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For heart attack survivors, living close to a roadway may be hazardous for their health, a new study suggests.
The results show that heart attack survivors who lived about 300 feet (100 meters) from a major roadway at the time of their heart attack were 27 percent more likely to die over the next 10 years compared with those who lived at least 3,200 feet (1,000 m) from a roadway.
Those who lived between 650 to 3,200 feet (200 to 1,000 m) away from a roadway had a 13 percent higher risk of dying in 10 years.
Exposure to air pollution and traffic noise from the roadway may explain the link, said study researcher Dr. Murray Mittleman, a physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Long-term exposure to air pollution is known to increase the risk of death from heart disease, and some studies have shown exposure to traffic noise increases blood pressure, the researchers said.
The study involved 3,547 people who were hospitalized for a heart attack at 64 medical centers in the United States between 1989 and 1996. Participants' average age at the beginning of the study was 62.
Over a 10-year follow-up period, 1,071 participants died: 63 percent of cardiovascular disease, 12 percent of cancer, 4 percent of respiratory failure and 0.4 percent in traffic accidents.
The closer patients lived to a major roadway, the more likely they were to die during the follow-up period. The results held even after the researchers accounted for factors that could affect a person's risk of death, including age, smoking status, proximity to a hospital and household income.
The researchers said the study was limited in that they don't know whether participants moved after their heart attack, or if new roadways were built closer to participants' homes, but either of these scenarios could affect the results. For instance, a patient who moved closer to a roadway would have been misclassified in the study.
The American Heart Association suggests clinicians educate their patients on the risks posed by air pollution, and encourage patients with cardiovascular disease to avoid unnecessary exposure to traffic, the researchers said.
The study will be published in the May 8 issue of the journal Circulation.
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NO kidding!!!! Everyone knows that living near highways is the best way to ruin one's health physically and mentally. Big trucks, exhaust fumes from cars, diesel engines.....certainly not like a pasture in the country converted to a housing development of wealthy homes.
Cheap land and multiple deals to graze the land near the highways and put up signs: "New Homes For Sale".
In tough times of poor resales, those houses are the LAST to move into new ownership. So, the banks lose that investment too, as the developers leave with their checks.
Am I missing something here, or wouldn't this include about anyone living in a large city, such as NY, LA or Chicago? Even a minor road in one of those cities probably sees more traffic then the "busiest" road in Iowa...
The traffic near a major highway may make it more difficult to walk for fitness, and there may not be sidewalks or pedestrian crossings.
They have absolutely missed the most awful offenders and those are train horns!!!! Roadway noise does not even come near to train horn blasts - with all of the diesel fumes and the never ending horn blasts all night long from the freight trains. We lived near the tracks and all was good until 6 years ago when the regulations were changed and these railroads went nuts about "regulations". they weren't and aren't following any regulations - they are the absolute worst offenders for people trying to sleep or even just have any type of quality of life. and save the comments about knowing that we were moving near the tracks - we did - and doesn't account for the never ending unnecessary and uncalled for horn blasts. we are far away from these most arrogant and self serving train people now - but the author of this article and the people who did the study - certainly have missed the train on this one!!!!!
Joy, fyi, in January, the feds passed a law limiting where & when conductors can blow their horn. I live near tracks too, and they drove me crazy. But what really didn't make sense was that the track that traverses near my home does not cross a road for miles from here. I made complaints to my local officials to no avail. So thank goodness someone was working on this problem. I've enjoyed the peace & quiet for 5 months now.
Joy, in Sun City, AZ there is an apartment complex built only yards away from the western rails, where the retirees live. All along the area, the small old houses which have been there since Del Webb bought another piece of cheap property, reside the elderly who wanted a cheap way to survive their old age.
Now, Del Webb is building again south of Tampa on the I-75 corridor. Money is always the predicator of survival for the human race. Those that have enough, never have to live under the same conditions as those that do not.
I'm ready to install a yurt in the wilderness somewhere... hopefully where winter nor summer is too severe. One mature shade tree and I'll camp out for life. Have a duplex in northern California (nice one) Any one interested in a trade? SERIOUSLY.
#6...sounds "ideal".....but, I'm stuck in my "falling-apart" house w/no value, waiting for an asteroid "hit"!
i wanto move to Montana !!
street in front of my house -traffic graudally increases over the years with population boom . during peak traffic hours - about 600 cars per hour - i'm so screwed !!!!!!
A new cardiac risk-factor. I can see health & life insurance companies charging more for folks who live under these circumstances. It always comes down to money.