Determining the association between ambient noise pollution and negative health outcomes in a railyard community: The ENRRICH Project

Emerging evidence suggests that chronic exposure to excessive noise may result in detrimental effects on health, including hearing loss, hypertension, and cardiovascular problems. While noise levels that are sufficient to result in these effects are reached at occupational environments, they may also occur in residential settings, such as near areas of high traffic and railways. To address such issues, Loma Linda University established the Environmental Railyard Research Impacting Community Health (ENRRICH) Project to investigate the linkage between the BNSF San Bernardino Railyard (SBR) and adverse health outcomes using a community-based participatory research approach. With a substantial number of individuals expressing noise concerns, the ENRRICH project assessed data on perceptions of ambient noise and self-reported noise-related health outcomes by employing a two-wave cross-sectional study. Moreover, ambient noise levels were sampled using an acoustic measurement device near participating households and background sites in order to construct noise surfaces through GIS-based interpolation techniques, allowing for subsequent characterization of community noise exposure. Preliminary results of year 1 data demonstrate a statistically significant difference between self-reported community noise levels in the area adjacent to the SBR vs. distal areas (Kruskal-Wallis Test; Chi-square=47.33, p<0.0001). Further data from self-reported ambient noise perceptions and noise levels determined from ambient samples will be utilized in statistical models to uncover linkages with noise-related health outcomes. Thus, results of this study can provide the vehicle for community change and intervention for the SBR railyard community, in addition to further understanding the link between railyard noise and disease outcome.