Association of long-term exposure to community noise and traffic-related air pollution with coronary heart disease mortality

Global associations between long-term exposure to PM2.5 constituents and health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

Existing studies on the most impactful component remain controversial, hindering the optimization of future air quality standards that concerns particle composition. We aimed to summarize the health risk associated with PM2.5 components and identify those components with the greatest health risk. We performed a meta-analysis to quantify the combined health effects of PM2.5 components, and used the meta-smoothing to produce the pooled concentration-response (C-R) curves. Out of 8954 initial articles, 80 cohort studies met the inclusion criteria, including a total of 198.08 million population. The pooled C-R curves demonstrated approximately J-shaped association between total mortality and exposure to BC, and NO3-, but U-shaped and inverted U-shaped relationship withSO42- and OC, respectively. In addition, this study found that exposure to various elements, including BC,SO42-NO3-, NH4+, Zn, Ni, and Si, were significantly associated with an increased risk of total mortality, with Ni presenting the largest estimate. And exposure to NO3-, Zn, and Si was positively associated with an increased risk of respiratory mortality, while exposure to BC, SO42-, and NO3- showed a positive association with risk of cardiovascular mortality. For health outcome of morbidity, BC was notably associated with a higher incidence of asthma, type 2 diabetes and stroke. Subgroup analysis revealed a higher susceptibility to PM2.5 components in Asia compared to Europe and North America, and females showed a higher vulnerability. Given the significant health effects of PM2.5 components, governments are advised to introduce them in regional monitoring and air quality control guidelines. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: PM2.5 is a complex mixture of chemical components from various sources, and each component has unique physicochemical properties and uncertain toxicity, posing significant threat to public health. This study systematically reviewed cohort studies on the association between long-term exposure to 13 PM2.5 components and the risk of morbidity and mortality. And we applied the meta-smoothing approach to establish the pooled concentration-response associations between PM2.5 components and mortality globally. Our findings will provide strong support for PM2.5 components monitoring and the improvement of air quality-related regulations. This will aid in helping to enhance health intervention strategies and mitigating public exposure to detrimental particulate matter.

Powering the Future Green Buildings: Multifunctional Ultraviolet-Shielding Transparent Wood

Indoor UV damage is a serious problem that is often ignored. Common glasses cannot filter UV rays well and have fragility and environmental issues. UV-shielding transparent wood (TW) holds promise, yet striking the right balance between blocking UV rays and allowing sufficient visible-light transmission poses a challenge. The pronounced capillary force, fueled by persistent moisture and extractives in wood, alongside the existence of multiphase interfaces, collectively hinder the uniform penetration of polymers and the effective dispersion of nanomaterials within the wood skeleton. Here, we incorporate high-pressure supercritical CO2 fluid-assisted impregnation (HSCFI) into fabricating UV-shielding TW. The supercritical CO2 pretreatment efficiently eliminates moisture and refines wood structure by extracting polar substances, resulting in a prominent 52.4% increase in average water permeability. Subsequently, this HSCFI method facilitates the infiltration of methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer and Ce-ZnO nanorods (NRDs) into the refined anhydrous wood, leveraging the excellent solvency of supercritical CO2 for MMA. The impregnation rate of PMMA undergoes a substantial increase from 34.5 to 59.1%. With the robust UV-blocking capability of Ce-ZnO NRDs, thanks to dual-valence Ce doping widening the ZnO energy gap via the Burstein-Moss effect and their unique photoactive microstructure featuring a solid prism with a sharp hexahedral pyramidal tip, along with intrinsic physical scattering/reflection actions, Ce-ZnO NRDs@TW achieves an impressive 99.6% UVA radiation blockage (the highest for TW) and maintains high visible-light transmission (83.2%). Furthermore, Ce-ZnO NRDs@TW presents favorable energy-saving, sound absorption, and antifungal abilities, making it a promising candidate for future green buildings.

Road traffic noise pollution and prevalence of ischemic heart disease: modelling potential association and abatement strategies in noise-exposed areas

In many developing countries with surging vehicular traffic and inadequate traffic management, excessive road traffic noise exposure poses substantial health concerns, linked to increased stress, insomnia and other metabolic disorders. This study aims to assess the linkage between sociodemographic factors, traffic noise levels in residential areas and health effects using a cross-sectional study analyzing respondents' perceptions and reports. Noise levels were measured at 57 locations in Srinagar, India, using noise level meter. Sound PLAN software was employed to generate noise contour maps, enabling the visualization of noise monitoring locations and facilitating the assessment of noise levels along routes in proximity to residential areas. Correlation analysis showed a strong linear relationship between field-measured and modelled noise (r2 = 0.88). Further, a questionnaire-based survey was carried out near the sampling points to evaluate the association of ischemic heart disease with traffic noise. Residents exposed to noise levels (Lden > 60 dB(A)) were found to have a 2.24 times higher odds ratio. Compared to females, males reported a 16% higher prevalence of the disease. Multi-faceted policy strategies involving noise mapping initiatives, source noise standards, traffic flow urban mobility optimization, smart city initiatives and stringent litigatory measures could significantly reduce its detrimental impact on public health. Finally, this study envisions a region-specific strong regulatory framework for integrating noise pollution mitigation strategies into the public health action plans of developing nations.

The impact of co-exposure to air and noise pollution on the incidence of metabolic syndrome from a health checkup cohort

Previous studies have found associations between the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and exposure to air pollution or road traffic noise. However, investigations on environmental co-exposures are limited. This study aimed to investigate the association between co-exposure to air pollution and road traffic noise and MetS and its subcomponents. Participants living in Taipei City who underwent at least two health checkups between 2010 and 2016 were included in the study. Data were sourced from the MJ Health database, a longitudinal, large-scale cohort in Taiwan. The monthly traffic noise exposure (Lden and Lnight) was computed using a dynamic noise map. Monthly fine particulate data at one kilometer resolution were computed from satellite imagery data. Cox proportional hazards regression models with month as the underlying time scale were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for the impact of PM2.5 and road traffic noise exposure on the risk of developing MetS or its subcomponents. Data from 10,773 participants were included. We found significant positive associations between incident MetS and PM2.5 (HR: 1.88; 95% CI 1.67, 2.12), Lden (HR: 1.10; 95% CI 1.06, 1.15), and Lnight (HR: 1.07; 95% CI 1.02, 1.13) in single exposure models. Results further showed significant associations with an elevated risk of incident MetS in co-exposure models, with HRs of 1.91 (95% CI 1.69, 2.16) and 1.11 (95% CI 1.06, 1.16) for co-exposure to PM2.5 and Lden, and 1.90 (95% CI 1.68, 2.14) and 1.08 (95% CI 1.02, 1.13) for co-exposure to PM2.5 and Lnight. The HRs for the co-exposure models were higher than those for models with only a single exposure. This study provides evidence that PM2.5 and noise exposure may elevate the risk of incident MetS and its components in both single and co-exposure models. Therefore, preventive approaches to mitigate the risk of MetS and its subcomponents should consider reducing exposure to PM2.5 and noise pollution.

Health position paper and redox perspectives - Disease burden by transportation noise

Transportation noise is a ubiquitous urban exposure. In 2018, the World Health Organization concluded that chronic exposure to road traffic noise is a risk factor for ischemic heart disease. In contrast, they concluded that the quality of evidence for a link to other diseases was very low to moderate. Since then, several studies on the impact of noise on various diseases have been published. Also, studies investigating the mechanistic pathways underlying noise-induced health effects are emerging. We review the current evidence regarding effects of noise on health and the related disease-mechanisms. Several high-quality cohort studies consistently found road traffic noise to be associated with a higher risk of ischemic heart disease, heart failure, diabetes, and all-cause mortality. Furthermore, recent studies have indicated that road traffic and railway noise may increase the risk of diseases not commonly investigated in an environmental noise context, including breast cancer, dementia, and tinnitus. The harmful effects of noise are related to activation of a physiological stress response and nighttime sleep disturbance. Oxidative stress and inflammation downstream of stress hormone signaling and dysregulated circadian rhythms are identified as major disease-relevant pathomechanistic drivers. We discuss the role of reactive oxygen species and present results from antioxidant interventions. Lastly, we provide an overview of oxidative stress markers and adverse redox processes reported for noise-exposed animals and humans. This position paper summarizes all available epidemiological, clinical, and preclinical evidence of transportation noise as an important environmental risk factor for public health and discusses its implications on the population level.

Association between Noise and Cardiovascular Disease in a Nationwide U.S. Prospective Cohort Study of Women Followed from 1988 to 2018

BACKGROUND

Long-term noise exposure is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), including acute cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke. However, longitudinal cohort studies in the U.S. of long-term noise and CVD are almost exclusively from Europe and few modeled nighttime noise, when an individual is likely at home or asleep, separately from daytime noise. We aimed to examine the prospective association of outdoor long-term nighttime and daytime noise from anthropogenic sources with incident CVD using a U.S.-based, nationwide cohort of women.

METHODS

We linked L 50 nighttime and L 50 daytime anthropogenic modeled noise estimates from a U.S. National Parks Service model (L 50 : sound pressure levels exceeded 50 percent of the time) to geocoded residential addresses of 114,116 participants in the Nurses' Health Study. We used time-varying Cox proportional hazards models to estimate risk of incident CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke associated with long-term average (14-y measurement period) noise exposure, adjusted for potential individual- and area-level confounders and CVD risk factors (1988-2018; biennial residential address updates; monthly CVD updates). We assessed effect modification by population density, region, air pollution, vegetation cover, and neighborhood socioeconomic status, and explored mediation by self-reported average nightly sleep duration.

RESULTS

Over 2,548,927 person-years, there were 10,331 incident CVD events. In fully adjusted models, the hazard ratios for each interquartile range increase in L 50 nighttime noise (3.67 dBA) and L 50 daytime noise (4.35 dBA), respectively, were 1.04 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.06) and 1.04 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.07). Associations for total energy-equivalent noise level (L eq ) measures were stronger than for the anthropogenic statistical L 50 noise measures. Similar associations were observed for CHD and stroke. Interaction analyses suggested that associations of L 50 nighttime and L 50 daytime noise with CVD did not differ by prespecified effect modifiers. We found no evidence that inadequate sleep (< 5 h/night) mediated associations of L 50 nighttime noise and CVD.

DISCUSSION

Outdoor L 50 anthropogenic nighttime and daytime noise at the residential address was associated with a small increase in CVD risk in a cohort of adult female nurses. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12906.

Does air pollution confound associations between environmental noise and cardiovascular outcomes? - A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Exposure to environmental noise is associated with adverse health effects, but there is potential for confounding and interaction with air pollution, particularly where both exposures arise from the same source, such as transport.

OBJECTIVES

To review evidence on confounding and interaction of air pollution in relation to associations between environmental noise and cardiovascular outcomes.

METHODS

Papers were identified from similar reviews published in 2013 and 2015, from the systematic reviews supporting the WHO 2018 noise guidelines, and from a literature search covering the period 2016-2022 using Medline and PubMed databases. Additional papers were identified from colleagues. Study selection was according to PECO inclusion criteria. Studies were evaluated against the WHO checklist for risk of bias.

RESULTS

52 publications, 36 published after 2015, were identified that assessed associations between transportation noise and cardiovascular outcomes, that also considered potential confounding (49 studies) or interaction (23 studies) by air pollution. Most, but not all studies, suggested that the associations between traffic noise and cardiovascular outcomes are independent of air pollution. NO2 or PM2.5 were the most commonly included air pollutants and we observed no clear differences across air pollutants in terms of the potential confounding role. Most papers did not appear to suggest an interaction between noise and air pollution. Eight studies found the largest noise effect estimates occurring within the higher noise and air pollution exposure categories, but were not often statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Whilst air pollution does not appear to confound associations of noise and cardiovascular health, more studies on potential interactions are needed. Current methods to assess quality of evidence are not optimal when evaluating evidence on confounding or interaction.

Exposure to ultrafine particles and cognitive decline among older people in the United States

BACKGROUND

Some studies suggest that ambient particulate air pollution is associated with cognitive decline. However, the findings are mixed, and there is no relevant research examining the influences of ultrafine particles (UFP), which may have more toxicity than larger particles. We therefore conducted this study to investigate whether residential UFP exposure is associated with cognitive decline using data from the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers in the United States.

METHODS

This is a longitudinal study of participants who were aged 65 years and older and had normal cognitive status at baseline. Residential UFP exposure, expressed as particle number concentrations (PNC), was assessed in 2016-2017 using a nationwide land use regression model, and was assigned to each participant using their 3-digit residential ZIP codes. Cognitive functions including memory, attention, language, executive function, and global function were assessed annually using 15 neuropsychological tests from March 2015 to February 2022. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the associations after adjustment for covariates including baseline age, sex, APOE ε4 status, race, education, smoking status, history of diabetes, quartiles of neighborhood median household income, and interaction terms of follow-up time with each covariate.

RESULTS

This study included 5646 participants (mean age 76 years, 65% female). On average, each participant had 4 annual visits. When PNC was treated as a continuous variable, there were no statistically or clinically significant changes in annual decline of each cognitive function in relation to an interquartile range elevation in PNC (4026 particles/cm3). Similarly, when PNC was treated as a categorical variable including five exposure groups, there were no linear exposure-response trends in annual decline of each cognitive function across the five exposure groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found no meaningful associations between residential UFP exposure and cognitive decline in global and domain-specific functions. There is a need for further research that assigns UFP exposure at a finer geographic scale.

Exposure to Noise and Cardiovascular Disease in a Nationwide US Prospective Cohort Study of Women

Background: Long-term noise exposure is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), including acute cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke. However, longitudinal cohort studies of long-term noise and CVD are almost exclusively from Europe, and few modelled nighttime and daytime noise separately. We aimed to examine the prospective association of outdoor long-term nighttime and daytime noise from anthropogenic sources with incident CVD using a US-based, nationwide cohort of women. Methods: We linked L50 (median) nighttime and L50 daytime modelled anthropogenic noise estimates from a US National Park Service model to geocoded residential addresses of 114,116 participants in the Nurses' Health Study. We used time-varying Cox proportional hazards models to estimate risk of incident CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke associated with long-term average noise exposure, adjusted for potential individual- and area-level confounders and CVD risk factors (1988-2018). We assessed effect modification by population density, region, air pollution, vegetation cover, and neighborhood socioeconomic status, and explored mediation by self-reported average nightly sleep duration. Results: Over 2,544,035 person-years, there were 10,331 incident CVD events. In fully-adjusted models, the hazard ratios for each interquartile range increase in L50 nighttime noise (3.67 dBA) and L50 daytime noise (4.35 dBA), respectively, were 1.04 (95% CI 1.02, 1.06) and 1.04 (95% CI 1.02, 1.07). Similar associations were observed for CHD and stroke. Stratified analyses suggested that associations of nighttime and daytime noise with CVD did not differ by prespecified effect modifiers. We found no evidence that inadequate sleep (< 5 hours per night) mediated associations of noise and CVD. Discussion: Outdoor median nighttime and daytime noise at the residential address was associated with a small increase in CVD risk in a cohort of adult female nurses.

Traffic related activity pattern of Chinese adults: a nation-wide population based survey

BACKGROUND

Traffic-related air pollutants lead to increased risks of many diseases. Understanding travel patterns and influencing factors are important for mitigating traffic exposures. However, there is a lack of national large-scale research.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the daily travel patterns of Chinese adults and provide basic data for traffic exposure and health risk research.

METHODS

We conducted the first nation-wide survey of travel patterns of adults (aged 18 and above) in China during 2011-2012. We conducted a cross-sectional study based on a nationally representative sample of 91, 121 adults from 31 provinces in China. We characterized typical travel patterns by cluster analysis and identified the associated factors of each pattern using multiple logistic regression and generalized linear regression models.

RESULTS

We found 115 typical daily travel patterns of Chinese adults and the top 11 accounted for 94% of the population. The interaction of age, urban and rural areas, income levels, gender, educational levels, city population and temperature affect people's choice of travel patterns. The average travel time of Chinese adults is 45 ± 40 min/day, with the longest travel time by the combination of walking and car (70 min/day). Gender has the largest effect on travel time (B = -8.94, 95% CI: -8.95, -8.93), followed by city GDP (B = -4.23, 95% CI: -4.23, -4.22), urban and rural areas (B = -3.62, 95% CI: -3.63, -3.61), age (B = -2.21, 95% CI: -2.21, -2.2), educational levels (B = -1.53, 95% CI: -1.53, -1.52), city area (B = -1.4, 95% CI: -1.4, -1.39) and temperature (B = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.2, 1.21).

SIGNIFICANCE

This study was the first nation-wide study on traffic activity patterns in China, which provides basic data for traffic exposure and health risk research and provides the basis for the state to formulate transportation-related policies.

The combined effect of air and transportation noise pollution on atherosclerotic inflammation and risk of cardiovascular disease events

BACKGROUND

Air pollution and noise exposures individually associate with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) via a mechanism involving arterial inflammation (ArtI); however, their combined impact on ArtI and MACE remains unknown. We tested whether dual (vs. one or neither) exposure associates with greater ArtI and MACE risk and whether MACE risk is mediated via ArtI.

METHODS

Individuals (N = 474) without active cancer or known cardiovascular disease with clinical 18F-FDG-PET/CT imaging were followed for 5 years for MACE. ArtI was measured. Average air pollution (particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm, PM2.5) and transportation noise exposure were determined at individual residences. Higher exposures were defined as noise > 55 dBA (World Health Organization cutoff) and PM2.5 ≥ sample median.

RESULTS

At baseline, 46%, 46%, and 8% were exposed to high levels of neither, one, or both pollutants; 39 experienced MACE over a median 4.1 years. Exposure to an increasing number of pollutants associated with higher ArtI (standardized β [95% CI: .195 [.052, .339], P = .008) and MACE (HR [95% CI]: 2.897 [1.818-4.615], P < .001). In path analysis, ArtI partially mediated the relationship between pollutant exposures and MACE (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

Air pollution and transportation noise exposures contribute incrementally to ArtI and MACE. The mechanism linking dual exposure to MACE involves ArtI.

Drug overdose and the risk of cardiovascular diseases: a nested case-control study

BACKGROUND

North America has been experiencing an unprecedented epidemic of drug overdose. This study investigated the associations of drug overdose with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 11 major CVD subtypes.

METHODS

This nested case-control study was based on a cohort of 20% random sample of residents in British Columbia, Canada, who were aged 18-80 years and did not have known CVD at baseline (n = 617,863). During a 4-year follow-up period, persons who developed incident CVD were identified as case subjects, and the onset date of CVD was defined as the index date. For each case subject, we used incidence density sampling to randomly select up to five control subjects from the cohort members who were alive and did not have known CVD by the index date, were admitted to an emergency department or hospital on the index date for non-CVD causes, and were matched on age, sex, and region of residence. Overdose exposure on the index date and each of the previous 5 days was examined for each subject.

RESULTS

This study included 16,113 CVD case subjects (mean age 53 years, 59% male) and 66,875 control subjects. After adjusting for covariates, overdose that occurred on the index date was strongly associated with CVD [odds ratio (OR), 2.9; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.4-3.5], especially for arrhythmia (OR, 8.6; 95% CI, 6.2-12.0), ischemic stroke (OR, 5.3; 95% CI, 2.0-14.1), hemorrhagic stroke (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.2-8.3), and myocardial infarction (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.5-5.8). The CVD risk was decreased but remained significantly elevated for overdose that occurred on the previous day, and was not observed for overdose that occurred on each of the previous 2-5 days.

CONCLUSIONS

Drug overdose appears to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Exploring the Joint Association of Road Traffic Noise and Air Quality with Hypertension Using QGIS

There is growing evidence linking exposure to air pollution and traffic noise with hypertension. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of registered hypertension cases and hypertension rate with exposure to air pollution and road noise. In this cross-sectional study, we linked the information from the NHS Scotland database of 776,579 hypertension patients' registrations and rates per 13.80 people at the Scottish NHS Board, HSCP, Cluster, and GP practice levels. Based on the geospatial attributes, the data on residential areas were added by modelling annual average air pollutant concentrations, including particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and road-traffic noise at different frequency components (Lden). The relationships between exposure to road noise, air pollution, and hypertension were examined using multiple regression and multivariate analysis. Traffic noise and air pollution at various frequency components positively and negatively predicted registered hypertension cases and hypertension rate. Based on the canonical loading technique, the variance explained by the canonical independent variable at a canonical correlation of 0.342 is 89%. There is a significant correlation between joint air pollution and noise at different frequency components and combined registered hypertension cases and hypertension rate. Exploring the combined effects of the two environmental exposures and the joint modelling of noise and air pollutants with hypertension in geospatial views provides an opportunity to integrate environmental and health data to support spatial assessment strategies in public and environmental health.

Effects of short-term and long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and temperature on long recovery duration in COVID-19 patients

BACKGROUND

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly around the world since December 8, 2019. However, the key factors affecting the duration of recovery from COVID-19 remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the associations of long recovery duration of COVID-19 patients with ambient air pollution, temperature, and diurnal temperature range (DTR) exposure.

METHODS

A total of 427 confirmed cases in Changsha during the first wave of the epidemic in January 2020 were selected. We used inverse distance weighting (IDW) method to estimate personal exposure to seven ambient air pollutants (PM_2.5, PM_2.5-10, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃) at each subject's home address. Meteorological conditions included temperature and DTR. Multiple logistic regression model was used to investigate the relationship of air pollution exposure during short-term (past week and past month) and long-term (past three months) with recovery duration among COVID-19 patients.

RESULTS

We found that long recovery duration among COVID-19 patients was positively associated with short-term exposure to CO during past week with OR (95% CI) = 1.42 (1.01-2.00) and PM_2.5, NO₂, and CO during past month with ORs (95% CI) = 2.00 (1.30-3.07) and 1.95 (1.30-2.93), and was negatively related with short-term exposure to O₃ during past week and past month with ORs (95% CI) = 0.68 (0.46-0.99) and 0.41 (0.27-0.62), respectively. No association was observed for long-term exposure to air pollution during past three months. Furthermore, increased temperature during past three months elevated risk of long recovery duration in VOCID-19 patients, while DTR exposure during past week and past month decreased the risk. Male and younger patients were more susceptible to the effect of air pollution on long recovery duration, while female and older patients were more affected by exposure to temperature and DTR.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that both TRAP exposure and temperature indicators play important roles in prolonged recovery among COVID-19 patients, especially for the sensitive populations, which provide potential strategies for effective reduction and early prevention of long recovery duration of COVID-19.

Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Stroke remains the second cause of death worldwide. The mechanisms underlying the adverse association of exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) with overall cardiovascular disease may also apply to stroke. Our objective was to systematically evaluate the epidemiological evidence regarding the associations of long-term exposure to TRAP with stroke.

METHODS

PubMed and LUDOK electronic databases were searched systematically for observational epidemiological studies from 1980 through 2019 on long-term exposure to TRAP and stroke with an update in January 2022. TRAP was defined according to a comprehensive protocol based on pollutant and exposure assessment methods or proximity metrics. Study selection, data extraction, risk of bias (RoB) and confidence assessments were conducted according to standardized protocols. We performed meta-analyses using random effects models; sensitivity analyses were assessed by geographic area, RoB, fatality, traffic specificity and new studies.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies were included. The meta-analytic relative risks (and 95% confidence intervals) were: 1.03 (0.98-1.09) per 1 μg/m³ EC, 1.09 (0.96-1.23) per 10 μg/m³ PM₁₀, 1.08 (0.89-1.32) per 5 μg/m³ PM_2.5, 0.98 (0.92; 1.05) per 10 μg/m³ NO₂ and 0.99 (0.94; 1.04) per 20 μg/m³ NO_x with little to moderate heterogeneity based on 6, 5, 4, 7 and 8 studies, respectively. The confidence assessments regarding the quality of the body of evidence and separately regarding the presence of an association of TRAP with stroke considering all available evidence were rated low and moderate, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The available literature provides low to moderate evidence for an association of TRAP with stroke.

Exploring the Combined Association between Road Traffic Noise and Air Quality Using QGIS

There is mounting evidence that exposure to air pollution and noise from transportation are linked to the risk of hypertension. Most studies have only looked at relationships between single exposures. To examine links between combined exposure to road traffic, air pollution, and road noise. A Casella CEL-63x instrument was used to monitor traffic noise on a number of locations in residential streets in Glasgow, UK during peak traffic hours. The spatial numerical modelling capability of Quantum GIS (abbreviated QGIS) was used to analyse the combined association of noise and air pollution. Based on geospatial mapping, data on residential environmental exposure was added using annual average air pollutant concentrations from local air quality monitoring network, including particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and road-traffic noise measurements at different component frequencies (Lden). The combined relationships between air pollution and traffic noise at different component frequencies were examined. Based on Moran I autocorrelation, geographically close values of a variable on a map typically have comparable values when there is a positive spatial autocorrelation. This means clustering on the map was influenced significantly by NO₂, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, and Lden at the majority of monitoring locations. Studies that only consider one of these two related exposures may exaggerate the impact of the individual exposure while underestimating the combined impact of the two environmental exposures.

Estimating traffic noise over a large urban area: An evaluation of methods

Unlike air pollution, traffic-related noise remains unregulated and has been under-studied despite evidence of its deleterious health impacts. To characterize population exposure to traffic noise, both acoustic-based numerical models and data-driven statistical approaches can generate estimates over large urban areas. The aim of this work is to formally compare the performances of the most common traffic noise models by evaluating their estimates for different categories of roads and validating them against a unique dataset of measured noise in Long Beach, California. Specifically, a statistical land use regression model, an extreme gradient boosting machine learning model (XGB), and three numerical/acoustic traffic noise models: the US Noise Model (FHWA-TNM2.5), a commercial noise model (CadnaA), and an open-source European model (Harmonoise) were optimized and compared. The results demonstrate that XGB and CadnaA were the most effective models for estimating traffic noise, and they are particularly adept at differentiating noise levels on different categories of road.

The association of noise exposure with stroke incidence and mortality: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Noise exposure is a major public health challenge with important implications for cardiovascular health. However, the association between noise exposure and stroke risk remains controversial. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the role of noise exposure on stroke incidence and mortality by conducting a dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies.

METHODS

The relevant publications were retrieved via PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus up to June 26, 2022. The potential linear and curve relationship between noise and stroke were fitted using the generalized least squares method and restricted cubic spline. We estimated the pooled relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) by random-effect models. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to evaluate the strength of the results.

RESULTS

In total, 21 cohort studies with 16,075,204 participants and 311,878 cases were included in the analysis. The risk of stroke incidence increased up to 4% (95% CI:1.02-1.06) and stroke mortality increased up to 3% (95% CI:1.00-1.07), every 10 dB(A) increment in noise exposure. Moreover, each 10 dB(A) increment in noise exposure was associated with a 4% (95% CI:1.01-1.07) increase in ischemic stroke and a 2% (95% CI:1.00-1.04) increase in hemorrhagic stroke. According to GRADE criteria, the evidence level in this study was rated as moderate.

CONCLUSIONS

The current findings provide further evidence of a dose-response relationship between exposure to noise and the risk of stroke incidence and mortality. Additionally, we update and fill a knowledge gap that the statistically significant increase in stroke incidence when noise decibels are >65 dB(A).

Relationship Between Occupational Noise and Hypertension in Modern Enterprise Workers: A Case–Control Study

Objective: The association between occupational noise exposure and hypertension is controversial. Thus, we aimed to assess the relationship between occupational noise exposure and hypertension.

Methods: This was a case‒control study, and 509 cases and 1,018 controls from an automobile company were included between July and October 2013. Occupational noise exposure was defined as exposure to noise level ≥80 dB(A) (Lex, 8 h) or cumulative noise exposure (CNE) ≥ 80 dB(A)-years. To assess the associations of noise level and CNE with hypertension, univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The restricted cubic spline function was used to establish dose‒response curves.

Results: A noise level ≥80 dB (A) (Lex, 8 h) was significantly associated with hypertension (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.89–3.24). CNE ≥80 dB (A)-years was significantly associated with hypertension (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.18–2.00). Nonlinear relationships between noise level, CNE and hypertension were found (p- nonlinear<0.05).

Conclusion: Our study suggests that occupational noise exposure is a potential risk factor for hypertension in automobile company workers.

Associations of road traffic noise with cardiovascular diseases and mortality: Longitudinal results from UK Biobank and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological evidence suggests potential associations of road traffic noise exposure with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality, but uncertainty remains.

OBJECTIVES

We examined the association of road traffic noise with the risk of CVD and mortality in a large longitudinal cohort study and meta-analysis.

METHODS

We analyzed 342, 566 participants from the UK Biobank who were free of CVD at baseline and had complete covariate data. We also performed a meta-analysis of road traffic noise effects on CVD and mortality by including qualified cohort studies published before April 2021.

RESULTS

After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds for the risk of stroke, CVD, and all-cause mortality increased by 1.07 (95%CI: 1.01-1.13, P = 0.019), 1.13 (95%CI: 1.04-1.22, P = 0.003) and 1.08 (95%CI: 1.04-1.12, P < 0.001) times per 10 dB increases in road traffic noise, respectively. Among men, high road traffic noise exposure was significantly associated with an increased risk in stroke (HR = 1.08 per 10 dB increase, 95%CI: 1.00-1.16, P = 0.043), CVD (HR = 1.12 per 10 dB increase, 95%CI: 1.02-1.23, P = 0.020) and all-cause mortality (HR = 1.12 per 10 dB increase, 95%CI: 1.07-1.17 P < 0.001), whereas we did not find a significant association in women. The meta-analysis showed that road traffic noise exposure was significantly associated with a high risk of stroke (risk ratio [RR]: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02-1.11), CVD mortality (RR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00-1.05), all-cause mortality (RR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02-1.07).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides more evidence of increased risk of stroke, CVD, and all-cause mortality in association with exposure to road traffic noise pollution, especially in men.

Exposure to surrounding greenness and natural-cause and cause-specific mortality in the ELAPSE pooled cohort

BACKGROUND

The majority of studies have shown higher greenness exposure associated with reduced mortality risks, but few controlled for spatially correlated air pollution and traffic noise exposures. We aim to address this research gap in the ELAPSE pooled cohort.

METHODS

Mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in a 300-m grid cell and 1-km radius were assigned to participants' baseline home addresses as a measure of surrounding greenness exposure. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the association of NDVI exposure with natural-cause and cause-specific mortality, adjusting for a number of potential confounders including socioeconomic status and lifestyle factors at individual and area-levels. We further assessed the associations between greenness exposure and mortality after adjusting for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and road traffic noise.

RESULTS

The pooled study population comprised 327,388 individuals who experienced 47,179 natural-cause deaths during 6,374,370 person-years of follow-up. The mean NDVI in the pooled cohort was 0.33 (SD 0.1) and 0.34 (SD 0.1) in the 300-m grid and 1-km buffer. In the main fully adjusted model, 0.1 unit increment of NDVI inside 300-m grid was associated with 5% lower risk of natural-cause mortality (Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.95 (95% CI: 0.94, 0.96)). The associations attenuated after adjustment for air pollution [HR (95% CI): 0.97 (0.96, 0.98) adjusted for PM2.5; 0.98 (0.96, 0.99) adjusted for NO2]. Additional adjustment for traffic noise hardly affected the associations. Consistent results were observed for NDVI within 1-km buffer. After adjustment for air pollution, NDVI was inversely associated with diabetes, respiratory and lung cancer mortality, yet with wider 95% confidence intervals. No association with cardiovascular mortality was found.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a significant inverse association between surrounding greenness and natural-cause mortality, which remained after adjusting for spatially correlated air pollution and traffic noise.

Useful tools for integrating noise maps about noises other than those of transport, infrastructures, and industrial plants in developing countries: Casework of the Aburra Valley, Colombia

The behavior of environmental noise in developing countries is conditioned by characteristics that are not only linked to transport, infrastructures, and industrial plants in the annuity (common representation in noise maps), but also to other types of sources and periodicities that can influence significantly in noise levels. For this reason, this work proposes different temporal analyzes during the annuity that can be linked to the noisy activities typical of developing tropical countries. To do this, a noise monitoring network composed of seven monitors representing different sources present in the Aburrá Valley (AV) in Colombia is analyzed with measurements of LAeq, every hour, in a period between August 2016 and July 2019. The results show that AV noise is strongly influenced by leisure activities related to high-power sound systems, different celebrations, and continuous noise from car traffic that affect the population mainly on weekends and nights. This work marks a clear path to precisely address noise pollution in the action plans of developing countries.

Long-term exposure to road traffic noise and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a Danish Nurse Cohort study

BACKGROUND

Long-term road traffic noise exposure is linked to cardio-metabolic disease morbidity, whereas evidence on mortality remains limited.

OBJECTIVES

We investigated association of long-term exposure to road traffic noise with all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

METHODS

We linked 22,858 females from the Danish Nurse Cohort (DNC), recruited into the Danish Register of Causes of Death up to 2014. Road traffic noise levels since 1970 were modelled by Nord2000 as the annual mean of a weighted 24 h average (L_den). Cox regression models examined the associations between L_den (5-year and 23-year means) and all-cause and cause-specific mortalities, adjusting for lifestyle and exposure to PM_2.5 (particulate matter with diameter < 2.5 μm) and NO₂ (nitrogen dioxide).

RESULTS

During follow-up (mean 17.4 years), 3902 nurses died: 1622 from cancer, 922 from CVDs (289 from stroke), 338 from respiratory diseases (186 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 114 from lower respiratory tract infections [ALRIs]), 234 from dementia, 95 from psychiatric disorders, and 79 from diabetes. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for all-cause mortality from fully-adjusted models were 1.06 (1.01, 1.11) and 1.09 (1.03, 1.15) per 10 dB of 5-year and 23-year mean L_den, respectively, which attenuated slightly in our main model (fully-adjusted plus PM_2.5: 1.04 [1.00, 1.10]; 1.08 [1.02, 1.13]). Main model estimates suggested the strongest associations between 5-year mean L_den and diabetes (1.14: 0.81, 1.61), ALRIs (1.13: 0.84, 1.54), dementia (1.12: 0.90, 1.38), and stroke (1.10: 0.91, 1.31), whereas associations with 23-year mean L_den were suggested for respiratory diseases (1.15: 0.95, 1.39), psychiatric disorders (1.11: 0.78, 1.59), and all cancers (1.08: 0.99, 1.17).

DISCUSSION

Among the female nurses from the DNC, we observed that long-term exposure to road traffic noise led to premature mortality, independently of air pollution, and its adverse effects may extend well beyond those on the cardio-metabolic system to include respiratory diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.

Statistical Inference of Dynamic Conditional Generalized Pareto Distribution with Weather and Air Quality Factors

Air pollution is a major global problem, closely related to economic and social development and ecological environment construction. Air pollution data for most regions of China have a close correlation with time and seasons and are affected by multidimensional factors such as meteorology and air quality. In contrast with classical peaks-over-threshold modeling approaches, we use a deep learning technique and three new dynamic conditional generalized Pareto distribution (DCP) models with weather and air quality factors for fitting the time-dependence of the air pollutant concentration and make statistical inferences about their application in air quality analysis. Specifically, in the proposed three DCP models, a dynamic autoregressive exponential function mechanism is applied for the time-varying scale parameter and tail index of the conditional generalized Pareto distribution, and a sufficiently high threshold is chosen using two threshold selection procedures. The probabilistic properties of the DCP model and the statistical properties of the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) are investigated, simulating and showing the stability and sensitivity of the MLE estimations. The three proposed models are applied to fit the PM2.5 time series in Beijing from 2015 to 2021. Real data are used to illustrate the advantages of the DCP, especially compared to the estimation volatility of GARCH and AIC or BIC criteria. The DCP model involving both the mixed weather and air quality factors performs better than the other two models with weather factors or air quality factors alone. Finally, a prediction model based on long short-term memory (LSTM) is used to predict PM2.5 concentration, achieving ideal results.

Effects of the COVID-19 lockdown and recovery on People's mobility and air quality in the United Arab Emirates using satellite and ground observations

The stringent COVID-19 lockdown measures in 2020 significantly impacted people's mobility and air quality worldwide. This study presents an assessment of the impacts of the lockdown and the subsequent reopening on air quality and people's mobility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Google's community mobility reports and UAE's government lockdown measures were used to assess the changes in the mobility patterns. Time-series and statistical analyses of various air pollutants levels (NO₂, O₃, SO₂, PM₁₀, and aerosol optical depth-AOD) obtained from satellite images and ground monitoring stations were used to assess air quality. The levels of pollutants during the initial lockdown (March to June 2020) and the subsequent gradual reopening in 2020 and 2021 were compared with their average levels during 2015-2019. During the lockdown, people's mobility in the workplace, parks, shops and pharmacies, transit stations, and retail and recreation sectors decreased by about 34%-79%. However, the mobility in the residential sector increased by up to 29%. The satellite-based data indicated significant reductions in NO₂ (up to 22%), SO₂ (up to 17%), and AOD (up to 40%) with small changes in O₃ (up to 5%) during the lockdown. Similarly, data from the ground monitoring stations showed significant reductions in NO₂ (49% - 57%) and PM₁₀ (19% - 64%); however, the SO₂ and O₃ levels showed inconsistent trends. The ground and satellite-based air quality levels were positively correlated for NO₂, PM₁₀, and AOD. The data also demonstrated significant correlations between the mobility and NO₂ and AOD levels during the lockdown and recovery periods. The study documents the impacts of the lockdown on people's mobility and air quality and provides useful data and analyses for researchers, planners, and policymakers relevant to managing risk, mobility, and air quality.

Ammonium nitrate explosion at the main port in Beirut (Lebanon) and air pollution: an analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution of nitrogen dioxide

An explosion of the ammonium nitrate (AN) stored at Beirut Port devastated the city on Tuesday 4 August 2020. Such an explosion produces pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NO _x ). The most common NO _x is nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), which is present in the atmosphere due to natural and anthropogenic processes. The presence of NO₂ is used as indicator of air pollution. However, the specific contribution of NO₂ to air quality is uncertain due to the presence of other constituents, especially particulate matter (PM10). Research has shown that extended exposure to NO₂ may result in serious health effects. This study investigated the impact of the explosion on NO₂ levels in the atmosphere above Beirut and the surrounding area. NO₂ data from the Sentinel-5P program were used to map the levels of NO₂. Furthermore, ground-monitoring data were used to assess the levels of PM10 and ozone (O₃) due to the evident association between these constituents and NO₂. Results showed that NO₂ levels were higher than before the blast. However, 7 days after the explosion, NO₂ levels had returned to normal, while the levels of PM10 and O₃ remained normal following the explosion. However, a slight increase in the daily average atmospheric pressure was noticed after the explosion, which was attributed to the decomposition of ammonium nitrate.

Health impact assessment of auto rickshaw and cab drivers due to exposure to vehicular pollution in Delhi: an integrated approach

Vehicular emission is an important contributor to air pollution in the urban environment and impacts the health of commuters as well as drivers. The in-vehicle concentration of pollutants is known to be higher than the ambient environment and varies with the mode of transport. Thus, this study attempts to assess the health impacts of air pollution exposure on auto rickshaws and cab drivers. The study was conducted in Delhi using a triangular approach involving a health perception survey, lung function test and in-vehicle monitoring of particulate matter (PM₁, PM_2.5, PM₁₀) concentration to assess the health impacts of air pollution on auto rickshaw and cab drivers. A total of 150 respondents (75 from each occupation) were surveyed, and spirometry was performed for 40 respondents (20 from each occupation). Binary logistic regression showed auto rickshaw drivers were exposed to significantly higher in-vehicle PM concentrations in summers and winters and, thus, had a significantly higher risk of developing respiratory, ophthalmic and dermatological health symptoms (p< 0.05 and relative risk >1). Pulmonary function test showed obstructive lung impairment was reported only among auto rickshaw drivers (6%) and restrictive lung impairment was also more prevalent among auto rickshaw drivers (48%) than cab drivers (33%), suggesting a greater vulnerability of auto rickshaw drivers to respiratory health issues. Lung function impairment was associated with age (p= 0.002). The health and well-being of individuals is a matter of global concern, also highlighted in sustainable development goal no. 3. However, it was observed that neither auto rickshaw drivers nor cab drivers used formal/standard protective measures mainly due to unawareness or unaffordability. The study suggests increasing awareness and formulating guidelines to highlight the use of proper protective measures by these vulnerable groups and specific policy measures to protect outdoor workers like auto rickshaw drivers.

Transportation noise exposure and cardiovascular mortality: 15-years of follow-up in a nationwide prospective cohort in Switzerland

BACKGROUND

Death from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been associated with transportation noise. This nationwide cohort, with state-of-the-art exposure assessment, evaluates these associations by noise source.

METHODS

Road traffic, railway and aircraft noise for 2001 and 2011 were linked to 4.1 million adults in the Swiss National Cohort, accounting for address history. Mean noise exposure in 5-year periods was calculated. Time-varying Cox regression models, with age as timescale, were applied to all and cause-specific cardiovascular causes of death. Models included all three noise sources plus PM_2.5, adjusted for individual and spatial covariates. Nighttime noise events for all sources combined (expressed as intermittency ratio or number of events) were considered in sensitivity analyses. Absolute excess risk was calculated by multiplying deaths/100,000 person-years by the excess risk (hazard ratio-1) within each age/sex group.

RESULTS

During a 15-year follow-up, there were 277,506 CVD and 34,200 myocardial infarction (MI) deaths. Associations (hazard ratio; 95%-CIs) for road traffic, railway and aircraft noise and CVD mortality were 1.029 (1.024-1.034), 1.013 (1.010-1.017), and 1.003 (0.996-1.010) per 10 dB L_den, respectively. Associations for MI mortality were a respective 1.043 (1.029-1.058), 1.020 (1.010-1.030) and 1.040 (1.020-1.060) per 10 dB L_den. Blood pressure-related, ischemic heart disease, and all stroke mortality were significantly associated with road traffic and railway noise, while ischemic stroke mortality was associated with aircraft noise. Associations were mostly linear, often starting below 40 dB L_den for road traffic and railway noise. Higher levels of noise intermittency were also independently associated with each outcome. While the absolute number of deaths attributed to noise increased with age, the hazard ratios declined with age. Relative and absolute risk was higher in males compared to females.

CONCLUSION

Independent of air pollution, transportation noise exposure is associated with all and cause-specific CVD mortality, with effects starting below current guideline limits.

Enhanced Sound Absorption Properties of Ceramics with Graphene Oxide Composites

Noise pollution is acknowledged as the main environmental problem and is as harmful to human physical and mental health as water and air pollution. However, the acoustic properties of traditional sound absorption materials in low frequency ranges still need to be improved. Herein, the low-frequency sound absorption coefficient of porous ceramics was further improved by coating a graphene oxide (GO) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) composite film inside the porous ceramics. The improved sound absorption coefficient of the porous composite reached 30.4% in the range of 200-800 Hz, which is attributed to the enhancement of the thermal viscous effect and the extension of the dissipation mechanism. Predictably, designing the morphology of three-dimensional interconnected porous structures on the microscale is comparatively useful for developing a porous sound absorbing material effective in middle- and low-frequency noise.

Risk of cardiovascular diseases in relation to substance use disorders

BACKGROUND

Substance use disorder (SUD) has become increasingly prevalent worldwide, this study investigated the associations of SUD and alcohol, cannabis, opioid, or stimulant use disorder with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 11 major CVD subtypes.

METHODS

This study was based on a 20% random sample of residents in British Columbia, Canada, who were aged 18 - 80 years at baseline on January 1, 2015. Using linked administrative health data during 2010 - 2014, we identified people with various SUDs and prevalent CVDs at baseline, and examined the cross-sectional associations between SUDs and CVDs. After excluding people with CVDs at baseline, we followed the cohort for 4 years to identify people who developed incident CVDs, and examined the longitudinal associations between SUDs and CVDs.

RESULTS

The cross-sectional analysis at baseline included 778,771 people (mean age 45 years, 50% male), 13,279 (1.7%) had SUD, and 41,573 (5.3%) had prevalent CVD. After adjusting for covariates, people with SUD were 2.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5 - 2.8) times more likely than people without SUD to have prevalent CVD. The longitudinal analysis included 617,863 people, 17,360 (2.8%) developed incident CVD during the follow-up period. After adjusting for covariates, people with SUD were 1.7 (95% CI, 1.6 - 1.9) times more likely than people without SUD to develop incident CVD. The cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were more pronounced for people with opioid or stimulant use disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

People with SUD are more likely to have prevalent CVD and develop incident CVD compared with people without SUD.

Investigating the effects of occupational and environmental noise on cardiovascular diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The present study aimed to use a meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between occupational and non-occupational noise exposure expressed in various studies with cardiovascular disease. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis study based on PRISMA checklist. In this study, the researchers searched five international databases of Medline/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ISI/web of knowledge, and Google Scholar. Search keywords included two categories noise and noise pollution, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. The Joanna Briggs Institute checklist was used to review and control the quality of the articles. After all screening stage 139 articles entered the final analysis. The results show that except for East African environmental studies and workplace studies in East Asia, Western Asia, and Northern Europe, there was a significant association between noise exposure and cardiovascular disease. Also, there was a significant difference between the intensity of sound and blood pressure in workers (OR = 1.28, CI 95%: 1.15-1.42, P < 0.001). Based on the results of environmental noise, there was a significant difference between ambient noise intensity and blood pressure (OR = 1.55, CI 95%: 1.53-1.57, P < 0.001). It can be concluded that it is very important to study and identify jobs or living environments with less than the recommended noise level and in addition to hearing aids that occur in over-standard exposures, such as cardiovascular disease.

Sex/Gender-Differences in the Health Effects of Environmental Noise Exposure on Hypertension and Ischemic Heart Disease-A Systematic Review

Previous studies have demonstrated cardiovascular health effects of environmental noise exposure, partly showing different effect estimates for males and females. This cannot be explained by biological differences between males and females alone. It is assumed that health outcomes and exposure patterns also depend on gender, determined by social, economic, and cultural factors in society. This systematic review evaluated the current state of how sex/gender is integrated in studies on environmental noise associated with hypertension, blood pressure, and ischemic heart diseases. A systematic literature search was conducted in three different databases, identifying thirty studies published between 1 January 2000 and 2 February 2020. Effects varied, with no consistent findings for both males and females. All studies used a binary operationalization of sex/gender, assuming static differences between males and females. The differentiation between biological and social dimensions of sex/gender was not present in any of the studies and the terms “sex” and “gender” were used interchangeably. However, biological and social dimensions of sex/gender were unconsciously taken up in the discussion of the results. Integrating sex/gender-theoretical concepts into future studies offers great potential to increase the validity of research findings, thus making them more useful for prevention efforts, health promotion, and health care.

Satellite Observation of Spatio-temporal Variations in Nitrogen Dioxide over West Africa and Implications for Regional Air Quality

BACKGROUND

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is known to affect human health, causing heart and cardiovascular diseases, and it has been shown that locations with long term NO₂ pollution recorded a high number of fatalities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are no ground stations monitoring emissions of NO₂ over West Africa. The present study aimed to use satellite observations to examine pollutant trends over this region.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the trend of NO₂ over the entire West Africa sub region in relationship to contributions to environmental emissions using satellite-derived data. This enables the assessment of West Africa regional air pollution hot spots in relationship to enhancing atmospheric factors. The results from this study will also be useful guidance for setting air quality standards for air pollution controls to minimize health hazards.

METHODS

The present study examined thirteen years of average monthly values of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) to determine the spatio-temporal variation of this pollutant over West Africa. Satellite data for NO₂ between 2005 and 2017 were used to determine the variation in pollution levels over West Africa. Correlations between NO₂ and meteorological variables (wind speed, rainfall and air temperature) were obtained to explain the influence of West African weather on the region's pollution accumulation.

RESULTS

The present study observed that NO₂ concentrations varied from place to place and from season to season. Nitrogen dioxide concentrations during the dry season were higher (sometimes 200% higher) than values observed in the wet season which ranged between 0.5 and 6×10¹⁵ molec/cm². Nitrogen dioxide north-south oscillation during the course of a year is largely controlled by the inter-tropical discontinuity (ITD) zone as high concentrations of NO₂ are found in the vicinity of the ITD where wind speeds and horizontal vorticity approaches zero. Correlation analysis between NO₂ and some atmospheric variables indicated NO₂ concentrations are well influenced by atmospheric variables showing bipolar signals depending on the season. An increasing trend of NO₂ was also found over selected cities of the region. This indicated that regional air quality is gradually deteriorating.

CONCLUSIONS

The implications of worsening regional air quality were examined in the light of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. The dominant atmospheric factor determining pollution episodes in the region is the inter-tropical discontinuity line which marks the meeting point between the two wind regimes over the region. Densely populated areas are characteristically prone to elevated pollution and have experienced high fatalities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COMPETING INTERESTS

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Effects of exposure to surrounding green, air pollution and traffic noise with non-accidental and cause-specific mortality in the Dutch national cohort

BACKGROUND

Everyday people are exposed to multiple environmental factors, such as surrounding green, air pollution and traffic noise. These exposures are generally spatially correlated. Hence, when estimating associations of surrounding green, air pollution or traffic noise with health outcomes, the other exposures should be taken into account. The aim of this study was to evaluate associations of long-term residential exposure to surrounding green, air pollution and traffic noise with mortality.

METHODS

We followed approximately 10.5 million adults (aged ≥ 30 years) living in the Netherlands from 1 January 2013 until 31 December 2018. We used Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate associations of residential surrounding green (including the average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in buffers of 300 and 1000 m), annual average ambient air pollutant concentrations [including particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2)] and traffic noise with non-accidental and cause-specific mortality, adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

In single-exposure models, surrounding green was negatively associated with all mortality outcomes, while air pollution was positively associated with all outcomes. In two-exposure models, associations of surrounding green and air pollution attenuated but remained. For respiratory mortality, in a two-exposure model with NO2 and NDVI 300 m, the HR of NO2 was 1.040 (95%CI: 1.022, 1.059) per IQR increase (8.3 µg/m3) and the HR of NDVI 300 m was 0.964 (95%CI: 0.952, 0.976) per IQR increase (0.14). Road-traffic noise was positively associated with lung cancer mortality only, also after adjustment for air pollution or surrounding green.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower surrounding green and higher air pollution were associated with a higher risk of non-accidental and cause-specific mortality. Studies including only one of these correlated exposures may overestimate the associations with mortality of that exposure.

Exposure to low-dose ambient fine particulate matter PM2.5 and Alzheimer's disease, non-Alzheimer's dementia, and Parkinson's disease in North Carolina

Alzheimer's disease (AD), non-AD dementia, and Parkinson's disease (PD) are increasingly common in older adults, yet all risk factors for their onset are not fully understood. Consequently, environmental exposures, including air pollution, have been hypothesized to contribute to the etiology of neurodegeneration. Because persistently elevated rates of AD mortality in the southern Piedmont area of North Carolina (NC) have been documented, we studied mortality and hospital admissions for AD, non-AD dementia, and PD in residential populations aged 65+ with long-term exposures to elevated levels of ambient air particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards (≥10μg/m3). Health data were obtained from the State Center for Health Statistics and the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. PM2.5 levels were obtained from the MODIS/MISR and SeaWiFS datafiles. Residents in the Study group of elevated air particulate matter (87 zip codes with PM2.5≥10μg/m3) were compared to the residents in the Control group with low levels of air particulate matter (81 zip codes with PM2.5≤7.61μg/m3), and were found to have higher age-adjusted rates of mortality and hospital admissions for AD, non-AD dementia, and PD, including a most pronounced increase in AD mortality (323/100,000 vs. 257/100,000, respectively). After adjustment for multiple co-factors, the risk of death (odds ratio, or OR) from AD in the Study group (OR = 1.35, 95%CI[1.24-1.48]) was significantly higher than ORs of non-AD dementia or PD (OR = 0.97, 95%CI[0.90-1.04] and OR = 1.13, 95%CI[0.92-1.31]). The OR of hospital admissions was significantly increased only for AD as a primary case of hospitalization (OR = 1.54, 95%CI[1.31-1.82]). Conclusion: NC residents aged 65+ with long-term exposures to ambient PM2.5 levels exceeding the WHO standard had significantly increased risks of death and hospital admissions for AD. The effects for non-AD dementia and PD were less pronounced.

Statistical Approaches for Forecasting Primary Air Pollutants: A Review

Air pollutant forecasting can be used to quantitatively estimate pollutant reduction trends. Combining bibliometrics with the evolutionary tree and Markov chain methods can achieve a superior quantitative analysis of research hotspots and trends. In this work, we adopted a bibliometric method to review the research status of statistical prediction methods for air pollution, used evolutionary trees to analyze the development trend of such research, and applied the Markov chain to predict future research trends for major air pollutants. The results indicate that papers mainly focused on the effects of air pollution on human diseases, urban pollution exposure models, and land use regression (LUR) methods. Particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and ozone (O3) were the most investigated pollutants. Artificial neural network (ANN) methods were preferred in studies of PM and O3, while LUR were more widely used in studies of NOx. Additionally, multi-method hybrid techniques gradually became the most widely used approach between 2010 and 2018. In the future, the statistical prediction of air pollution is expected to be based on a mixed method to simultaneously predict multiple pollutants, and the interaction between pollutants will be the most challenging aspect of research on air pollution prediction. The research results summarized in this paper provide technical support for the accurate prediction of atmospheric pollution and the emergency management of regional air quality.

Short-term air pollution exposure is associated with lower severity and mixed features of manic episodes in hospitalized bipolar patients: A cross-sectional study in Milan, Italy

Bipolar Disorder (BD) alternates depressive, manic or hypomanic phases. A manic episode (ME) is the main psychopathological condition of BD and it often requires hospitalization. Air pollution is thought to play a role in onset and exacerbation of several psychiatric disorders. We aimed to verify the association between exposure to particulate matter ≤10 μm (PM10) and ME severity, assessed through the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). We evaluated clinical records regarding 414 hospital admissions of 186 patients residing in Milan (Italy), hospitalized for ME in the Psychiatry Unit of the Policlinico Hospital from 2007 to 2019. Patients were assigned mean daily PM10 and apparent temperature levels of the Milan municipality. As exposure windows, we considered single days preceding hospitalization (lag0 to 7) and their average estimates (lag0-1 to 0-7). We applied mixed effect models, adjusted for relevant confounders. Short-term PM10 exposure was associated with a reduction in YMRS, both when considering daily lags [β: -0.43 (95% Confidence Interval: -0.83; -0.03) at lag0] and their average [-0.47 (-0.90; -0.04) at lag0-1]. YMRS was higher in psychotic patients (24.8) and lower in ME with mixed components (15.5) if compared to episodes characterized by neither mixed nor psychotic features (17.4, p < 0.001). While PM10 did not influence the risk of psychotic symptoms at admission, it was associated with a higher risk of ME with mixed features, with Odds Ratios ranging from 2.43 (1.02; 5.76) at lag0 to 3.60 (1.22; 10.7) at lag0-2. Our findings show that increasing levels of PM10 move the ME towards the depressive pole of the BD spectrum and augment the probability of hospitalization for ME with mixed components. These results have important clinical implications, as mixed features worsen the course of ME and make the management of bipolar patients challenging.

Associations of co-exposures to air pollution and noise with psychological stress in space and time: A case study in Beijing, China

Air pollution and noise are both ubiquitous environmental stressors that pose great threats to public health. Emerging evidence has noticed the combined health risks caused by the coexistence of traffic-related air pollutants and noise in the residential context. However, less is known about how mobile individuals are simultaneously exposed to multiple sources of air pollution and noise, and thus respond with more acute psychological responses beyond the residence. This study examines the co-exposures to fine particles (PM_2.5) and noise across spatiotemporal contexts where the concurrent exposures are jointly associated with momentary psychological stress. An innovative research protocol, including GPS-equipped activity-travel diaries, air pollutant and noise sensors, and ecological momentary assessment, was adopted to collect real-time data from a sample of residents in Beijing, China. The results showed a minor correlation between PM_2.5 and noise exposures after accounting for individual mobility and the spatiotemporal dynamics of these two environmental pollutants. Further, exposure to PM_2.5 was more associated with momentary psychological stress given the insignificant independent effect and the weak moderating effect of noise exposure. Three specific spatiotemporal contexts involving the health risks of co-exposures were delineated, including morning rush hours and traveling by public transits with intensified stress risks caused by combined exposures to air pollution and noise, workplaces with counteracting stress effect of both exposures, and evening time at home with stress-induced air pollution and stress-relieving social noise. In conclusion, the mobility-based and context-aware analysis provides a more nuanced understanding of the associations of co-exposures to environmental pollution and synchronous psychological stress in space and time.

Snoring: a source of noise pollution and sleep apnea predictor

Snoring is a highly prevalent condition associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sleep disturbance in bed partners. Objective measurements of snoring in the community, however, are limited. The present study was designed to measure sound levels produced by self-reported habitual snorers in a single night. Snorers were excluded if they reported nocturnal gasping or had severe obesity (BMI > 35 kg/m2). Sound was measured by a monitor mounted 65 cm over the head of the bed on an overnight sleep study. Snoring was defined as sound ≥40 dB(A) during flow limited inspirations. The apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and breath-by-breath peak decibel levels were measured. Snore breaths were tallied to determine the frequency and intensity of snoring. Regression models were used to determine the relationship between objective measures of snoring and OSA (AHI ≥ 5 events/h). The area under the curve (AUC) for the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to predict OSA. Snoring intensity exceeded 45 dB(A) in 66% of the 162 participants studied, with 14% surpassing the 53 dB(A) threshold for noise pollution. Snoring intensity and frequency were independent predictors of OSA. AUCs for snoring intensity and frequency were 77% and 81%, respectively, and increased to 87% and 89%, respectively, with the addition of age and sex as predictors. Snoring represents a source of noise pollution in the bedroom and constitutes an important target for mitigating sound and its adverse effects on bed partners. Precise breath-by-breath identification and quantification of snoring also offers a way to risk stratify otherwise healthy snorers for OSA.

Residential traffic noise exposure and headaches: Results from the population-based heinz nixdorf recall study

Context and aim

The link between headaches and exposure to loud noise in occupational settings has been established. However, the effect of less intense but chronic residential traffic noise exposure on headache occurrence is less clear.

Settings and design

We included 3,025 participants from the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study in Germany for this cross-sectional analysis.

Methods and material

Residential road traffic noise exposure at the 2006-2008 address was modelled in A-weighted decibels (dB(A)) according to the European Noise Directive (2002/49/EC) for 24-hour (L_den) and night-time noise (22-6 h, L_night). Indoor traffic noise exposure was obtained by modifying L_den and L_night based on residence orientation, window type, and personal window opening habits. Traffic noise exposure below 55, 45 dB(A), 35 and 25 dB(A) were set as the reference for L_den, L_night, L_den,indoor and L_night,indoor, respectively. Average number of days with headache per month over the past three months was ascertained during the follow-up (2011-2015) medical interview.

Statistical analysis used

Prevalence Odds Ratios (POR) of having eight or more headaches per month per 5 dB(A) increase in traffic noise exposure were calculated using logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex, sport, number of chronic conditions, years of education and smoking status.

Results

The mean age of participants was 58.3. Mean L_den was 54 dB(A). Median monthly headache days was one. No association was seen between traffic noise exposure and having ≥8 headaches/month for all the examined traffic noise indicators. However, traffic noise was positively associated with traffic noise-annoyance and insomnia; and night-time traffic noise-annoyance and insomnia were positively associated with headache.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our data did not provide any evidence for an association between chronic traffic noise exposure and prevalence of headaches at this population's exposure levels. This should be explored in different populations given that this is the first study of its type and that noise exposure was generally low in our population.

Response of the Cardiac Autonomic Control to Exposure to Nanoparticles and Noise: A Cross-Sectional Study of Airport Ground Staff

Airport activity causes the emission of particulate matter and noise, two environmental contaminants and potential health hazards, particularly for the personnel operating nearby taxiways. We explored the association between exposure to fine/ultrafine particles (UFPs) and noise with heart rate variability (HRV), an early indicator of cardiovascular autonomic response, among a sample of airport ground staff. Between May and June 2018, thirty-four male operators (mean age = 43 years and SD = 6.7) underwent personal monitoring of exposure to nanoparticles and noise, and HRV during their work activity. We conducted univariate and multivariate analysis to test the effect of UFP and noise exposure HRV. Total Lung Deposition Surface Area (LDSA) was significantly associated with a decrease in HRV Total Power and Triangular index (β = -0.038 p = 0.016 and β = -7.8 × 10-5, p = 0.042, respectively). Noise peak level showed an opposite effect, which was significant for Total Power (β = 153.03, p = 0.027), and for Triangular index (β = 0.362, p = 0.035). Further investigation is warranted to clarify the effect of the concurrent exposure to UFPs and noise on early changes of cardiac autonomic regulation.

NO2 levels as a contributing factor to COVID-19 deaths: The first empirical estimate of threshold values

This study represents the first empirical estimation of threshold values between nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations and COVID-19-related deaths in France. The concentration of NO₂ linked to COVID-19-related deaths in three major French cities were determined using Artificial Neural Networks experiments and a Causal Direction from Dependency (D2C) algorithm. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential effects of NO₂ in spreading the epidemic. The underlying hypothesis is that NO₂, as a precursor to secondary particulate matter formation, can foster COVID-19 and make the respiratory system more susceptible to this infection. Three different neural networks for the cities of Paris, Lyon and Marseille were built in this work, followed by the application of an innovative tool of cutting the signal from the inputs to the selected target. The results show that the threshold levels of NO₂ connected to COVID-19 range between 15.8 μg/m³ for Lyon, 21.8 μg/m³ for Marseille and 22.9 μg/m³ for Paris, which were significantly lower than the average annual concentration limit of 40 μg/m³ imposed by Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament.

The determinants of COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) in the Italian regions and provinces: An analysis of environmental, demographic, and healthcare factors

The Italian government has been one of the most responsive to COVID-2019 emergency, through the adoption of quick and increasingly stringent measures to contain the outbreak. Despite this, Italy has suffered a huge human and social cost, especially in Lombardy. The aim of this paper is dual: i) first, to investigate the reasons of the case fatality rate (CFR) differences across Italian 20 regions and 107 provinces, using a multivariate OLS regression approach; and ii) second, to build a "taxonomy" of provinces with similar mortality risk of COVID-19, by using the Ward's hierarchical agglomerative clustering method. I considered health system metrics, environmental pollution, climatic conditions, demographic variables, and three ad hoc indexes that represent the health system saturation. The results showed that overall health care efficiency, physician density, and average temperature helped to reduce the CFR. By the contrary, population aged 70 and above, car and firm density, air pollutants concentrations (NO₂, O₃, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5), relative average humidity, COVID-19 prevalence, and all three indexes of health system saturation were positively associated with the CFR. Population density, social vertical integration, and altitude were not statistically significant. In particular, the risk of dying increases with age, as 90 years old and above had a three-fold greater risk than the 80-to-89 years old and four-fold greater risk than 70-to-79 years old. Moreover, the cluster analysis showed that the highest mortality risk was concentrated in the north of the country, while the lowest risk was associated with southern provinces. Finally, since prevalence and health system saturation indexes played the most important role in explaining the CFR variability, a significant part of the latter may have been caused by the massive stress of the Italian health system.

Associations of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution with risk of valvular heart disease based on a cross-sectional study

Emerging evidence demonstrated that traffic-related air pollution induced adverse effects on cardiovascular system. We designed a population-based cross-sectional study to explore the association between residential proximity to major roadways, traffic density and the prevalence of valvular heart disease (VHD). A total of 34040 subjects from a Rural Health Project between 2013 and 2018 were collected. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 4158 participants were enrolled in the final analysis. And we calculated the subjects' proximity to major roadways and collected the traffic density on the major roadways. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was performed to diagnose the VHD, according to the current AHA/ACC (the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology) guidelines. Differences between groups were examined by the one-way ANOVAs for continuous variables and the chi-square tests for categorical variables. A logistic regression models were used to assess the associations. The stratified analysis by age and sex were conducted to further analyze the association. The restricted cubic spline analysis was performed to further evaluate the association between road way distance and VHD. Bonferroni test was used to adjust the significance level. The subjects closer to the major roads had the higher risk of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) (odds risk, OR = 1.519, 95% confidence intervals, 95%CI: 1.058-2.181), especially in female. The risk of VHD was positive (high traffic density VS low traffic density, OR = 1.799, 95%CI: 1.221-2.651), especially in female. In addition, the high traffic density was associated with the risk of mitral regurgitation (MR) (OR = 1.758, 95%CI: 1.085-2.848). The restricted cubic spline analysis found a threshold distance of about 300 m, where had the lowest risk of VHD, aortic regurgitation (AR), MR, TR. Our results found a positive association between traffic-related air pollution and VHD especially in female.

Long-term exposure to traffic noise and mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological evidence between 2000 and 2020

We aimed to update the evidence-base of long-term noise exposures from road, rail, and aircraft traffic on both non-accidental and cardiovascular mortality. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. The literature was searched using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE for the period between January 01, 2000 and October 05, 2020. 13 studies were selected for final review. The risk of bias and overall quality of evidence was evaluated using a pre-defined list of criteria. Risk estimates from each study were converted into per 10 dB higher of L_den for each traffic source. Inverse-Variance heterogeneity (I-Vhet) meta-analysis was used to pool these individual risk estimates, along with assessment of heterogeneity and publication bias. Sensitivity analyses include using random-effect model and leave-one-out meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses by study design and noise exposure assessment were conducted to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. For road traffic, the pooled relative risk (RR) per 10 dB higher L_den for mortality from non-accidental causes was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.05) (5 studies, I² = 78%), CVD was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.05) (5 studies, I² = 41%), ischemic heart disease (IHD) was 1.03 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.08) (7 studies, I² = 46%), and stroke was 1.05 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.14) (5 studies, I² = 62%). The overall quality of evidence for most meta-analyses was rated as very low to low, except for CVD or IHD mortality, for which the quality of evidence was rated as moderate. A possible threshold of 53 dB was visually suggested for CVD-related mortality from road traffic noise in the trend analysis. For aircraft noise, pooled estimates were based on fewer studies and varied by mortality outcomes. Evidence of long-term exposure to traffic noise on mortality remains weak except the association between road traffic noise and IHD mortality. High-quality longitudinal studies are required to better characterise mortality effects of traffic noise.

Sound Water Masking to Match a Waterfront Soundscape with the Users’ Expectations: The Case Study of the Seafront in Naples, Italy

In the last decades, the soundscape approach has attracted the attention of architects and urban planners, leading them to incorporate the acoustic features into the enjoyment of their creations. One of the key aspects for an appreciated urban environment is to match the expectations of the users. In this study, the matching of the waterfront soundscape with the users’ expectations is evaluated by laboratory tests using semantic differential scales applied to reproduced virtual scenarios obtained adding different water sound pressure levels (SPLs) to the original in-situ setting. The tests were carried out by an immersive virtual reality (IVR) device, using 360° videos and spatial audio recorded in two sites of the waterfront in Naples, Italy. The scenarios were presented to the participants according to three experimental protocols, namely audio-only (A), video-only (V), and simultaneous audio-video (AV) reproduction. The examined different acoustic scenarios were the original one recorded in situ and others obtained adding seawater sounds at SPL increments of 5 dB. The results show that all the scenarios with water sounds added are rated more pleasant than the original one for the audio-only scenario. When video and audio are displayed simultaneously, two scenarios are more pleasant than the original one, likely because there is a need for coherence between the water sound SPL heard and the visible noise sources. Sounds coherent with the type of shore show a higher matching with expectations and pleasantness appraisals, rather than those that are uncoherent with the layout scenario.

Multifunctional Textiles/Metal-Organic Frameworks Composites for Efficient Ultraviolet Radiation Blocking and Noise Reduction

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and noise are the ubiquitous environmental hazards with considerable detrimental effects on the physiological and psychological health of humans. Exploiting efficient protective materials that can be extensively used in daily life for simultaneous anti-UVR and noise mitigation will be of crucial importance, but it is still a significant challenge in materials design. Herein, we developed a series of protective textiles for efficient anti-UVR and noise reduction via MOFs nanocrystal-modified cotton textiles. The formation of MOFs@cotton textiles was confirmed by using electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The fabricated MOFs@cotton textiles exhibited substantial improvement in the UVR blocking and acoustic absorption properties compared to blank cotton textiles. Therefore, this work provides a good strategy for designing and preparing multifunctional protective textiles.

Manuscript title: Long─term residential exposure to environmental/transportation noise and the incidence of myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular effects of environmental noise are a growing concern. However, the evidence remains largely limited to the association between road traffic noise and hypertension and coronary heart diseases.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the association between long-term residential exposure to environmental/transportation noise and the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) in the adult population living in Montreal.

METHODS

An open cohort of adults aged 45 years old and over, living on the island of Montreal and free of MI before entering the cohort was created for the years 2000-2014 with the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System; a systematic surveillance system from the Canadian province of Quebec starting in 1996. Residential noise exposure was calculated in three ways: 1) total ambient noise levels estimated by Land use regression (LUR) models; 2) road traffic noise estimated by a noise propagation model CadnaA and 3) distances to transportation sources (roads, airport, railways). Incident MI was based on diagnostic codes in hospital admission records. Cox models with time-varying exposures (age as the time axis) were used to estimate the associations with various adjustments (material deprivation indicator, calendar year, nitrogen dioxide, stratification for sex). Indirect adjustment based on ancillary data for smoking was performed.

RESULTS

1,065,414 individuals were followed (total of 9,000,443 person-years) and 40,718 (3.8%) developed MI. We found positive associations between total environmental noise, estimated by LUR models and the incidence of MI. Total noise LUR levels ranged from ~44 to ~79 dBA and varied slightly with the metric used. The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) (also adjusted for smoking) were 1.12 (95% Confidence Intervals [CI]: 1.08-1.15), 1.11 (95%CI: 1.07-1.14) and 1.10 (95%CI: 1.06-1.14) per 10 dBA noise levels increase respectively in Level Accoustic equivalent 24 h (LAeq24 h), Level day-evening-night (Lden) and night level (Lnight). We found a borderline negative association between road noise levels estimated with CadnaA and MI (HR: 0.99 per 10 dBA; 95%CI: 0.98-1.00). Distances to major roads and highways were not associated with MI while the proximity to railways was positively associated with MI (HR for ≤100 vs > 1000 m: 1.07; 95%CI: 1.01-1.14). A negative association was found with the proximity to the airport noise exposure forecast (NEF25); HR (<1 vs >1000 m) = 0.88 (95%CI: 0.81-0.96).

CONCLUSIONS

These associations suggest that exposure to total environmental noise at current urban levels may be related to the incidence of MI. Additional studies with more accurate road noise estimates are needed to explain the counterintuitive associations with road noise and specific transportation sources.

Occupational Noise: Auditory and Non-Auditory Consequences

Occupational noise exposure accounts for approximately 16% of all disabling hearing losses, but the true value and societal costs may be grossly underestimated because current regulations only identify hearing impairments in the workplace if exposures result in audiometric threshold shifts within a limited frequency region. Research over the past several decades indicates that occupational noise exposures can cause other serious auditory deficits such as tinnitus, hyperacusis, extended high-frequency hearing loss, and poor speech perception in noise. Beyond the audiogram, there is growing awareness that hearing loss is a significant risk factor for other debilitating and potentially life-threatening disorders such as cardiovascular disease and dementia. This review discusses some of the shortcomings and limitations of current noise regulations in the United States and Europe.

Estimating the health benefits associated with a speed limit reduction to thirty kilometres per hour: A health impact assessment of noise and road traffic crashes for the Swiss city of Lausanne

Reductions of speed limits for road traffic are effective in reducing casualties, and are also increasingly promoted as an effective way to reduce noise exposure. The aim of this study was to estimate the health benefits of the implementation of 30 km/h speed limits in the city of Lausanne (136'077 inhabitants) under different scenarios addressing exposure to noise and road crashes. The study followed a standard methodology for quantitative health impact assessments to derive the number of attributable cases in relation to relevant outcomes. We compared a reference scenario (without any 30 km/h speed limits) to the current situation with partial speed limits and additional scenarios with further implementation of 30 km/h speed limits, including a whole city scenario. Compared to the reference scenario, noise reduction due to the current speed limit situation was estimated to annually prevent 1 cardiovascular death, 72 hospital admissions from cardiovascular disease, 17 incident diabetes cases, 1'127 individuals being highly annoyed and 918 individuals reporting sleep disturbances from noise. Health benefits from a reduction in road traffic crashes were less pronounced (1 severe injury and 4 minor injuries). The whole city speed reduction scenario more than doubled the annual benefits, and was the only scenario that contributed to a reduction in mortality from road traffic crashes (one death per two years). Implementing 30 km/h speed limits in a city yields health benefits due to reduction in road traffic crashes and noise exposure. We found that the benefit from noise reduction was more relevant than safety benefits.