Impact of Acoustic Pollution on Cardiovascular Diseases in Chile: Risk Analysis

In public health, the impact of noise pollution is a growing threat, given the estimated population exposure of 130 million people with ambient noise levels exceeding 65 dB. The WHO describes a direct relationship between ambient noise and the development of ischemic heart disease, due to noise overstimulating the autonomic nervous system and neuroendocrine system, increasing levels of cortisol and norepinephrine, which lead to the development of cardiovascular pathologies. In Chile, the Ministry of the Environment estimated that in the city of Santiago, 3.7% of ischemic heart diseases were attributable to high levels of ambient noise. The purpose of the study is to estimate the impact of exposure to ambient noise on cardiovascular morbidity during 2018-2020 in Chile. A secondary data analysis of cardiovascular diseases in individuals aged 15-65 years registered by the Department of Statistics and Health Information was conducted, along with data on the population exposed to ambient noise from records of the Ministry of the Environment for the period 2018-2020 in Chile. Ambient noise data and emergency consultations of a cardiovascular type were quantitatively described, calculating the risk for ambient noise and the number of attributable cases. A total of 1,029,796 consultations for circulatory causes were observed, obtaining a global population rate of 2.04 per 100 exposed to ambient noise. Risks for road traffic were calculated for: Acute Myocardial Infarction, Cerebrovascular Accident, and Hypertensive Crisis, obtaining 1,410, 5,879, and 8,551 attributable cases for their respective causes. In Chile, cardiovascular diseases account for over 25% of total causes of death, mainly associated with high rates of hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, and cerebrovascular accident. During the period of 2018-2020, the average dB recorded for ambient noise exceeded the threshold established by the WHO, which could be considered a risk factor for heart disease.