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Associations of Short-Term Particle and Noise Exposures with Markers of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Health among Highway Maintenance Workers
Citation:
Meier, R., W. Cascio, Andy Ghio, P. Wild, B. Danuser, AND M. Riediker. Associations of Short-Term Particle and Noise Exposures with Markers of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Health among Highway Maintenance Workers. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, 122(7):726-32, (2014).
Impact/Purpose:
PM related health effects have been widely studied and exposure to PM has been associated to cardiopulmonary diseases, which increase hospitalization and premature deaths throughout the world (Schwartz 1999; Schwartz et al. 2002; Brook et al. 2010). Ultrafine particles CUFF),with diameters below 100 mu, are considered to play an important role in triggering particle-related health effects because of their small size and large surface area. There is evidence of effects of noise on the cardiovascular system: noise exposure in both residential and occupational settings has been linked to hypertension (van Kempen et al. 2002; Brook 2007; de Kluizenaar et al. 2007; Fuks et al. 2011; van Kempen and Babisch 2012), ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction (Davies et al. 2005; Selander et al. 2009; Muss et al. 2010).
Description:
Background: Highway maintenance workers are constantly and simultaneously exposed to traffic-related particle and noise emissions, and both have been linked to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in population-based epidemiology studies. Objectives: We aimed to investigate short-term health effects related to particle and noise exposure. Methods: We monitored 18 maintenance workers, during as many as five 24-hour periods from a total of 50 observation days. We measured their exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.s), ultrafine particles, noise and the cardiopulmonary health endpoints: blood pressure, pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic markers in the blood, lung function and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measured approximately 15 hours post-work. Heart rate variability was assessed during a sleep period approximately 10 hours post-work. Results: PM2.5 exposure was related to increased levels of C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A and to decreased tumor necrosis factor a. No significant effect was observed on von Willebrand and tissue factors. PM2.5 and work noise had increasing effects on heart rate variability independent of each other. Increased high frequency power indicated a stronger parasympathetic influence on the heart. Blood pressure increased as a consequence of elevated noise levels during recreational time after work and we saw a trend towards higher blood pressure in relation to PM2.5. We observed no effects on lung function and FeNO. Conclusions: Our data shows that exposure to particles and noise during highway maintenance work might pose a cardiovascular health risk. Actions to reduce these exposures could lead to better health for this population of workers.
