Cardiovascular effects of environmental noise: research in Austria

Cardiovascular effects of noise rank second in terms of disability-adjusted life year (DALYs) after annoyance. Although research during the past decade has consolidated the available data base, the most recent meta-analysis still shows wide confidence intervals - indicating imprecise information for public health risk assessment. The alpine area of Tyrol in the Austrian part of the Alps has experienced a massive increase in car and heavy goods traffic (road and rail) during the last 35 years. Over the past 25 years small-, middle-, and large-sized epidemiological health surveys have been conducted - mostly within the framework of environmental health impact assessments. By design, these studies have emphasized a contextually driven environmental stress perspective, where the adverse health effects on account of noise are studied in a broader framework of environmental health, susceptibility, and coping. Furthermore, innovative exposure assessment strategies have been implemented. This article reviews the existing knowledge from these studies over time, and presents the exposure-response curves, with and without interaction assessment, based on standardized re-analyses and discusses it in the light of past and current cardiovascular noise effects research. The findings support relevant moderation by age, gender, and family history in nearly all studies and suggest a strong need for consideration of non-linearity in the exposure-response analyses. On the other hand, air pollution has not played a relevant role as a moderator in the noise-hypertension or the noise-angina pectoris relationship. Finally, different noise modeling procedures can introduce variations in the exposure response curves, with substantive consequences for public health risk assessment of noise exposure

Combined evaluations of meteorological parameters, traffic noise and air pollution in an Alpine valley

Concurrent measurements of meteorological parameters, traffic flow and vehicle composition, NOx concentrations and noise levels have been performed during a consecutive 166-hour (approx. one week) episode in the Austrian Inn valley. The study elaborates the meteorologically induced effects on the transport and dispersion of air pollutants (NOx) and the propagation of sound waves from the motorway in the valley towards two receptor/receiver sites, one at the valley bottom, the other one at an elevated slope position. Due to complex transmission effects only a small portion of the observed variations in the air and noise pollution at the two sites can be explained by the varying emission at the motorway. With the help of simple models it is shown that by adding merely one or two meteorological parameters a substantially larger portion of the variation can be explained. The vertical temperature gradient turned out to be the meteorological key parameter. It controls the mixing volume (confined by the valley sides and the mixing-layer top) and the sound wave refraction which strongly determine air pollution and noise level, respectively

Development of an Environmental Information System for Odour using Citizen and Technology Innovative Sensors and Advanced Modelling

peer reviewedThe challenge of OMNISCIENTIS is to develop a community based odour monitoring and information system to mitigate odour annoyance and to foster citizens’ participation in environmental governance. The core is an information system collecting various data of odour emissions obtained by electronic noses and other sensors, meteorological conditions and observations by citizens acting as human sensors. A specific odour dispersion model is developed to use all this information and provide immediate feedback to all stakeholders. This work presents the architecture of the environmental information system, some first results from odour monitoring and model development and validation

Characterization of water‑based paints containing titanium dioxide or carbon black as manufactured nanomaterials before and after atomization

The study aims to bring more knowledge about risk assessments of paint aerosol exposure to the human body. Raw manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs), either titanium dioxide or carbon black, were introduced into water-based paint formations. The evaluation of the acute and subacute potential toxicity of these samples in a whole-body (mice) exposure model was performed. Inhalation aspects are especially regarded and description of the results obtained from each characterization stage of paint materials (raw MNMs, suspensions of MNMs, paint containing them and paint aerosol produced) is reported. Several techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, centrifugal liquid sedimentation, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electrical low impactor were used to this objective. The modification of physicochemical properties of MNMs, incorporated into paint formulation before and after atomization process, was shown. The evidence of MNMs agglomerates inside micro-sized paint droplets in the overspray was highlighted and findings revealed that MNMs are strongly embedded into the paint matrix. This behavior indicates that minor or no potential toxicity exerted by MNMs in this type of complex products may be observed