Environmental noise is a main stressor associated with several ailments. Some studies have also reported associations between noise and respiratory disease. The aim of this study is to perform a comprehensive review of the epidemiological evidence for the association of road, railway, aircraft, wind turbine and neighbourhood noise with respiratory disease. Articles from 1980 until August 25th, 2020, were searched in PubMed and Scopus by one person. Several of the 15 included peer-reviewed articles suggested associations of short- or long-term exposure to noise or noise annoyance, particularly of road traffic noise, with respiratory morbidity or mortality, independently of air pollution. However, the evidence was rated as insufficient for the association between specific exposure and outcome couples, due to the few studies available for each pair and the remaining inconsistencies. To improve the evidence, further and better studies are needed that consider short- and long-term exposure to noise, mediation by annoyance, and adjustment for air pollution.
