Aircraft noise and vehicle traffic-related air pollution interact to affect preterm birth risk in Los Angeles, California

Toward cleaner air and better health: Current state, challenges, and priorities

The most up-to-date estimate of the global burden of disease indicates that ambient air pollution, including fine particulate matter and ozone, contributes to an estimated 5.2 million deaths each year. In this review, we highlight the challenges in estimating population exposure to air pollution and attributable health risks, particularly in low- and middle-income countries and among vulnerable populations. To protect public health, the evidence so far confirms urgent needs to prioritize interdisciplinary research on air pollution exposure and risk assessment and to develop evidence-based intervention policies and risk communication strategies. Here, we synthesize the emerging evidence supporting the monitoring and evaluation of the progress in implementation of the Global Air Quality Guidelines prepared by the World Health Organization.

Ambient Environment and the Epidemiology of Preterm Birth

Preterm birth (PTB) is associated with substantial mortality and morbidity. We describe environmental factors that may influence PTB risks. We focus on exposures associated with an individual's ambient environment, such as air pollutants, water contaminants, extreme heat, and proximities to point sources (oil/gas development or waste sites) and greenspace. These exposures may further vary by other PTB risk factors such as social constructs and stress. Future examinations of risks associated with ambient environment exposures would benefit from consideration toward multiple exposures - the exposome - and factors that modify risk including variations associated with the structural genome, epigenome, social stressors, and diet.

Systemic health effects of noise exposure

Noise, any unwanted sound, is pervasive and impacts large populations worldwide. Investigators suggested that noise exposure not only induces auditory damage but also produces various organ system dysfunctions. Although previous reviews primarily focused on noise-induced cardiovascular and cerebral dysfunctions, this narrow focus has unintentionally led the research community to disregard the importance of other vital organs. Indeed, limited studies revealed that noise exposure impacts other organs including the liver, kidneys, pancreas, lung, and gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the aim of this review was to examine the effects of noise on both the extensively studied organs, the brain and heart, but also determine noise impact on other vital organs. The goal was to illustrate a comprehensive understanding of the systemic effects of noise. These systemic effects may guide future clinical research and epidemiological endpoints, emphasizing the importance of considering noise exposure history in diagnosing various systemic diseases.

Residential mobility in pregnancy and potential exposure misclassification of air pollution, temperature, and greenness

Introduction

Epidemiological studies commonly use residential addresses at birth to estimate exposures throughout pregnancy, ignoring residential mobility. Lack of consideration for residential mobility during pregnancy might lead to exposure misclassification that should be addressed in environmental epidemiology.

Methods

We investigated potential exposure misclassification from estimating exposure during pregnancy by residence at delivery utilizing a prospective cohort of pregnant women in New York, United States (n = 1899; 2016-2019). We calculated exposure during pregnancy corresponding to each address for fine particles (PM2.5), temperature, and greenness (Enhanced Vegetation Index [EVI]).

Results

Twenty-two percent of participants moved at least once during pregnancy; 82.3% of movers changed residences during the second or third trimesters. Participants with better health, lower parity, and higher socioeconomic status were more likely to move. Exposures based on address at delivery rather than residential history overestimated exposure for PM2.5 (exposure error: range -5.7 to 4.6 µg/m3, average -0.6 µg/m3) and EVI (range -0.305 to 0.307, average -0.013), but not temperature. Overestimations were significantly larger for mothers with higher socioeconomic status. Our findings indicate that the error for prenatal exposure can occur when residential mobility is not considered and is disproportional by maternal characteristics.

Conclusions

Epidemiological studies should consider residential mobility in exposure assessments based on geolocation when possible, and results based on mother's residence at birth should be interpreted with understanding of potential differential exposure misclassification.

The Berlin-Brandenburg Air Study-A Methodological Study Paper of a Natural Experiment Investigating Health Effects Related to Changes in Airport-Related Exposures

Objectives: This paper presents the study design of the Berlin-Brandenburg Air study (BEAR-study). We measure air quality in Berlin and Brandenburg before and after the relocation of aircraft (AC) traffic from Tegel (TXL) airport to the new Berlin-Brandenburg airport (BER) and investigate the association of AC-related ultrafine particles (UFP) with health outcomes in schoolchildren. Methods: The BEAR-study is a natural experiment examining schoolchildren attending schools near TXL and BER airports, and in control areas (CA) away from both airports and associated air corridors. Each child undergoes repeated school-based health-examinations. Total particle number concentration (PNC) and meteorological parameters are continuously monitored. Submicrometer particle number size distribution, equivalent black carbon, and gas-phase pollutants are collected from long-term air quality monitoring stations. Daily source-specific UFP concentrations are modeled. We will analyze short-term effects of UFP on respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurocognitive outcomes, as well as medium and long-term effects on lung growth and cognitive development. Results: We examined 1,070 children (as of 30 November 2022) from 16 schools in Berlin and Brandenburg. Conclusion: The BEAR study increases the understanding of how AC-related UFP affect children's health.

Fine Particulate Matter Metal Composition, Oxidative Potential, and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Los Angeles

BACKGROUND

Although many studies have linked prenatal exposure to PM 2.5 to adverse birth outcomes, little is known about the effects of exposure to specific constituents of PM 2.5 or mechanisms that contribute to these outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to investigate effects of oxidative potential and PM 2.5 metal components from non-exhaust traffic emissions, such as brake and tire wear, on the risk of preterm birth (PTB) and term low birth weight (TLBW).

METHODS

For a birth cohort of 285,614 singletons born in Los Angeles County, California, in the period 2017-2019, we estimated speciated PM 2.5 exposures modeled from land use regression with cokriging, including brake and tire wear related metals (barium and zinc), black carbon, and three markers of oxidative potential (OP), including modeled reactive oxygen species based on measured iron and copper (ROS), OH formation (OP OH ), and dithiothreitol (DTT) loss (OP DTT ). Using logistic regression, we estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for PTB and TLBW with speciated PM 2.5 exposures and PM 2.5 mass as continuous variables scaled by their interquartile range (IQR).

RESULTS

For both metals and oxidative potential metrics, we estimated increased risks for PTB (ORs ranging from 1.01 to 1.03) and TLBW (ORs ranging from 1.02 to 1.05) per IQR exposure increment that were robust to adjustment for PM 2.5 mass. Associations for PM 2.5 mass, black carbon, metal components, and oxidative potential (especially ROS and OP OH ) with adverse birth outcomes were stronger in Hispanic, Black, and mixed-race or Native American women.

DISCUSSION

Our results indicate that exposure to PM 2.5 metals from brake and tire wear and particle components that contribute to oxidative potential were associated with an increased risk of PTB and TLBW in Los Angeles County, particularly among Hispanic, Black, and mixed-race or Native American women. Thus, reduction of PM 2.5 mass only may not be sufficient to protect the most vulnerable pregnant women and children from adverse effects due to traffic source exposures. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12196.

Adjustable Sound Absorber of Multiple Parallel-Connection Helmholtz Resonators with Tunable Apertures Prepared by Low-Force Stereolithography of Photopolymer Resin

The variable noise spectrum for many actual application scenarios requires a sound absorber to adapt to this variation. An adjustable sound absorber of multiple parallel-connection Helmholtz resonators with tunable apertures (TA-MPCHRs) is prepared by the low-force stereolithography of photopolymer resin, which aims to improve the applicability of the proposed sound absorber for noise with various frequency ranges. The proposed TA-MPCHR metamaterial contains five metamaterial cells. Each metamaterial cell contains nine single Helmholtz resonators. It is treated as a basic structural unit for an array arrangement. The tunable aperture is realized by utilizing four segments of extendable cylindrical chambers with length l₀, which indicates that the length of the aperture l is in the range of [l₀, 4l₀], and that it is tunable. With a certain group of specific parameters for the proposed TA-MPCHR, the influence of the tunable aperture with a variable length is investigated by acoustic finite element simulation with a two-dimensional rotational symmetric model. For the given noise spectrum of certain actual equipment with four operating modes, the TA-MPCHR sample with a limited total thickness of 40 mm is optimized, which is made of photopolymer resin by the low-force stereolithography, and its actual average sound absorption coefficients for the frequency ranges of 500-800 Hz, 550-900 Hz, 600-1000 Hz and 700-1150 Hz reach 0.9203, 0.9202, 0.9436 and 0.9561, respectively. Relative to common non-adjustable metamaterials, the TA-MPCHR made of photopolymer resin can reduce occupied space and improve absorption efficiency, which is favorable in promoting its practical applications in the noise pollution prevention.

Association between noise exposure during pregnancy and pregnancy complications: A meta-analysis

Background

Noise exposure has a significant impact on human health. However, the effect of occupational and residential noise on the risk of pregnancy complications was controversial in the literature. This study looked at previous research and performed a meta-analysis to determine how noise exposure during pregnancy affected the risk of pregnancy complications.

Methods

Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Ovid, and Cochrane, and all relevant studies were included. Two investigators independently evaluated the eligibility of these studies. The risk of bias in each study and the quality and strength of each outcome was evaluated by using the GRADE approach and Navigation Guide. Random effects meta-analysis model was used.

Results

The meta-analysis retrieved 1,461 study records and finally included 11 studies. Occupational noise exposure during pregnancy was associated with preeclampsia (RR = 1.07, 95%CI: 1.04, 1.10). Neither occupational nor residential noise exposure was associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) (RR = 1.10, 95%CI: 0.96, 1.25 and RR = 1.05, 95%CI: 0.98, 1.11) or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (RR = 0.94, 95%CI: 0.88, 1.00 and RR = 1.06, 95%CI: 0.98, 1.16). Further bias analysis showed that the results were reliable. All outcomes were rated as low in quality and inadequate evidence of harmfulness in strength.

Conclusions

Occupational noise exposure could increase the risk of preeclampsia, according to the findings. There was no clear evidence of a harmful effect of noise exposure during pregnancy on HDP or GDM.