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Assessing the exposure-response relationship of sleep disturbance and vibration in field and laboratory settings
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2019
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Author: |
Persson Waye, K.
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Smith, M.G.
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Hussain-Alkhateeb, L.
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Koopman, A.
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Ögren, M.
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Peris, E.
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Waddington, D.
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Woodcock, J.
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Sharp, C.
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Janssen, S.
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Keywords: |
Audiology · Exposure-response · Field · Freight train · Laboratory · Sleep · Vibration · Environment & Sustainability · Urbanisation
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Exposure to nocturnal freight train vibrations may impact sleep, but exposure-response relationships are lacking. The European project CargoVibes evaluated sleep disturbance both in the field and in the laboratory and provides unique data, as measures of response and exposure metrics are comparable. This paper therefore provides data on exposure-response relationships of vibration and sleep disturbance and compares the relationships evaluated in the laboratory and the field. Two field studies with 233 valid respondents in total, and three laboratory studies in Sweden with a total of 59 subjects over 350 person-nights were performed. The odds ratios of sleep disturbance were analyzed in relation to nighttime vibration exposure by ordinal logit regression, adjusting for moderating factors common for the studies. Outcome specific fractions were calculated for eleven sleep outcomes and supported comparability between the field and laboratory settings. Vibration exposure was significantly associated with sleep disturbance, OR = 3.51 denoting a three and a half times increase in the odds of sleep disturbance with one unit increased 8 h nighttime log10 Root Mean Square vibration. The results suggest no significant difference between field and laboratory settings OR = 1.37 . However, odds of sleep disturbance were higher in the Netherlands as compared to Sweden, indicating unexplained differences between study populations or countries, possibly related to cultural and contextual differences and uncertainties in exposure assessments. Future studies should be carefully designed to record explanatory factors in the field and enhance ecological validity in the laboratory. Nevertheless, the presented combined data set provides a first set of exposure response relationships for vibration-induced sleep disturbance, which are useful when considering public health outcomes among exposed populations. Exposure-response relationships of vibration exposure from trains and sleep disturbance were derived from laboratory studies and field studies, with no significant differences between the settings. © 2018 The Authors
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The role of study characteristics in changes in aircraft noise annoyance over time
On the basis of findings from recent surveys, discussion has been raised as to whether the annoyance of residents at a given aircraft noise exposure level has increased over the years. To verify the hypothesized trend and to identify its possible causes, the large database used to establish earlier exposure-response relationships was updated with original data from several recent cross-sectional surveys. On the basis of these original data, it was investigated whether characteristics of the study can explain the heterogeneity between airports. A significant increase over the years was observed in annoyance at a given level of aircraft noise exposure. Furthermore, the type of annoyance scale used, the type of contact with respondents and the response percentage were found to be sources of heterogeneity. Of these only the scale factor could statistically account for the year effect, but other research findings seem to rule this out as a satisfactory explanation. Other possible explanations for the year effect, such as the higher rate of expansion of airports in recent years or changes in acoustical characteristics, could neither be confirmed nor ruled out. The results will be discussed in the light of recent findings from the ANASE study and the HYENA study, and the implications for exposure-response relationships for aircraft noise annoyance.
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Skin symptoms in bakery and auto body shop workers: Associations with exposure and respiratory symptoms
Purpose: Despite the importance of skin exposure, studies of skin symptoms in relation to exposure and respiratory symptoms are rare. The goals of this study were to describe exposure-response relationships for skin symptoms, and to investigate associations between skin and respiratory symptoms in bakery and auto body shop workers. Methods: Data from previous studies of bakery and auto body shop workers were analyzed. Average exposure estimates for wheat allergen and isocyanates were used. Generalized linear models were constructed to describe the relationships between exposure and skin symptoms, as well as between skin and respiratory symptoms. Results: Data from 723 bakery and 473 auto body shop workers were analyzed. In total, 5.3 % of bakery and 6.1 % of auto body shop workers were female; subjects' mean age was 39 and 38 years, respectively. Exposure-response relationships were observed in auto body shop workers for itchy or dry skin (PR 1.55, 95 % CI 1.2-2.0) and work-related itchy skin (PR 1.97, 95 % CI 1.2-3.3). A possible exposure-response relationship for work-related itchy skin in bakery workers did not reach statistical significance. In both groups, reporting skin symptoms was strongly and significantly associated with reporting respiratory symptoms, both work-related and non-work-related. Conclusions: Exposure-response relationships were observed for skin symptoms in auto body shop workers. The lack of significant exposure-response associations in bakery workers should be interpreted cautiously. Workers who reported skin symptoms were up to four times more likely to report respiratory symptoms. Improved awareness of both skin and respiratory outcomes in exposed workers is needed. © 2012 The Author(s).
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Exposure-response relationships for environmental use
This paper presents an overview of the following exposure-response relationships that can be used for assessing the impact of environmental noise: • Lden - annoyance relationships from the EU Position Paper on exposure-response relationships for transportation noise annoyance (EC-WG/2 2002; Env. Health Persp. 2001, 109 (4) 409-416). In addition, factors other than Lden which influence noise annoyance are discussed; •L den - annoyance relationships for stationary (industrial) sources (J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 2004, 116 (1) 334-343). A distinction is made between different types of stationary sources; • Lden - annoyance relationships for combined sources (J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 2004, 116 (2) 949- 957); • Lnight - self-reported sleep disturbance relationships from the EU Position Paper on exposure-response relationships for sleep disturbance (EC-WG/HSEA, 2004; Beh. Sleep Med. 2007, 5 (1) 1-20). In order to put self-reported sleep disturbance in a context, a brief overview of other noise-induced effects on sleep is given; • Lden - myocardial infarction relationships (Umweltbundesamt 2006, report WaBoLu 01-06). Furthermore, recent developments and insights related to the above relationships are discussed.
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Exposure-response relationships for annoyance by wind turbine noise: A comparison with other stationary sources
There are indications that, given a certain level of noise exposure, the expected annoyance by wind turbine noise is higher than that by noise from other sources such as industrial noise or transportation noise. The aim of the present study was to establish the exposure-response relationship between wind turbine noise exposure and the expected percentage annoyed residents on the basis of available data. Data from two surveys in Sweden (N=341, N=754) and one survey in the Netherlands (N=725) were combined to achieve relationships between Lden and annoyance indoors as well as annoyance outdoors at the dwelling. In addition, the influence of several individual and situational factors was assessed. In particular, annoyance was lower in residents who received economical benefit from wind turbines, and higher in residents for whom the wind turbine was visible from the dwelling. Age and noise sensitivity had similar effects on annoyance to those found in research on annoyance by other sources. The exposure-response relationship for wind turbine noise is compared to previously established relationships for industrial noise.
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Rating environmental noise on the basis of noise maps
A system that rates noise on the basis of noise maps has been developed which is based on empirical exposure-response relationships, so that effects in the community will be lower if the system gives a better rating. It is consistent with noise metrics and effect endpoint chosen in the EU, i.e., it uses L</field>den and L</field>night and predicts annoyance and self-reported sleep disturbance. In addition, it is sensitive to changes in the acoustical situation that affect noise annoyance and sleep disturbance but are not reflected in L</field>den or L</field>night, by taking also into account sound insulation, quiet side of the dwelling, and ambient noise in the neighbourhood. To give a more complete insight in effects, it predicts, in addition to annoyance and sleep disturbance, cardiovascular effects and gives insight in quiet areas. It produces ratings not only for individual types of sources, but also for the total noise exposure. Finally, it is formulated so that it can be translated into algorithms which calculate the ratings automatically from noise maps.
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CargoVibes: human response to vibration due to freight rail traffic
The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the research concerning human response to vibration conducted in the EU FP7 CargoVibes project. The European Union-funded project CargoVibes involved 10 partners from 8 nations and ran from April 2011 to April 2014. The project was concerned with railway-induced ground-borne vibration affecting residents close to freight lines, with one work package that investigated human response to vibration, including sleep disturbance, community annoyance and the production of a best practice guide for evaluating response. Laboratory trials at the University of Gothenburg were used to measure the effects of vibration on sleep. Physiological and psychological impacts of vibration exposure were found. TNO led a meta-analysis (N = 4129) to determine exposure–response relationships for railway vibration, with existing data for community response supplemented with field studies in the Netherlands and Poland. The University of Salford led production of a guidance document that presents the state of the art regarding vibration measurement and assessment. Specific topics in the guide include human perception, evaluation methods, annoyance, sleep impacts and non-exposure factors. The outcomes presented in this paper represent a significant advance in the understanding of the human response to railway vibration and a step towards much needed harmonization of assessment methods
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Evaluation of exposure to traffic noise in an urban recreational area
Environmental noise annoyance due to transportation noise in the home environment has been widely studied, and exposure-response relationships have been established previously for the expected percentage of annoyed residents with the most exposed façade exposure level as a determinant. However, relatively little is known about the evaluation of transportation noise when residents are residing outdoors, for instance when seeking relaxation or restoration in urban recreational areas. In an urban park in the Netherlands, 52 participants walked either in an area with a high level of road trafftc noise due to a nearby highway, or in a more quiet area further away from the highway. Noise exposure was individually monitored during the walk, and the evaluation of the acoustic environment was assessed immediately after the walk. The individual variance in exposure (L,q",r, Lto and Ls5) was high enough to derive exposure-response relationships for annoyance by road traffic noise, interference with experience of natural quiet, perceived quietness and perceived soundscape quality. The results may have implications for urban planning concerning levels of transportation noise in outdoor urban recreational areas.
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Rating environmental noise on the basis of noise maps within the framework of the Environmental Noise Directive
In order to evaluate the need for noise measures as well as the improvement that can be obtained with different measures, there is a need for a system that rates environmental noise on the basis of noise maps. Based on empirical exposure-response relationships, a rating system and a stepwise procedure for its implementation have been developed. It gives insight in the environmental noise impact on the basis of Lden or Lnight, but additionally can take into account the influence of sound insulation, quiet side of a dwelling, and ambient noise in the neighbourhood. It gives ratings for: • Overall noise climate in residential areas: percentage highly annoyed (%HA); • Night-time noise climate in residential areas: percentage highly sleep disturbed (%HSD); • Hot spots in residential areas: (weighted) number of individuals above limit value L (nL); • Non-Quiet area: percentage area with Lden > 50 dB(A) (AREA50). The indicators can be calculated for a city or parts of it (neighbourhoods), for different types of sources (aircraft, road traffic, railways) separately or for the combined noise from these sources, and for the present situation as well as future situations based on scenarios
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Predicting annoyance by wind turbine noise
While wind turbines have beneficial effects for the environment, they inevitably generate environmental noise. In order to protect residents against unacceptable levels of noise, exposure-response relationships are needed to predict the expected percentage of people annoyed or highly annoyed at a given level of wind turbine noise. Exposure-response relationships for wind turbine noise were derived on the basis of available data, using the same method that was previously used to derive relationships for transportation noise and industrial noise. Data from surveys in Sweden and the Netherlands were used to achieve relationships between L den and annoyance, both indoors and outdoors at the dwelling. It is shown that a given percentage of annoyance by wind turbine noise is expected at much lower levels of L den than the same percentage of annoyance by for instance road traffic noise. Results were used to guide new noise regulation for wind turbines in the Netherlands.
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[Abstract]
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Assessment of exposure to wheat flour and the shape of its relationship with specific sensitization
Objectives: Dust and wheat-allergen exposure were assessed among bakers, flour millers, and bakery-ingredient producers, and the risk for sensitization was studied. Methods: About 520 inhalable dust and wheat- allergen measurements were made among 270 Dutch workers. Data on sensitization to wheat and common allergens (atopy) were also available. Exposure was estimated according to the sector of industry, job title, and tasks. The shape of the relationship between sensitization and exposure was studied using a two-stage modeling approach: semi-parametric generalized additive modeling and, consequently, a simple description of the relationship using a parametric logistic model. To reduce the effect of exposure measurement errors (attenuation), a combination of the actual measured exposure and variance-weighted estimates of exposure was used. Results: The effect of exposure to both inhalable dust and wheat allergens on sensitization was described best by a linear relationship in three industries and a quadratic relationship in one industry. The relation for the whole study population was best described as quadratic, and the probability of sensitization increased with exposure up to ∼2.7 mg/m3 for inhalable dust and ∼25.7 μg EQ/m3 for wheat allergens. The risk decreased at higher exposures (P=0.0121 and P=0.0731 for dust and wheat, respectively). Atopy and sector of industry modified the sensitization risk significantly in all the analyses. Using a variant-weighted estimator to calculate exposures corrected for the bias and resulted in almost the same point risk estimators. Conclusions: Exp osure-response relationships for allergens may be nonlinear and differ between industries. A threshold is not indicated on which to base occupational exposure standards; alternatively, other approaches, such as benchmarking, seem warranted. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Occupational asbestos exposure and risk of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer in the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study
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2014
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Author: |
Offermans, N.S.M.
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Vermeulen, R.
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Burdorf, A.
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Goldbohm, R.A.
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Keszei, A.P.
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Peters, S.
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Kauppinen, T.
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Kromhout, H.
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Brandt, P.A. van den
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Keywords: |
Health · Confounder · Confounding · Exposure-response · Interaction · JEM · Job-exposure matrix · Populationbased study · Asbestos · Alcohol · Cancer · Cohort analysis · Consumption behavior · Digestive system disorder · Health risk · Occupational exposure · Risk factor · Smoking · Socioeconomic status · Adult · Aged · Alcohol consumption · Cancer patient · Cancer risk · Cancer staging · Cohort analysis · Female · Follow up · Human · Major clinical study · Male · Mouth cancer · Pharynx cancer · Population research · Prospective study · Social status · Netherlands · Healthy for Life · Healthy Living · Behavioural Changes · LS - Life Style · ELSS - Earth, Life and Social Sciences
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Objectives The evidence for an association between occupational asbestos exposure and pharyngeal cancer (PhC) is limited, while for oral cavity cancer (OCC) the literature is even sparser. We studied OCC and PhC risk both separately and combined (OCPC) in relation to occupational asbestos exposure, specifically addressing the influence of potential confounders, the existence of an exposure-response relation, and the presence of interaction between asbestos and smoking. Methods Using the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study (N=58 279 men, aged 55-69 years), we estimated asbestos exposure by linkage to a general population job-exposure matrix (DOMJEM) and a Finnish job-exposure matrix (FINJEM). After 17.3 years of follow-up, 58 OCC and 53 PhC cases were available for analysis. Results No association between asbestos and risk of OCC was observed for either JEM. Hazard ratios (HR) of PhC and OCPC increased after adjusting for confounders, particularly alcohol consumption and socioeconomic status. For PhC, a multivariable-adjusted increased HR was observed for "ever" versus "never" exposed to asbestos [HR 2.20, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.08-4.49] when using FINJEM, but a trend of increased risks with higher cumulative exposure could not be demonstrated for either JEM. Results for OCPC showed patterns similar to those observed for PhC. None of the cancers showed a significant interaction between asbestos and smoking. Conclusions This prospective population-based study showed no convincing evidence of an association between asbestos and risk of OCC, PhC, and OCPC as an exposure-response relation was lacking, and results were not robust against the use of different JEM. However, the potentially increased HR of PhC and OCPC observed in this and previous studies warrant further research. Chemicals/CAS: asbestos, 1332-21-4. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Multilevel grouped regression for analyzing self-reported health in relation to environmental factors: the model and its application
A method for modeling the relationship of polychotomous health ratings with predictors such as area characteristics, the distance to a source of environmental contamination, or exposure to environmental pollutants is presented. The model combines elements of grouped regression and multilevel analysis. The statistical model describes the entire response distribution as a function of the predictors so that any measure that summarizes this distribution can be calculated from the model. With the model, polychotomous health ratings can be used, and there is no need for a priori dichotomizing such variables which would lead to loss of information. It is described how, according to the model, various measures describing the response distribution are related to the exposure, and the confidence and tolerance intervals for these relationships are presented. Specific attention is given to the incorporation of random factors in the model. The application that here serves as an example, concerns annoyance from transportation noise. Exposure – response relationships obtained with the described method of modeling are presented for aircraft, road traffic, and railway noise
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