Search

Air pollution from traffic and other sources is an established cause of premature mortality (Brook et al. 2010). A relevant part of this environmental burden of disease relates to cardiovascular [...]

ABSTRACT In this study, long-term aerosol particle total number concentration measurements in five metropolitan areas across Europe are presented. The measurements have been carried out in Augsburg, Barcelona, Helsinki, Rome, [...]

Background: Traffic noise has been associated with prevalence of hypertension, but reports are inconsistent for blood pressure (BP). To ascertain noise effects and to disentangle them from those suspected to be from traffic-related air pollution, it may be essential to estimate people's noise exposure indoors in bedrooms. OBJECTIVES: We analyzed associations between long-term exposure to indoor traffic noise in bedrooms and prevalent hypertension and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) BP, considering long-term exposure to outdoor nitrogen dioxide (N[O.sub.2]). METHODS: We evaluated 1,926 cohort participants at baseline (years 2003--2006; Girona, Spain). Outdoor annual average levels of nighttime traffic noise ([L.sub.night]) and N[O.sub.2] were estimated at postal addresses with a detailed traffic noise model and a land-use regression model, respectively. Individual indoor traffic [L.sub.night] levels were derived from outdoor [L.sub.night] with application of insulations provided by reported noise-reducing factors. We assessed associations for hypertension and BP with multi-exposure logistic and linear regression models, respectively. RESULTS: Median levels were 27.1 dB(A) (indoor [L.sub.night]), 56.7 dB(A) (outdoor [L.sub.night]), and 26.8 µg/[m.sup.3] (N[O.sub.2]). Spearman correlations between outdoor and indoor [L.sub.night] with N[O.sub.2] were 0.75 and 0.23, respectively. Indoor [L.sub.night] was associated both with hypertension (OR = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.13) and SBP (β = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.29, 1.15) per 5 dB(A); and N[O.sub.2] was associated with hypertension (OR = 1.16; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.36), SBP (P = 1.23; 95% CI: 0.21, 2.25), and DBP (β = 0.56; 95% CI: -0.03, 1.14) per 10 µg/[m.sup.3]. In the outdoor noise model, [L.sub.night] was associated only with hypertension and N[O.sub.2] with BP only. The indoor noise--SBP association was stronger and statistically significant with a threshold at 30 dB(A). CONCLUSION: Long-term exposure to indoor traffic noise was associated with prevalent hypertension and SBP, independently of N[O.sub.2]. Associations were less consistent for outdoor traffic [L.sub.night] and likely affected by collinearity. Environ Health Perspect 122:1193-1200; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307156, Introduction Long-term exposure to outdoor traffic noise has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Babisch 2006). The biological pathway involves noise-stress reactions related to hormonal and cardiovascular responses that, under [...]

BACKGROUND: Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution may increase blood pressure (BP) and induce hypertension. However, evidence supporting these associations is limited, and they may be confounded by exposure to traffic noise and biased due to inappropriate control for use of BP-lowering medications. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the associations of long-term traffic-related air pollution with BP and prevalent hypertension, adjusting for transportation noise and assessing different methodologies to control for BP-lowering medications. METHODS: We measured systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) at baseline (years 2003--2005) in 3,700 participants, 35-83 years of age, from a population-based cohort in Spain. We estimated home outdoor annual average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (N[O.sub.2]) with a land-use regression model. We used multivariate linear and logistic regression. RESULTS: A 10-[micro]g/[m.sup.3] increase in N[O.sub.2] levels was associated with 1.34 mmHg (95% CI: 0.14, 2.55) higher SBP in nonmedicated individuals, after adjusting for transportation noise. Results were similar in the entire population after adjusting for medication, as commonly done, but weaker when other methods were used to account for medication use. For example, when 10 mmHg were added to the measured SBP levels of medicated participants, the association was [beta] = 0.78 (95% CI: -0.43, 2.00). N[O.sub.2] was not associated with hypertension. Associations of N[O.sub.2] with SBP and DBP were stronger in participants with cardiovascular disease, and the association with SBP was stronger in those exposed to high traffic density and traffic noise levels [greater than or equal to] 55 dB(A). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a positive association between long-term exposure to N[O.sub.2] and SBP, after adjustment for transportation noise, which was sensitive to the methodology used to account for medication. CITATION: Foraster M, Basagana X, Aguilera I, Rivera M, Agis D, Bouso L, Deltell A, Marrugat J, Ramos R, Sunyer J, Vila J, Elosua R, Kiinzli N. 2014. Association of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution with blood pressure and hypertension in an adult population--based cohort in Spain (the REGICOR study). Environ Health Perspect 122:404-411; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1306497, Introduction Air pollution may not only trigger cardiovascular events but promote chronic pathologies and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Pope and Dockery 2006), which would further contribute to cardiovascular mortality (Brook [...]

A letter to the editor and its response from the author is presented related to the association between air pollution and subclinical atherosclerosis by using carotid intima media thickness and ankleâ€"brachial index, performed by M. Rivera and colleagues in a 2013 issue of the journal.

Abstract: Background: Air quality models are being increasingly used to estimate long-term individual exposures to air pollution in epidemiological studies. Most of them have been evaluated against measurements from a limited number of monitoring stations, which may not properly reflect the exposure characteristics of the study population. Methods: We evaluated the performance of the high-resolution CALIOPE air quality forecasting system over a large sample of passive measurements of NO2 conducted at 635 home outdoor locations of the Girona province (Spain) during several 4-week sampling campaigns over one year (July 2007–June 2008). Sampling sites were superposed over the 4 km × 4 km CALIOPE grid, and average NO2 modeled concentrations were derived for all measurements conducted during the same sampling campaign at all the sampling sites located within the same grid cell. In addition, the ratio between measured and modeled concentrations for the whole study period at one fixed monitoring station was used to post-process the modeled values at the home outdoor locations. Results: The correlation between measured and modeled concentrations for the entire study area (which includes urban settings, middle-size towns, and rural areas) was 0.78. Modeled concentrations were underestimated in the whole study area. After correcting the modeled concentrations by the measured to modeled ratio at the fixed station (r = 0.25), they were very similar to the measured concentrations (27.7 μg m−3 and 29.3 μg m−3, respectively). However, the performance of the modeling system depends on the type of subarea and is affected by the sub-grid emission sources. Conclusions: The evaluation over the heterogenous Girona province showed that CALIOPE is able to reproduce the spatial variability of 4-week NO2 concentrations at the small regional level. CALIOPE output data is a valuable tool to complement study-specific air pollution measurements by incorporating regional spatial variability as well as short- and long-term temporal variability of background pollution in epidemiological research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]