Traffic noise slows children’s memory development, study finds
The ability of students to pay attention is hampered by 'toxic' peaks of traffic noise perceived from the classroom.
According to a study, road traffic noise slows the development of critical memory and attention skills in elementary school students.
The study, which included nearly 2,700 children aged seven to ten years old from 38 schools in Barcelona, Spain, is the first to examine the effects of traffic noise on child cognitive development across time and to establish the effect of noise peaks.
The youngsters in the study are at a vital juncture in their development of memory and attention skills, both of which are required for learning. Over the course of a year, children exposed to almost three times more street traffic than other students had memory development that was 23 percent slower and attention ability development that was 5 percent lower.
Noise, after air pollution, is the second most harmful environmental element to human health, and it has long been known to raise the risk of heart attacks and diabetes in adults. In February, the United Nations said that urban noise pollution had become a "global public health threat," claiming that it was responsible for 12,000 premature deaths per year in the European Union alone and that it was hurting cities from Bangkok to New York.
However, until now, research on the effects of road noise on children had been restricted. Many schools, according to the experts, suffer from noise pollution, and solutions such as traffic rerouting away from schools could help minimize noise and air pollution.
"We don't realize that noise can actually be dangerous from a physical standpoint," said the study's lead author, Dr. Maria Foraster of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. "We think we adjust to it totally, but research shows that we don't — we still have a physiological response."
Peaks of noise heard within the classroom, such as passing loud trucks or vehicles speeding away from traffic signals, had a greater impact than a higher average level of noise, according to the study.
This could be because the peaks divert attention more, which is crucial because present policies are based purely on average decibels, according to Forester. Higher noise levels at school were also found to be more harmful than at home, according to the researchers. "This could be due to the fact that it impacts vulnerable concentration and learning processes," she explained.
"This thoroughly organized study gives convincing evidence," said Prof Iroise Dumontheil of Birkbeck, University of London, UK. This study has implications for public policy to minimize road-traffic noise near schools, given that many European children living in large cities are exposed to high levels of road-traffic noise."
The children were tested four times over the course of a year, and noise levels outside and inside the school were measured. The findings were published in the journal PLOS Medicine. The tests measured attention – the ability to concentrate on a single task – and working memory – the ability to retain and use information in the mind.
"These two functions are critical for learning and develop quickly during primary school," Forrester stated. Problem solving, logic, mathematics, and language comprehension are all based on them.
"Policies to limit road-traffic noise at schools – both outside and within classrooms – could greatly boost cognitive development and future health," the researchers concluded.
Noise impacts a vast number of people, with at least 20% of the EU population experiencing dangerous levels of road noise. The children were evaluated four times over the course of a year, and noise levels outside the school were assessed. The findings were published in the journal PLOS Medicine.
The researchers didn't have any information on the children's noise exposure before the trial began, although virtually all of them had attended the same school for at least a year. Unlike most other research, this one takes into account the effects of air pollution as well as family income and education levels.
The children were evaluated four times over the course of a year, and noise levels outside the school were assessed. The findings were published in the journal PLOS Medicine.
The study builds on prior research that found that increased levels of airplane noise at school had an impact on reading comprehension and cognitive development. Experiments on rats have also revealed that moderate-to-high noise levels cause alterations in the brain. However, the researchers said they'd like to see their findings duplicated in other cities and towns where schools are built differently and windows are opened more or less frequently.
Electric cars will minimize noise at lower speeds, while petrol and diesel automobiles' engine noise predominates, according to Foraster. However, at speeds of more than 40-50 km/h, the noise produced by the tires on the road becomes unbearable.
Prof Trevor Cox of the University of Salford in England remarked, "The reality that traffic noise impairs health and wellbeing is not talked about often enough." "The effect on student learning in schools is, without a doubt, the most serious harm." This is because any lack of achievement has a long-term negative impact on a student's health and well-being. Because schools in impoverished neighborhoods are typically on noisier sites, addressing noise is especially crucial for equity."
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