研究：交通噪聲縮短壽命？
Traffic noise can shorten your life, new research suggests. Having to endure rumbling lorries, honking horns and screeching tyres has been linked to shorter life expectancy and a higher risk of stroke.
一項新研究表明，交通噪音可能會讓你的壽命縮短。長期忍受隆隆響的卡車聲、嗶嗶的喇叭聲、尖銳的輪胎聲，容易縮短壽命，增加中風的風險。
People surrounded by daytime traffic noise louder than 60db were 4 per cent more likely to die than those where noise levels were 55db – roughly the level of a loud conversation.
相較於那些生活在噪音水平爲55分貝（大概相當於大聲說話）區域的人，被大於60分貝的日間交通噪音包圍的人羣的死亡率要高出4%。
The extra deaths mostly involved heart or artery disease - which could in turn be linked to raised blood pressure, sleep problems and stress brought on by noise, the scientists claim.
科學家稱，額外死亡的原因主要包括心臟或動脈疾病，而這些與噪音導致的血壓偏高、睡眠問題和壓力有關。
A total of 8.6 million living in London between 2003 and 2010 provided data for the study, reported in the European Heart Journal.
《歐洲心臟雜誌》（European Heart Journal）的報告指出，該項研究的數據來源是2003至2010年居住在倫敦的860萬人。
Lead scientist Dr Jaana Halonen, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: 'Road traffic noise has previously been associated with sleep problems and increased blood pressure, but our study is the first in the UK to show a link with deaths and strokes.'
倫敦衛生及熱帶醫學學院 （London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine）的首席科學家亞納·哈洛寧博士（Jaana Halonen）表示：“道路交通噪音早前被證明與睡眠問題和血壓升高有關，但我們的研究是英國第一個將道路交通噪音和死亡、中風聯繫在一起的。”
In London, more than 1.6 million people are exposed to daytime road traffic noise louder than this threshold.
在倫敦，超過160萬的人口暴露在日間交通噪音的環境中，且噪音超過臨界值。
The study also found that adults living in areas with the noisiest daytime traffic were 5% more likely to be admitted to hospital for stroke than those from quieter neighbourhoods. For the elderly, this increase in risk rose to 9%.
這項研究還發現，比起住在較爲安靜區域的人，那些生活在日間交通噪音污染最嚴重區域的成年人因中風而入院的可能性要高出5%。對於老年人來說，這種風險甚至增加至9%。
Between 2003 and 2010, a total of 442,560 adults from the study population died from all causes, of whom 291,139 were elderly.
2003至2010年期間，研究調查對象中有 442,560名成年人因各種原因死亡，其中291,139名爲老年人。
The scientists looked levels of road traffic noise between 7am and 11pm, and at night between 11pm and 7am, across a range of different postcodes and correlated their findings with death and hospital admission rates. A number of factors - including individuals' age and sex as well as ethnicity, smoking levels, air pollution and socio-economic deprivation - were taken into account.
科學家研究了多個郵政區域7:00至23:00，以及23:00至次日07:00的道路交通噪音水平，並將其調查結果與死亡率及入院率相互聯繫起來。個人年齡、性別、種族，吸菸強度、空氣污染和社會經濟困境等多種因素均考慮在內。
Commenting on the findings, Professor Francesco Cappuccio, chair of Cardiovascular Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Warwick, said: 'The results do not imply a direct cause-effect relationship. However, they are consistent with other evidence to suggest a possible causal link.'
針對研究結果，華威大學（University of Warwick）心血管醫學和流行病學主席、教授弗朗西斯科·卡普喬（Francesco Cappuccio）發表評論稱：“這些結果並不意味着道路交通噪音和死亡、中風之間存在直接因果關係。不過，研究結果與其他能證明這種因果關係可能存在的證據具有一致性。“
'For instance, it has been well established that nocturnal traffic noise disrupts sleep quantity and quality. If sustained over time, these disturbances, like sleep deprivation, have been associated with a 12% increased risk of all-cause mortality, mainly due to a 15% increase in stroke events and high blood pressure. Public health policies must pay more attention to this emerging evidence.'
“比如，人們普遍認爲，夜間交通噪音縮短睡眠時間，降低睡眠質量。長此以往，睡眠不足等問題會導致全死因死亡風險增加12%，而這主要是因爲睡眠不足會導致中風、高血壓風險增加15%。公共衛生政策必須對這些新結果引起重視。”
Dr Tim Chico, consultant cardiologist at the University of Sheffield, said: ‘There may be other factors that link high noise areas with cardiovascular disease, and it is difficult to take all of these into account.
謝菲爾德大學的心臟病顧問專家蒂姆·奇科（Tim Chico）說：“也許有其他因素導致生活在高噪音區域的人有心血管疾病的風險，要把所有因素考慮在內有一定困難。”
Nevertheless, given what we know about traffic emissions increasing heart disease, we should remember that travelling by foot or bike is definitely healthier - both for you and for the people around you.’
儘管如此，鑑於我們知道機動車尾氣會增加心臟病患病風險，無論是爲自己還是身邊的人着想，我們都應該記得，步行或騎車出行絕對更爲健康。
Vocabulary
artery: 動脈
nocturnal: 夜間發生的
cardiovascular: 心血管的
