The Spanish government and the Catholic Church have just signed a landmark agreement to compensate victims of sexual abuse by clergy.

The agreement sets up a system to provide reparations to victims of clerical sexual abuse who are unable to pursue legal action due to prescription or statute of limitations.

I am aware that in Malta there are still victims of such clerical sexual abuse, calculated to be around 80, according to the Church's Safeguarding Commission, who remained without any effective remedy or compensation, precisely because their judicial actions were time-barred.

Perhaps our government and the local Catholic Church should consider negotiating and reaching something similar to provide closure to these victims who will never completely recover from the traumatic and permanent physical and psychological suffering they experienced.

                                           Noise pollution and Parkinson's disease

Malta experiences high levels of noise pollution, with studies frequently ranking it among the noisiest countries in the European Union. In 2017, it was found that 22.4% of the population was exposed to over 55 dB of traffic noise. As of 2023, approximately one in three residents (over 143,000 people) reported exposure to disruptive noise in their neighbourhoods.

The main contributors to noise pollution are heavy traffic, construction, and the entertainment industry. Noise pollution in Malta is considered a significant public health issue, with studies linking it to sleep disturbance, cardiovascular issues, and mental health struggles, with 67,703 people reporting feeling calm "only a little of the time, if ever". High population density and, in some cases, a lack of enforcement regarding construction hours worsen the issue.

But there is a more sinister aspect of the relationship between noise pollution and Parkinson's disease. Recent empirical studies have concluded that this type of pollution will eventually lead to the development of this type of debilitating disease.

Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders are primarily characterised by pathological accumulation of proteins, inflammation, and neurone loss. Although there are some known genetic risk factors, most cases cannot be explained by genetics alone.

Frequent rock concert attendees, those who work in manufacturing, or even people living in dense towns and villages may want to invest in ear protection. Researchers at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China discovered that chronic exposure to loud noise led to irreversible movement defects due to dopamine neuron death in a mouse model of early Parkinson's disease. The findings revealed a previously unknown link between the brain regions involved in auditory processing and movement and the potential role of environmental noise exposure in Parkinson's disease.

Prior research had shown that chronic exposure to loud noise is associated with multiple neurological conditions, including Parkinson's disease, but whether there was a mechanistic link between the two was unknown.

To answer this question, the researchers, led by neuroscientist and study co-author Pei Zhang at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, took a mouse model of pre-symptomatic Parkinson's disease and exposed the animals to loud noises from 85 to 100 decibels, essentially the volume of noise inside a busy restaurant to a motorcycle revving its engine, for one hour as an acute noise exposure.

When the researchers chronically exposed their mouse model to loud sounds for one hour per day for seven days in a row, the mice had significant motor impairments that did not improve even one week later. When they looked in the mice's brains, they saw significant dopamine neurone loss in the substantia nigra.

Life in our urban areas, often hectic and chaotic, brings with it an unwelcome companion: traffic noise. In recent years, the scientific community has begun to investigate more closely the possible link between this environmental factor and the increased risk of Parkinson's disease.

A study in Madrid found a direct, linear relationship between daily noise levels and hospital admissions for Parkinson's disease, highlighting that reducing noise is crucial for management.

A study conducted by Utrecht University and published in Environmental Epidemiology surveyed more than 50,000 people in Europe, analysing exposure to road noise levels. The results speak for themselves: a 10 dB increase in noise, especially at night, corresponds to a 15% increase in risk.

Traffic noise is more than just a nuisance. Prolonged exposure to traffic noise increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. A risk that increases during the night, when sleep is compromised, possibly affecting motor control and cognitive function.

The study also brings to light an issue of environmental justice: people who live in highly trafficked areas, often less privileged neighbourhoods, are at greater risk and, in some cases, also have less access to timely diagnosis and targeted treatment.

While nitrogen oxides and traffic-related air pollution are major culprits, traffic noise acts as an independent, exacerbating factor.

All the above reinforce the theory that noise pollution, as an environmental factor, along with genetics and lifestyle, may influence the onset of Parkinson's disease, exacerbating already complex symptoms such as walking difficulties and sleep disturbances.

Increasing population growth and continuing urbanisation on a national scale have placed many people in Malta close to heavy traffic. With the widespread exposure to traffic and a growing population with Parkinson's disease, even a modest effect from near-road exposure can pose an enormous public health burden.

Clearly, improvements in environmental health policies and land use planning aimed at reducing traffic exposure can have considerable potential for the prevention of this terrible disease, which would lead to a broad public health implication.