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Study On Airport Noise Reveals Potential Health Risks For Those Living Near Airports

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (CBS) – If you live near an airport, it could potentially affect your health.

That's the word from a British study about the effects of aircraft noise on those residing near an airport.

The study, which is published in the medical publication BMJ and analyzed data from 3.6 million people living near London's busy Heathrow Airport, showed that those living in the noisiest areas had an elevated risk of stroke, coronary disease and cardiovascular disease.

And the study's authors say the risk of health issues was greater for those exposed to aircraft noise than for those who were faced with other environmental annoyances such as road or rail noise.

Previous reports have shown "an association between aircraft noise, especially at night, and hypertension, acute increases in blood pressure and self reported cardiovascular disease in the population living near airports," the report says.

While the data is troubling, the study's authors acknowledge that more research needs to be done, particularly on the duration of exposure to the noise.

But with Philadelphia International Airport located just seven miles from Center City, the study is something to mull over for the 5.8 million people that call the City of Brotherly Love home.

To see the study, click here.

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