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Samoli E, Stergiopoulou A, Santana P, Rodopoulou S, Mitsakou C, Dimitroulopoulou C, Bauwelinck M, de Hoogh K, Costa C, Marí-Dell'Olmo M, Corman D, Vardoulakis S, Katsouyanni K. Spatial variability in air pollution exposure in relation to socioeconomic indicators in nine European metropolitan areas: A study on environmental inequality. Environ Pollut 2019; 249:345-353. [PMID: 30909127 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.03050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
A limited number of studies have addressed environmental inequality, using various study designs and methodologies and often reaching contradictory results. Following a standardized multi-city data collection process within the European project EURO-HEALTHY, we conducted an ecological study to investigate the spatial association between nitrogen dioxide (NO2), as a surrogate for traffic related air pollution, and ten socioeconomic indicators at local administrative unit level in nine European Metropolitan Areas. We applied mixed models for the associations under investigation with random intercepts per Metropolitan Area, also accounting for the spatial correlation. The stronger associations were observed between NO2 levels and population density, population born outside the European Union (EU28), total crimes per 100,000 inhabitants and unemployment rate that displayed a highly statistically significant trend of increasing concentrations with increasing levels of the indicators. Specifically, the highest vs the lowest quartile of each indicator above was associated with 48.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 42.9%, 54.8%), 30.9% (95%CI: 22.1%, 40.2%), 19.8% (95%CI: 13.4%, 26.6%) and 15.8% (95%CI: 9.9%, 22.1%) increase in NO2 respectively. The association with population density most probably reflects the higher volume in vehicular traffic, which is the main source of NO2 in urban areas. Higher pollution levels in areas with higher percentages of people born outside EU28, crime or unemployment rates indicate that worse air quality is typically encountered in deprived European urban areas. Policy makers should consider spatial environmental inequalities to better inform actions aiming to lower urban air pollution levels that will subsequently lead to improved quality of life, public health and health equity across the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Samoli
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
| | - A Stergiopoulou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - P Santana
- Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning, Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - S Rodopoulou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - C Mitsakou
- Environmental Hazards and Emergencies Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, UK
| | - C Dimitroulopoulou
- Environmental Hazards and Emergencies Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, UK
| | - M Bauwelinck
- Interface Demography - Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
| | - K de Hoogh
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - C Costa
- Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning, Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - M Marí-Dell'Olmo
- Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain; Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
| | - D Corman
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinksa Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - S Vardoulakis
- Environmental Hazards and Emergencies Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, UK; Institute of Occupational Medicine, UK
| | - K Katsouyanni
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; Department Population Health Sciences and Department of Analytical, Environmental and Forensic Sciences, School of Population Health & Environmental Sciences, King's College London, UK
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Samoli E, Stergiopoulou A, Santana P, Rodopoulou S, Mitsakou C, Dimitroulopoulou C, Bauwelinck M, de Hoogh K, Costa C, Marí-Dell'Olmo M, Corman D, Vardoulakis S, Katsouyanni K. Spatial variability in air pollution exposure in relation to socioeconomic indicators in nine European metropolitan areas: A study on environmental inequality. Environ Pollut 2019; 249:345-353. [PMID: 30909127 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.03.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
A limited number of studies have addressed environmental inequality, using various study designs and methodologies and often reaching contradictory results. Following a standardized multi-city data collection process within the European project EURO-HEALTHY, we conducted an ecological study to investigate the spatial association between nitrogen dioxide (NO2), as a surrogate for traffic related air pollution, and ten socioeconomic indicators at local administrative unit level in nine European Metropolitan Areas. We applied mixed models for the associations under investigation with random intercepts per Metropolitan Area, also accounting for the spatial correlation. The stronger associations were observed between NO2 levels and population density, population born outside the European Union (EU28), total crimes per 100,000 inhabitants and unemployment rate that displayed a highly statistically significant trend of increasing concentrations with increasing levels of the indicators. Specifically, the highest vs the lowest quartile of each indicator above was associated with 48.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 42.9%, 54.8%), 30.9% (95%CI: 22.1%, 40.2%), 19.8% (95%CI: 13.4%, 26.6%) and 15.8% (95%CI: 9.9%, 22.1%) increase in NO2 respectively. The association with population density most probably reflects the higher volume in vehicular traffic, which is the main source of NO2 in urban areas. Higher pollution levels in areas with higher percentages of people born outside EU28, crime or unemployment rates indicate that worse air quality is typically encountered in deprived European urban areas. Policy makers should consider spatial environmental inequalities to better inform actions aiming to lower urban air pollution levels that will subsequently lead to improved quality of life, public health and health equity across the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Samoli
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
| | - A Stergiopoulou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - P Santana
- Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning, Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - S Rodopoulou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - C Mitsakou
- Environmental Hazards and Emergencies Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, UK
| | - C Dimitroulopoulou
- Environmental Hazards and Emergencies Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, UK
| | - M Bauwelinck
- Interface Demography - Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
| | - K de Hoogh
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - C Costa
- Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning, Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - M Marí-Dell'Olmo
- Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain; Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
| | - D Corman
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinksa Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - S Vardoulakis
- Environmental Hazards and Emergencies Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, UK; Institute of Occupational Medicine, UK
| | - K Katsouyanni
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; Department Population Health Sciences and Department of Analytical, Environmental and Forensic Sciences, School of Population Health & Environmental Sciences, King's College London, UK
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