Exposure to Road Traffic Noise and Cognitive Development in Schoolchildren: A Population-Based Cohort Study; PLOS Medicine, June 2, 2022
Selected Excerpts:
Why Was This Study Done? Exposure to aircraft noise has been associated with impaired cognitive development in schoolchildren, and experiments have also observed that animals exposed to moderate or high noise levels for 4 to 30 days suffer changes in the brain. Road traffic noise is the most common noise source and many children are exposed to it at school; however, it is still unclear whether it affects children’s cognitive development, including important aspects such as working memory or attention.
Conclusions: In conclusion, exposure to road traffic noise at school, but not at home, was associated with slower working memory, complex working memory, and attention development, in primary school children. Associations were observed both for school-outdoor average noise levels and noise fluctuation indicators, although in classrooms, noise fluctuation was more consistently associated with all cognitive outcomes than average noise levels. Finally, slower development of working memory, complex working memory, and attention was observed in children attending schools exposed to outdoor road traffic noise levels above ≥55 dB and to classroom levels ≥30 dB, compared to children exposed to lower outdoor (<55 dB) and indoor (<30 dB) noise levels, respectively. Further longitudinal studies are needed to replicate these findings in different populations and settings, to assess different microenvironments and noise fluctuation metrics and to study other cognitive functions developing over the first years of life.