 2025;279(Pt 1):121805. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121805

Münzel T, Daiber A, Engelmann N, Röösli M, Kuntic M, Banks J.L. Noise causes cardiovascular disease: it's time to act. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2025;35(1):24-33. DOI: 10.1038/s41370-024-00732-4

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