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| 2. |
- Andersson, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Heavy vehicle traffic is related to wheeze among schoolchildren : a population-based study in an area with low traffic flows
- 2011
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In: Environmental Health. - London : BioMed Central. - 1476-069X. ; 10:91
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: An association between traffic air pollution and respiratory symptoms among children has been reported. However, the effects of traffic air pollution on asthma and wheeze have been very sparsely studied in areas with low traffic intensity in cold climate with poor dispersion. We evaluated the impact of vehicle traffic on childhood asthma and wheeze by objective exposure assessment.Methods: As a part of the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) studies, a questionnaire was sent to the families of all children attending first or second grade in Luleå (72,000 inhabitants) in Northern Sweden in 2006. The age of the children was 7-8 years and the participation rate was 98% (n = 1357). Skin prick tests were performed in 1224 (89%) children. The home addresses were given geographical coordinates and traffic counts were obtained from the local traffic authorities. A proximity model of average daily traffic and average daily heavy vehicle traffic within 200 meters from each participant's home address was used. The associations between traffic exposure and asthma and wheeze, respectively, were analysed in an adjusted multiple logistic regression model.Results: Exposure to high traffic flows was uncommon in the study area; only 15% of the children lived within 200 meters from a road with a traffic flow of ≥8000 vehicles per day. Living closer than 200 meters from a road with ≥500 heavy vehicles daily was associated with current wheeze, odds ratio 1.7 (confidence interval 1.0-2.7). A dose-response relation was indicated. An increased risk of asthma was also seen, however not significant, odds ratio 1.5 (confidence interval 0.8-2.9). Stratified analyses revealed that the effect of traffic exposure was restricted to the non-sensitized phenotype of asthma and wheeze. The agreement between self-reported traffic exposure and objective measurements of exposure was moderate.Conclusions: This study showed that already at low levels of exposure, vehicle traffic is related to an increased risk of wheeze among children. Thus, the global burden of traffic air pollution may be underestimated.
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| 3. |
- Annika, Hagenbjörk-Gustafsson, et al.
(author)
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Spatial variation of ground level ozone and the relation between ozone and NO2/NOx in two Swedish cities
- 2013
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Ozone is a pollutant known to cause adverse effects on human health. It is formed by reactions between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and hydrocarbons under the influence of sunlight. In urban areas ozone is consumed oxidating nitrogen oxide (NO) to nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Despite the potential to cause adverse health effects, the local spatial distribution of ozone and the relationship between ozone, NO2 and NOx in different environments is poorly studied.Aims Our aim was to study the concentrations and spatial distribution of ozone in two cities, Malmö in the south of Sweden and Umeå in the north of Sweden, since the contribution of ozone from other parts of Europe decreases with higher latitude. We also wanted to investigate differences in the ozone/NO2 and the ozone/NOx ratios between the cities and between different environments.Methods Ozone, NO2 and NOx concentrations were measured with Ogawa diffusive samplers during three one-week campaigns in April, May/June and in August 2012. Measurements were conducted simultaneously at 20 sites in each city outside preschools, distributed at traffic sites, urban background sites and regional background (rural) sites. Results The average concentration of ozone in Malmö and Umeå were 67,5 µg/m3 and 50,6 µg/m3, respectively. The mean ozone/NOx ratio was of equal magnitude in Malmö and in Umeå, and in both cities the ratio was highest at rural sites and lowest at traffic sites. In Umeå there was a clear trend with highest ozone concentrations at rural sites and lowest concentrations at traffic sites, a trend that was not as obvious in Malmö. In Umeå the ozone/NO2 ratio at rural sites was about three times larger compared to Malmö.Conclusions There is a clear local variation of ozone, with stronger gradients in northern (Umeå) Sweden in comparison to southern Sweden (Malmö). This can partly be explained by less long-range transport of ozone and larger impact of local NO emissions that reduce ozone in northern Sweden.
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| 4. |
- Beelen, Rob, et al.
(author)
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Effects of long-term exposure to air pollution on natural-cause mortality : an analysis of 22 European cohorts within the multicentre ESCAPE project
- 2014
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In: The Lancet. - : Elsevier. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 383:9919, s. 785-795
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Few studies on long-term exposure to air pollution and mortality have been reported from Europe. Within the multicentre European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE), we aimed to investigate the association between natural-cause mortality and long-term exposure to several air pollutants. Methods We used data from 22 European cohort studies, which created a total study population of 367 251 participants. All cohorts were general population samples, although some were restricted to one sex only. With a strictly standardised protocol, we assessed residential exposure to air pollutants as annual average concentrations of particulate matter (PM) with diameters of less than 2.5 mu m (PM2.5), less than 10 mu m (PM10), and between 10 mu m and 2.5 mu m (PMcoarse), PM2.5 absorbance, and annual average concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NOx), with land use regression models. We also investigated two traffic intensity variables-traffic intensity on the nearest road (vehicles per day) and total traffic load on all major roads within a 100 m buff er. We did cohort-specific statistical analyses using confounder models with increasing adjustment for confounder variables, and Cox proportional hazards models with a common protocol. We obtained pooled effect estimates through a random-effects meta-analysis. Findings The total study population consisted of 367 251 participants who contributed 5 118 039 person-years at risk (average follow-up 13.9 years), of whom 29 076 died from a natural cause during follow-up. A significantly increased hazard ratio (HR) for PM2.5 of 1.07 (95% CI 1.02-1.13) per 5 mu g/m(3) was recorded. No heterogeneity was noted between individual cohort effect estimates (I-2 p value=0.95). HRs for PM2.5 remained significantly raised even when we included only participants exposed to pollutant concentrations lower than the European annual mean limit value of 25 mu g/m(3) (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.00-1.12) or below 20 mu g/m(3) (1.07, 1.01-1.13). Interpretation Long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution was associated with natural-cause mortality, even within concentration ranges well below the present European annual mean limit value.
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| 5. |
- Carlsen, Hanne Krage, et al.
(author)
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Birch pollen, air pollution and their interactive effects on airway symptoms and peak expiratory flow in allergic asthma during pollen season - a panel study in Northern and Southern Sweden
- 2022
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In: Environmental health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-069X. ; 21:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Evidence of the role of interactions between air pollution and pollen exposure in subjects with allergic asthma is limited and need further exploration to promote adequate preventive measures. The objective of this study was to assess effects of exposure to ambient air pollution and birch pollen on exacerbation of respiratory symptoms in subjects with asthma and allergy to birch. Methods: Thirty-seven subjects from two Swedish cities (Gothenburg and Umea) with large variation in exposure to both birch-pollen and air pollutants, participated in the study. All subjects had confirmed allergy to birch and self-reported physician-diagnosed asthma. The subjects recorded respiratory symptoms such as rhinitis or eye irritation, dry cough, dyspnoea, the use of any asthma or allergy medication and peak respiratory flow (PEF), daily for five consecutive weeks during two separate pollen seasons and a control season without pollen. Nitrogen oxides -(NOx), ozone -(O-3), particulate matter -(PM2.5), birch pollen counts, and meteorological data were obtained from an urban background monitoring stations in the study city centres. The data were analysed using linear mixed effects models. Results: During pollen seasons all symptoms and medication use were higher, and PEF was reduced in the subjects. In regression analysis, exposure to pollen at lags 0 to 2 days, and lags 0 to 6 days was associated with increased ORs of symptoms and decreased RRs for PEF. Pollen and air pollution interacted in some cases; during low pollen exposure, there were no associations between air pollution and symptoms, but during high pollen exposure, -O-3 concentrations were associated with increased OR of rhinitis or eye irritation, and -PM2.5 concentrations were associated with increased ORs of rhinitis or eye irritation, dyspnea and increased use of allergy medication. Conclusions: Pollen and air pollutants interacted to increase the effect of air pollution on respiratory symptoms in allergic asthma. Implementing the results from this study, advisories for individuals with allergic asthma could be improved, minimizing the morbidities associated with the condition.
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| 6. |
- Carlsen, Hanne Krage, et al.
(author)
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Indicators of residential traffic exposure: Modelled NOX, traffic proximity, and self-reported exposure in RHINE III
- 2017
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In: Atmospheric Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 1352-2310 .- 1873-2844. ; 167, s. 416-425
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Few studies have investigated associations between self-reported and modelled exposure to traffic pollution. The objective of this study was to examine correlations between self-reported traffic exposure and modelled (a) NOX and (b) traffic proximity in seven different northern European cities; Aarhus (Denmark), Bergen (Norway), Gothenburg, Umeå, and Uppsala (Sweden), Reykjavik (Iceland), and Tartu (Estonia). We analysed data from the RHINE III (Respiratory Health in Northern Europe, www.rhine.nu) cohorts of the seven study cities. Traffic proximity (distance to the nearest road with >10,000 vehicles per day) was calculated and vehicle exhaust (NOX) was modelled using dispersion models and land-use regression (LUR) data from 2011. Participants were asked a question about self-reported traffic intensity near bedroom window and another about traffic noise exposure at the residence. The data were analysed using rank correlation (Kendall's tau) and inter-rater agreement (Cohen's Kappa) between tertiles of modelled NOX and traffic proximity tertile and traffic proximity categories (0–150 metres (m), 150–200 m, >300 m) in each centre. Data on variables of interest were available for 50–99% of study participants per each cohort. Mean modelled NOX levels were between 6.5 and 16.0 μg/m3; median traffic intensity was between 303 and 10,750 m in each centre. In each centre, 7.7–18.7% of respondents reported exposure to high traffic intensity and 3.6–16.3% of respondents reported high exposure to traffic noise. Self-reported residential traffic exposure had low or no correlation with modelled exposure and traffic proximity in all centres, although results were statistically significant (tau = 0.057–0.305). Self-reported residential traffic noise correlated weakly (tau = 0.090–0.255), with modelled exposure in all centres except Reykjavik. Modelled NOX had the highest correlations between self-reported and modelled traffic exposure in five of seven centres, traffic noise exposure had the highest correlation with traffic proximity in tertiles in three centres. Self-reported exposure to high traffic intensity and traffic noise at each participant's residence had low or weak although statistically significant correlations with modelled vehicle exhaust pollution levels and traffic proximity. © 2017
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| 7. |
- de Hoogh, Kees, et al.
(author)
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Comparing land use regression and dispersion modelling to assess residential exposure to ambient air pollution for epidemiological studies
- 2014
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In: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 73, s. 382-392
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Land-use regression (LUR) and dispersion models (DM) are commonly used for estimating individual air pollution exposure in population studies. Few comparisons have however been made of the performance of these methods. Objectives: Within the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE) we explored the differences between LUR and DM estimates for NO2, PM10 and PM2.5. Methods: The ESCAPE study developed LUR models for outdoor air pollution levels based on a harmonised monitoring campaign. In thirteen ESCAPE study areas we further applied dispersion models. We compared LUR and DM estimates at the residential addresses of participants in 13 cohorts for NO2; 7 for PM10 and 4 for PM2.5. Additionally, we compared the DM estimates with measured concentrations at the 20-40 ESCAPE monitoring sites in each area. Results: The median Pearson R (range) correlation coefficients between LUR and DM estimates for the annual average concentrations of NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 were 0.75 (0.19-0.89), 0.39 (0.23-0.66) and 0.29 (0.22-0.81) for 112,971 (13 study areas), 69,591 (7) and 28,519(4) addresses respectively. The median Pearson R correlation coefficients (range) between DM estimates and ESCAPE measurements were of 0.74(0.09-0.86) for NO2; 0.58 (0.36-0.88) for PM10 and 0.58 (0.39-0.66) for PM2.5. Conclusions: LUR and dispersion model estimates correlated on average well for NO2 but only moderately for PM10 and PM2.5, with large variability across areas. DM predicted a moderate to large proportion of the measured variation for NO2 but less for PM10 and PM2.5.
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| 8. |
- Dimakopoulou, Konstantina, et al.
(author)
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Air Pollution and Nonmalignant Respiratory Mortality in 16 Cohorts within the ESCAPE Project
- 2014
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In: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. - : American Thoracic Society. - 1073-449X .- 1535-4970. ; 189:6, s. 684-696
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rationale: Prospective cohort studies have shown that chronic exposure to particulate matter and traffic-related air pollution is associated with reduced survival. However, the effects on nonmalignant respiratory mortality are less studied, and the data reported are less consistent. Objectives: We have investigated the relationship of long-term exposure to air pollution and nonmalignant respiratory mortality in 16 cohorts with individual level data within the multicenter European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE). Methods: Data from 16 ongoing cohort studies from Europe were used. The total number of subjects was 307,553. There were 1,559 respiratory deaths during follow-up. Measurements and Main Results: Air pollution exposure was estimated by land use regression models at the baseline residential addresses of study participants and traffic-proximity variables were derived from geographical databases following a standardized procedure within, the ESCAPE study. Cohort-specific hazard ratios obtained by Cox proportional hazard models from standardized individual cohort analyses were combined using metaanalyses. We found no significant associations between air pollution exposure and nonmalignant respiratory mortality. Most hazard ratios were slightly below unity, with the exception of the traffic-proximity indicators. Conclusions: In this study of 16 cohorts, there was no-association between air pollution exposure and nonmalignant respiratory mortality.
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| 9. |
- Forsberg, Bertil, et al.
(author)
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Hälsokonsekvenser av partikulära luftföroreningar i 26 europeiska städer : Svenska resultat från APHEIS 3
- 2004
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Stockholm och Göteborg ingår som svenska städer bland de 26 europeiska städer som ingår i APHEIS. Beräkningarna inom APHEIS 3 visar att en sänkning av den urbana bakgrundshalten av partiklar med 5 mikrogram per kubikmeter mätt som PM10 (eller 3,5 μg/m3 av dess finare fraktion PM2.5) på sikt bedöms minska antalet dödsfall med ungefär 2 %. Detta innebär per år cirka 80 dödsfall färre i Göteborg och cirka 220 i Stockholm. Mer än ¾ av dessa för tidiga dödsfall sker i hjärt-och lungsjukdomar, medan lungcancer svarar för en liten andel. Drygt ¼ av de tidigarelagda dödsfallen bedöms vara relaterade till partikelhalten under de senaste 40 dygnen, och skulle därför kunna påverkas tämligen omgående om partikelhalten minskades. Ungefär vart 7:e av dessa dödsfall beror av halten samma dag eller dagen innan. Tre fjärdedelar av dödsfallen som är tidigarelagda på grund av luften, tycks dock sammanhänga med längre tids exponering och kan huvudsakligen påverkas först på många års sikt. Luftföroreningarna får naturligtvis olika personers hälsa och livslängd att påverkas mer eller mindre, men de förtida dödsfall i Stockholm och Göteborg som skulle undvikas med 5 μg/m3 lägre långtidshalt av PM10 (eller 3,5 μg/m3 av PM2.5) beräknas motsvara en livslängdsförlust med i genomsnitt cirka 2,5 månader för städernas invånare. En haltminskning av diskuterad storlek kan åstadkommas såväl genom minskade utsläpp i vår omvärld, som genom lokala åtgärder mot främst trafikens avgaser, slitagepartiklar och damm. Storleken på de förväntade hälsovinsterna beror troligtvis även på hur partikelhalten minskas. Det är sannolikt så att en sänkt halt av avgaspartiklar har större betydelse räknat per μg/m3 än en sänkt halt på grund av andra källor. Det finns även andra luftföroreningar i städerna som är av betydelse bl.a. för dödligheten och som inte täcks av dessa beräkningar baserade på den urbana bakgrundshalten av PM10 och PM2.5. Inom APHEIS har även beräknats hur antalet akuta inläggningar på sjukhus skulle minska med sänkta partikelhalter. Dessa beräkningar har klara begränsningar. Här finns kunskap bara om hur antalet vårdfall beror av halterna de senaste två dagarna, vilket troligen leder till en stor underskattning av hur luftföroreningarna totalt påverkar antalet fall. Dessutom har de faktiska analyserna inom APHEIS 3 visat att den genomsnittliga effekt som partikelhalten i konsekvensberäkningarna för alla 26 städer antas ha på inläggningar för andningsorganens sjukdomar är mycket lägre än den verkliga effekt vi nu funnit i Stockholm och Göteborg. Detta är sannolikt inte ett slumpbetingat resultat, utan kan motivera att vi antar starkare effekter per haltökning vid beräkningar för svenska städer. Förklaringen kan finnas i såväl befolkningens känslighet och möjlighet att få vård, som i partiklarnas sammansättning och toxiska egenskaper.
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| 10. |
- Haga, Susanna Lohman, et al.
(author)
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Personal exposure levels to O3, NOx and PM10 and the association to ambient levels in two Swedish cities.
- 2021
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In: Environmental monitoring and assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-2959 .- 0167-6369. ; 193:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Exposure to air pollution is of great concern for public health although studies on the associations between exposure estimates and personal exposure are limited and somewhat inconsistent. The aim of this study was to quantify the associations between personal nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM10) exposure levels and ambient levels, and the impact of climate and time spent outdoors in two cities in Sweden. Subjects (n=65) from two Swedish cities participated in the study. The study protocol included personal exposure measurements at three occasions, or waves. Personal exposure measurements were performed for NOx and O3 for 24h and PM10 for 24h, and the participants kept an activity diary. Stationary monitoring stations provided hourly data of NOx, O3 and PM, as well as data on air temperature and relative humidity. Data were analysed using mixed linear models with the subject-id as a random effect and stationary exposure and covariates as fixed effects. Personal exposure levels of NOx, O3 and PM10 were significantly associated with levels measured at air pollution monitoring stations. The associations persisted after adjusting for temperature, relative humidity, city and wave, but the modelled estimates were slightly attenuated from 2.4% (95% CI 1.8-2.9) to 2.0% (0.97-2.94%) for NOx, from 3.7% (95% CI 3.1-4.4) to 2.1% (95% CI 1.1-2.9%) for O3 and from 2.6% (95% 0.9-4.2%) to 1.3% (95% CI-1.5-4.0) for PM10. After adding covariates, the degree of explanation offered by the model (coefficient of determination, or R2) did not change for NOx (0.64 to 0.63) but increased from 0.46 to 0.63 for O3, and from 0.38 to 0.43 for PM10. Personal exposure to NOx, O3 and PM has moderate to good association with levels measured at urban background sites. The results indicate that stationary measurements are valid as measure of exposure in environmental health risk assessments, especially if they can be refined using activity diaries and meteorological data. Approximately 50-70% of the variation of the personal exposure was explained by the stationary measurement, implying occurrence of misclassification in studies using more crude exposure metrics, potentially leading to underestimates of the effects of exposure to ambient air pollution.
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