Chronic High Noise Exposure and Coronary Heart Disease: A Strong and Consistent Association
In "Exposure to Occupational Noise and Cardiovascular Disease in the United States: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999 - 2004" researchers report a doubling or tripling of the risk for coronary heart disease among workers chronically exposed to high occupational noise. Meanwhile, other studies are showing that men subjected to aircraft noise from nearby airports and overflights face an increased risk of hypertension. See "Aircraft Noise and Incidence of Hypertension-Gender Specific Effects", "Exposure-Response Relationship of the Association Between Aircraft Noise and the Risk of Hypertension" and, for evidence that helicopter noise is most strongly associated with an increased risk of hypertension see "The Effects of Chronic Exposure to Aircraft Noise on the Prevalence of Hypertension".
Here are a few Power Point presentations (.pdf format) from the WHO on the topic of the health impacts of chronic noise exposure:
