Household hums below hearing range damage mouse kidneys in five-day experiment
Previous studies have hinted that people surrounded by more environmental noise—low, deep rumblings from air-conditioning units, elevator motors, distant traffic and ventilation ducts—tend to have worse kidney function. But these studies could not identify which part of the noise was to blame or the specific ways it might affect the kidneys.
A recent experiment conducted by researchers from Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine has found that the low-frequency component of environmental noise can negatively impact kidney health in mice, even when the noise is below the threshold of human hearing. Previous studies suggested that exposure to environmental noise, particularly low-frequency sounds from household appliances like air conditioners and heat pump water heaters, could be linked to worse kidney function in humans.
However, these studies lacked direct evidence of the specific noise frequencies responsible for the adverse effects. In this study, the researchers recorded and manipulated the noise from these appliances, isolating the low-frequency and high-frequency components. They then exposed mice to these noise variations for five days, observing the impact on two key markers of kidney health: creatinine and urea nitrogen levels.
The findings revealed that only the low-frequency noise component, which is inaudible to mice, led to increased levels of these markers, indicating kidney damage. This suggests that the frequency of noise plays a more significant role than its loudness in affecting kidney health. Further investigation into the mechanism behind this effect revealed that the low-frequency noise caused swelling and thickening of the glomeruli, the filtering units within the kidneys, and elevated levels of endothelin-1, a molecule that constricts blood vessels.
By administering a drug that blocks endothelin signaling, the researchers were able to mitigate the kidney damage caused by the low-frequency noise, confirming its role as a key pathway. This study provides the first direct experimental evidence linking low-frequency environmental noise to adverse kidney health effects in mice, potentially shedding light on the impact of noise pollution on human kidney function.
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