Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and road traffic noise and asthma incidence in adults: The Danish Nurse cohort

BackgroundWhile air pollution has been linked to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), evidence on the role of environmental noise is just emerging. We examined the associations of long-term exposure to air pollution and road traffic noise with COPD incidence.MethodsWe defined COPD incidence for 24 538 female nurses from the Danish Nurse Cohort (age>44 years) as the first hospital contact between baseline (1993 or 1999) and 2015. We estimated residential annual mean concentrations of particulate matter with diameter<2.5 µm (PM2.5) since 1990 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) since 1970 by the Danish DEHM/UBM/AirGIS modeling system, and road traffic noise (Lden) since 1970 by the Nord2000 model. Time-varying Cox regression models were applied to assess the associations of air pollution and road traffic noise with COPD incidence.Results977 nurses developed COPD during 18.6 years’ mean follow-up. We observed associations with COPD for all three exposures with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 1.19 (1.01, 1.41) per 6.26 µg·m−3 for PM2.5, 1.13 (1.05, 1.20) per 8.19 µg·m−3 for NO2, and 1.15 (1.06, 1.25) per 10 dB for Lden. Associations with NO2 and Lden attenuated slightly after mutual adjustment, but were robust to adjustment for PM2.5. Associations with PM2.5 were attenuated to null after adjustment for either NO2 or Lden. No potential interaction effect was observed between air pollutants and noise.ConclusionsLong-term exposure to air pollution, especially traffic-related NO2, and road traffic noise were independently associated with COPD.

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Exposure to long-term air pollution and road traffic noise in relation to cholesterol: A cross-sectional study

Environment International ◽

10.1016/j.envint.2015.09.021 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 85 ◽

pp. 238-243 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Mette Sørensen ◽

Dorrit Hjortebjerg ◽

Kirsten T. Eriksen ◽

Matthias Ketzel ◽

Anne Tjønneland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

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Long-term exposure to road traffic noise and stroke incidence: a Danish Nurse Cohort study

Environmental Health ◽

10.1186/s12940-021-00802-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tom Cole-Hunter ◽

Christian Dehlendorff ◽

Heresh Amini ◽

Amar Mehta ◽

Youn-Hee Lim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

World Health ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Stroke Incidence ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract Background Road traffic noise has been linked to increased risk of ischemic heart disease, yet evidence on stroke shows mixed results. We examine the association between long-term exposure to road traffic noise and incidence of stroke, overall and by subtype (ischemic or hemorrhagic), after adjustment for air pollution. Methods Twenty-five thousand six hundred and sixty female nurses from the Danish Nurse Cohort recruited in 1993 or 1999 were followed for stroke-related first-ever hospital contact until December 31st, 2014. Full residential address histories since 1970 were obtained and annual means of road traffic noise (Lden [dB]) and air pollutants (particulate matter with diameter < 2.5 μm and < 10 μm [PM2.5 and PM10], nitrogen dioxide [NO2], nitrogen oxides [NOx]) were determined using validated models. Time-varying Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) (95% confidence intervals [CI]) for the associations of one-, three-, and 23-year running means of Lden preceding stroke (all, ischemic or hemorrhagic), adjusting for stroke risk factors and air pollutants. The World Health Organization and the Danish government’s maximum exposure recommendations of 53 and 58 dB, respectively, were explored as potential Lden thresholds. Results Of 25,660 nurses, 1237 developed their first stroke (1089 ischemic, 148 hemorrhagic) during 16 years mean follow-up. For associations between a 1-year mean of Lden and overall stroke incidence, the estimated HR (95% CI) in the fully adjusted model was 1.06 (0.98–1.14) per 10 dB, which attenuated to 1.01 (0.93–1.09) and 1.00 (0.91–1.09) in models further adjusted for PM2.5 or NO2, respectively. Associations for other exposure periods or separately for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke were similar. There was no evidence of a threshold association between Lden and stroke. Conclusions Long-term exposure to road traffic noise was suggestively positively associated with the risk of overall stroke, although not after adjusting for air pollution.

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