Long-Term Road Traffic Noise Linked to Higher Parkinson’s Disease Risk, finds study
Researchers have discovered in a new research that long-term exposure to road traffic noise was associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. However, living in a residence with a quiet facade appeared to reduce this association. The findings suggest that chronic environmental noise may be a potential risk factor for Parkinson’s disease and highlight the importance of noise-reduction strategies and access to quieter residential spaces. The study was published in JAMA Neurology by Mette S. and colleagues.
For exploring whether exposure to road traffic noise from residences increased the risk of Parkinson’s disease, researchers conducted a prospective cohort study among all Danish residents aged ≥40 years using follow-up data collected from 2000 to 2017. The statistical analysis took place between April and May 2026. Assessment of exposure was done based on the addresses’ histories starting from 1990, whereby exposure to residential road traffic noise (LDEN) at the most and the least exposed facade was assessed using 10-year time weighted exposure measures (LDEN-Max and LDEN-Min, respectively).
Cases of PD were identified from the National Patient Register, while Cox proportional hazard regression models were applied in analyzing the data, adjusting for other confounders such as sociodemographics, air pollution (PM 2.5 and ultrafine particles), and green space accessibility.
Key findings:
- Of 3,542,488 eligible individuals, 438,911 were excluded due to prevalent PD, incomplete address history, or missing covariates, leaving a final cohort of 3,103,577 participants with a mean baseline age of 50.9 years (SD, 11.7 years), including 1,588,658 females (51.2%).
- Over the follow-up period, 20,587 participants developed incident PD. Road traffic noise at the most exposed facade (LDENMax) was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.03 (95% CI, 1.00–1.05) per interquartile increment of 11.5 dB in fully adjusted models.
- Accounting for quiet facades (Δnoise) strengthened the association between LDEN-Max and PD to an HR of 1.06 (95% CI, 1.02–1.09).
- Noise at the least exposed facade was also independently associated with PD risk, yielding an HR of 1.04 (95% CI, 1.02–1.07) per interquartile increment of 8.9 dB.
In summary, chronic exposure to road traffic noise was found to be linked to an increased risk of PD, while a silent façade helped to reduce this risk. The above results, obtained through prospective cohort studies, demonstrate that acoustic noise is a new risk factor for neurodegeneration. In order to minimize acoustic stress, it is necessary to enforce urban design standards for the provision of quiet sides to houses, soundproof insulation, and acoustic barriers around roads.
Reference:
Sørensen M, Poulsen AH, Raaschou-Nielsen O, et al. Road Traffic Noise, Noise Difference Between Residential Facades, and Risk of Parkinson Disease. JAMA Neurol. Published online July 20, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.2262
