The author reports a dramatic case of severe functional and trophic disorders of the lower limbs which proved to be entirely caused by noise. This case led him to study noise and its repercussions on the vascular system: physical characteristics, methods of measurement, epidemiology of this environmental nuisance, general and vascular diseases produced by the traumatic-vibration syndrome, and study of its mechanism of action. He concludes by calling for interdisciplinary action to combine fundamental research, screening and prevention of the disorders caused by noise.