Annoyance in Response to Vibrations from Railways

Rail transport is a key stepping stone in the EU’s transport policy and is pinpointed for investment and growth over the coming decades. This expanding infrastructure implies increased exposure to environmental stressors, such as noise and ground-borne vibrations. Little is known about the health impacts of exposure to these vibrations. The aim of this paper is to examine the association between annoyance from rail vibrations and the distance of residential dwelling from the railway. It reports the first results of a large epidemiological study, EpiVib, which was designed to investigate the long-term health effects of exposure to rail vibrations. The first part of this study examines a self-reported questionnaire. In total, 6894 individuals aged between 18 and 80 living within 1 km of a railway in west Sweden participated. Results presented here examine the association between distance to the railway and annoyance from vibrations and are stratified by train type. A positive association between closer distance and increased annoyance is seen. After adjustment for important modifiers, results showed that vibrations from freight trains and maintenance operations are reported to be moderately and highly annoying at distances of up to 400 m from the railway and diesel up to 300 m. Vibration from passenger and fast trains are significantly annoying up to 200 m from the track. Vibration from freight trains and maintenance operations were considered highly annoying up to 300 m from the track, diesel up to 400 m. Vibration from passenger and fast trains are not reported to be highly annoying after adjustment. Heavier, slower moving locomotives, in the form of diesel and freight trains, appear to be the source of annoyance at distances further from the railway compared to passenger and fast trains. This has implications in terms of property, transport, and infrastructure planning.

Download Full-text

Epidemiological Study on Long-Term Health Effects of Wind Turbine Noise in Japan

ISEE Conference Abstracts ◽

10.1289/isesisee.2018.p02.0580 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tatsuya Ishitake

Keyword(s):

Wind Turbine ◽

Health Effects ◽

Epidemiological Study ◽

Wind Turbine Noise

Download Full-text

Perspectives on the Health Effects of Hurricanes: A Review and Challenges

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052756 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2756

Author(s):

Samantha L. Waddell ◽

Dushyantha T. Jayaweera ◽

Mehdi Mirsaeidi ◽

John C. Beier ◽

Naresh Kumar

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Natural Disasters ◽

Health Effects ◽

Time Lag ◽

Health Impact ◽

Environmental Stressors ◽

Health Impacts ◽

Biochemical Characteristics ◽

Hurricane Impact

Hurricanes are devastating natural disasters which dramatically modify the physical landscape and alter the socio-physical and biochemical characteristics of the environment, thus exposing the affected communities to new environmental stressors, which persist for weeks to months after the hurricane. This paper has three aims. First, it conceptualizes potential direct and indirect health effects of hurricanes and provides an overview of factors that exacerbate the health effects of hurricanes. Second, it summarizes the literature on the health impact of hurricanes. Finally, it examines the time lag between the hurricane (landfall) and the occurrence of diseases. Two major findings emerge from this paper. Hurricanes are shown to cause and exacerbate multiple diseases, and most adverse health impacts peak within six months following hurricanes. However, chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and mental disorders, continue to occur for years following the hurricane impact.

Download Full-text

First Results of a Long-Term Epidemiological Study on Low-Level Microwave Exposure of Rats

2006 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest ◽

10.1109/mwsym.2006.249718 ◽

2006 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Dirk Adang ◽

Andre Vorst

Keyword(s):

Epidemiological Study ◽

Microwave Exposure ◽

Low Level ◽

First Results

Download Full-text

Can exposure to second-hand cannabis smoke be harmful?

BCIT Environmental Public Health Journal ◽

10.47339/ephj.2020.20 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tegbir Kaur ◽

BCIT School of Health Sciences, Environmental Health ◽

Helen Heacock

Keyword(s):

Health Effects ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

General Public ◽

Smoking Status ◽

Age Groups ◽

Health Impacts ◽

Chest Tightness ◽

The Government ◽

Recreational Use

Background: Canada legalized the use of cannabis for recreational purposes in October 2018. To ensure public health and safety, the Cannabis Act was also introduced by the Government of Canada in 2018. This Act does not permit smoking cannabis in restricted areas. However, people still smoke in public places, thus, exposing the general public to second-hand cannabis smoke (SHCS). As cannabis is an emerging topic and the legalization of cannabis for recreational use is still recent, the long-term health effects of SHCS is unknown. However, the perceived immediate health impacts of SHCS can be examined to better understand its long-term health effects on human body. Methods: An online survey was conducted, targeting residents of British Columbia (Canada) with differing smoking status, gender, education level and age groups, to determine the differences in perceived immediate health impacts and/or concerns from exposure to SHCS. The survey consisted of sixteen questions divided into three sections, covering demographic information, exposure to SHCS and perceived immediate health impacts and/or concerns about SHCS. The data was analyzed using Chi-square tests. Results: A total of 159 participants took part in this survey. The results showed no associations between exposure to SCHS and perceived immediate health impacts. This could be due to the legalization of cannabis for recreational use being so recent. However, headaches, coughing, chest tightness and irritation to eyes are a few perceived immediate health impacts experienced by 41 out of 139 participants (30%) after exposure to SHCS. This study also found that age and place of exposure may not affect the likelihood of experiencing perceived immediate health impacts. However, females and cannabis non-users are more likely to experience perceived immediate health impacts compared to males and cannabis users, with p = 0.01 and 000003, respectively. Conclusion: The findings of this study identified a few perceived immediate health impacts associated with SHCS such as headaches, coughing, chest tightness and eye irritation. However, the study indicates that there is an inadequate scientific knowledge regarding the long-term health effects from exposure to SHCS as well as the variation in health effects among different age groups, gender, smoking status and place of exposure. As a result, precautionary steps should be taken now to minimize its ill-effects in future. The government should provide tools to aide researchers and health care professionals to conduct in-depth research on SHCS and its health effects. Moreover, initiatives should be taken to educate general public about cannabis smoke, its composition, associated health effects and legislation.

Download Full-text

P3393 Symptomatic type a aortic dissection: in hospital and long-term results

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1016/s0195-668x(03)96019-2 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 24 (5) ◽

pp. 653

Author(s):

R FAVALORO

Keyword(s):

Aortic Dissection ◽

Type A ◽

Long Term Results ◽

Type A Aortic Dissection

Download Full-text

Stents for the Treatment of Aortic Aneurysms

Thrombosis and Haemostasis ◽

10.1055/s-0037-1615578 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 82 (S 01) ◽

pp. 171-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. Ebert ◽

M. Langer ◽

P. Uhrmeister

Keyword(s):

Endovascular Treatment ◽

Endovascular Repair ◽

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms ◽

Aortic Aneurysms ◽

Imaging Modalities ◽

Exclusion Criteria ◽

Multicenter Studies ◽

Abdominal Aortic ◽

First Results

SummaryThe endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms has generated a great deal of interest since the early 1990s, and many different devices are currently available. The procedure of endovascular repair has been evaluated in many institutions and the different devices are compared. The first results were encouraging, but complications like endoleak, dislocation or thrombosis of the graft occurred. By the available devices the stent application is only promising, if the known exclusion criteria are strictly respected. Therefore a careful preinterventional assessment of the patient by different imaging modalities is necessary. As the available results up to now are preliminary and the durability of the devices has to be controlled, multicenter studies are required to improve the devices and observe their long- term success in the exclusion of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Download Full-text