This study aimed at comparing for their cardiovascular effects: a pile-driver noise (P), a gunfire noise (G), a road traffic noise (T), an intermittent pink noise (R). All noises were presented at the same LAeq = 75 dB for 15 min each. Some 120 subjects were divided into 8 subgroups of 15 subjects each: OM (men between 40 and 50 years of age), OF (women, same age range), YM (men, between 15 and 20 years of age), YF (women, same age range), AM (typically anxious men, 20-25 years of age), AF (typically anxious women, same age range), NM (typically anxiety-free men, same age range), and NF (typically anxiety-free women, same age range). Heart rate (HR), digital pulse level, and arterial blood pressure were surveyed before, during, and after exposure to each of the four noises. As regards HR, in subjects at rest, within 5 min preceding exposure to any of the four noises, no differences in prestimulus HR was observed for conditions, age, sex, or anxiety. When the noise was on, the overall HR response was one of increase in all subjects except in OF with G and R noises. In all cases, men provided significantly more important HR responses to noise than women did, indicated by increase in HR, whatever the age. Significantly different HR responses to the different noises were produced by YM and OM. As to the importance of the HR responses induced by them (from the most important to the lesser), noises rank as follows: T, P, G, and R.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)