Road traffic noise, Air pollution and Cardio-respiratory Health in European Cohorts: a Harmonised Approach in the BioSHaRE Project
Regular paper
IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
Monday 1 june, 2015, 16:00 - 16:20
0.4 Brussels (189)
Abstract:
Background and aims: Few studies have investigated joint effects of road traffic noise and air pollution on cardio-respiratory outcomes. This project aims to quantify the joint and separate effects of both exposures on prevalent and incident cardiovascular disease and asthma as part of the EU-funded BioSHaRE project involving five European cohorts (EPIC-Oxford, EPIC-Turin, HUNT, Lifelines, UK Biobank).
Methods: Health outcomes have been ascertained by self-report (prevalence) and medical record (incidence) and retrospectively harmonised across the five cohorts. Residential road traffic noise exposures for each participant are estimated using a European noise model based on Common Noise Assessment Methods in Europe (CNOSSOS-EU). Cross-sectional and incident epidemiological analyses are in progress, using individual level data, virtually pooled using DataSHIELD methodology.
Results: In total, 716,945 men and women are included from all five cohorts, mostly >40 years. Initial pooled analysis of EPIC-Oxford, HUNT and Lifelines showed mean day-time (07:00-19:00) noise estimate of 53.2 dB(A) and night-time (23:00-07:00) noise estimate of 44.9 dB(A). Correlations between noise estimates and NO2 are generally low (r~0.1 to 0.4). Prevalence of self-reported myocardial infarction from these three cohorts is 1.7% (N=3279) while prevalence of self-reported stroke is 1.2% (N=2289).
Conclusions: Pooling of individual level harmonised data from established cohorts offers the large sample sizes needed to investigate effects of road traffic noise and ambient air pollution on cardio-respiratory diseases.