How much does noisy traffic in Atlanta affect people's health?
How much does noisy traffic in Atlanta affect people's health?
David Goldman/AP Living next to a noisy highway can be annoying.
The racket can also disrupt your sleep. Too many bad nights'
sleep can raise the risk of heart attack, high blood pressure
and other ailments. Curious researchers with the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention wondered how many people in
Fulton County, Ga., where Atlanta is the county seat, are
exposed to highway noise levels that have been shown to cause
sleep disturbances. The answer: about 2.3 percent of the
population, or more than 21,000 people, are likely to be exposed
to noise that's highly disruptive to sleep. "Good mental health
and sufficient restful sleep are important," says James Holt, an
epidemiologist and geographer with the CDC. A paper about the
findings will be published in an upcoming issue of the American
Journal of Preventative Medicine. "If we look at all the factors
that affect our health and w