Quieting down might save billions in heart disease costs

By Kathryn Doyle (Reuters Health) - In the loudest parts of the U.S., reducing hazardous noise levels - a risk factor for high blood pressure and heart disease - could save more than $3 billion annually, according to a new economic assessment. “A lot of work is done on air pollution and the public health burden, but noise just never seems to get the same consideration,” said senior author Richard L. Neitzel of the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor. High noise levels