Occupational Noise Exposure and the Risk of Stroke

Background and Purpose Traffic noise <60 dB(A) has been associated with an increased risk of stroke. We investigated this relationship for 80 to 86 dB(A) occupational noise. Methods We followed 116 568 industrial and 47 679 financial workers by linkage to Danish registries 2001 through 2007. Full-shift noise levels were estimated from subsets of workers at baseline and end of follow-up. Results We identified 981 stroke patients and observed a 27% increased confounder-adjusted risk of stroke for industrial compared with financial workers. However, longer duration or higher noise level within the industrial workers were unrelated to the risk of stroke. Conclusions Our study did not support an association between occupational noise exposure and stroke, and the higher risk among industrial workers may reflect lifestyle differences.