Increasing traffic by all modes of transport has led to a general rise in noise pollution. The European Environment Agency recently compared data on aircraft noise between 2007 and 2012, and observed that in Europe there had been a general increase in people exposed to aircraft noise.1

Over the last decade, a number of epidemiological studies have found traffic noise to be associated with cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, ischaemic heart disease and stroke.2–5 Although the evidence is increasing, well-designed studies within this area are still needed. Most studies on traffic noise and hypertension have focused on road traffic noise, and a meta-analysis from 2012 based on 24 studies found a small, but statistically significant association between road traffic noise and hypertension.3 It is, however, unclear whether these results can readily be applied to aircraft noise, as only a few studies have addressed the association between aircraft noise and hypertension.6–9 Also, aircraft noise has been found to be more annoying than road traffic noise at similar noise levels, and the exposure characteristics of …