Junenette L. Peters

Background: There is limited evidence of the associations between transportation noise and dementia risk. We examined associations of road and aircraft noise with cognitive function, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) in a cohort of older adults. Methods: We set our study in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, a longitudinal cohort of community-dwelling older adults from four Chicago, Illinois, neighborhoods, followed from 1993 to 2012. Every 3 years, participants underwent in-home cognitive assessments (episodic memory, perceptual speed, global cognition). A stratified random sample underwent clinical evaluation for AD diagnosis. We estimated 5-year time-weighted day–night average sound levels before baseline for road and, in analyses, we considered exploratory because of a limited exposure range, aircraft noise. We fit covariate-adjusted linear mixed models to estimate associations with cognitive performance and decline, and a multiple logistic regression model weighted by the sampling design to estimate incident AD odds ratios. Results: Of the 10,681 participants, an interquartile range increment in road noise (8.5 dBA) corresponded to a 0.06-SD unit lower baseline global cognitive score (95% confidence interval: −0.08, −0.03); there were no differences in cognitive decline. In exploratory analyses limited by power, higher aircraft noise was associated with a higher baseline score yet a faster rate of cognitive decline. Among 2147 participants evaluated for dementia (460 cases), road noise was not noticeably associated with greater AD risk, as there was substantial uncertainty (odds ratio per interquartile range = 1.17 [95% confidence interval: 0.86, 1.59]). Conclusion: We observed mixed associations of transportation noise with cognitive functioning and dementia across noise sources. These findings underscore the need to better characterize noise sources relevant to the cognitive health of older adults.

Background: Aircraft noise is a key concern for communities surrounding airports, with increasing evidence for health effects and inequitable distributions of exposure. However, there have been limited national-scale assessments of aircraft noise exposure over time and across noise metrics, limiting evaluation of population exposure patterns. Objective: We evaluated national-scale temporal trends in aviation noise exposure by airport characteristics and across racial/ethnic populations in the U.S. Methods: Noise contours were modeled for 90 U.S. airports in 5-year intervals between 1995 and 2015 using the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aviation Environmental Design Tool. We utilized linear fixed effects models to estimate changes in noise exposure areas for day-night average sound levels (DNL) of 45, 65, and a nighttime equivalent sound level (L_night) of 45 A-weighted decibels (dB[A]). We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify distinct groups of airports sharing underlying characteristics. We overlaid noise contours and Census tract data from the U.S. Census Bureau and American Community Surveys for 2000 to 2015 to estimate exposure changes overall and by race/ethnicity. Results: National-scale analyses showed non-monotonic trends in mean exposed areas that peaked in 2000, followed by a 37% decrease from 2005 to 2010 and a subsequent increase in 2015. We identified four distinct trajectory groups of airports sharing latent characteristics related to size and activity patterns. Those populations identifying as minority (e.g., Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, Asian) experienced higher proportions of exposure relative to their subgroup populations compared to non-Hispanic or White populations across all years, indicating ethnic and racial disparities in airport noise exposure that persist over time. Significance: Overall, these data identified differential exposure trends across airports and subpopulations, helping to identify vulnerable communities for aviation noise in the U.S. Impact statement: We conducted a descriptive analysis of temporal trends in aviation noise exposure in the U.S. at a national level. Using data from 90 U.S. airports over a span of two decades, we characterized the noise exposure trends overall and by airport characteristics, while estimating the numbers of exposed by population demographics to help identify the impact on vulnerable communities who may bear the burden of aircraft noise exposure.

Environmental Health Perspectives is an Open Access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Environmental Health Perspectives is an Open Access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Elevated red blood cell distribution width (RDW), traditionally an indicator of anemia, has now been recognized as a risk marker for cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality. Experimental and acute exposure studies suggest that cadmium and lead individually affect red blood cell production; however, associations between environmental exposures and RDW have not been explored. We evaluated relationships of environmental cadmium and lead exposures to RDW. We used data from 24,607 participants aged ≥20 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003–2016) with information on blood concentrations of cadmium and lead, RDW and socio-demographic factors. In models adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, poverty income ratio, BMI, alcohol consumption, smoking status and serum cotinine, RDW was increasingly elevated across progressively higher quartiles of blood cadmium concentration. A doubling of cadmium concentration was associated with 0.16 higher RDW (95% CI: 0.14, 0.18) and a doubling of lead concentration with 0.04 higher RDW (95% CI: 0.01, 0.06). Also, higher cadmium and lead concentrations were associated with increased odds of high RDW (RDW>14.8%). The associations were more pronounced in women and those with low-to-normal mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and held even after controlling for iron, folate or vitamin B12 deficiencies. In analysis including both metals, cadmium remained associated with RDW, whereas the corresponding association for lead was substantially attenuated. In this general population sample, blood cadmium and lead exposures were positively associated with RDW. The associations may indicate hemolytic or erythropoietic mechanisms by which exposure increases mortality risk.

Communities with large minority populations often are located near sources of pollution and have higher crime rates, which may work in combination with other factors to influence health. Poor self-rated health is related to chronic health conditions and premature mortality, with minority populations most likely to report poor health. To address how both resident perception of neighborhood environments and chronic health conditions individually and collectively influence health, we examined self-rated health and its association with multiple types of perceived environmental hazards in a majority-Hispanic urban population. We conducted interviews with 354 residents of Chelsea, Massachusetts, US and asked about self-rated health, perceptions of their neighborhood, including participant-reported environmental hazards (e.g., air quality, odors and noise), aspects of the social environment (e.g., feeling safe, neighborhood crime, social cohesion), and culture-related stressors (e.g., immigration status, language stress, ethnic identity). Log-linear models examined the independent and multivariable associations between these factors and fair/poor self-rated health, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and preexisting health conditions. Forty-one percent of participants reported fair/poor self-rated health. Participants frequently perceived environmental hazards such as problems with pests and regular noise disturbance as well as feeling unsafe. In a multivariable model, a greater number of reported noise disturbances (≥ 2 noise sources = 1.53 [1.04–2.26]) and reported insecurity with immigration status (1.66 [1.01–2.73]) were positively associated with fair/poor self-rated health. High social cohesion was inversely associated (0.74 [0.48–1.14]) with fair/poor self-rated health in the multivariable model. Negative perceptions of environmental hazards and reported cultural stressors were significantly associated with fair/poor self-rated health among residents in a low-income majority-minority community, with social cohesion having a beneficial association with self-rated health. Efforts to improve health should recognize the importance of public perceptions of social and environmental hazards found in neighborhood environments, and benefits of strengthening community connections.

Purpose of the Review In the USA, there is mounting pressure on aviation operators and regulators to address concerns about community impacts of aircraft noise given increasing evidence of adverse health impacts, continuing community complaints, availability of cost-effective programs to reduce exposures to aircraft noise, and more stringent international policies. In the USA, regulation of civil aviation noise is the responsibility of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which requires a “significant body of scientific support,” particularly applicable to the USA, to inform health-based policy and regulatory decisions. However, there have been very few studies investigating the relationship between noise and health in the USA and limited studies across the globe characterizing the effects of aviation noise specifically on cardiovascular health. This review focuses on recent findings on the relationship between aircraft noise and cardiovascular outcomes and directions for future research. Recent Findings Epidemiological studies generally report statistically significant associations between aircraft noise and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, although with limited evidence within the USA. Sleep disturbance, associated with nighttime noise, has been shown to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease given associations with inflammatory markers and metabolic changes. Given numerous cardiovascular markers, the most appropriate choices depend on the ultimate objectives of the individual studies. Summary Given the state of the literature, future research should leverage emerging tools to estimate aviation, railway, and road traffic noise and apply noise estimates to a range of epidemiological study designs and endpoints to inform causal interpretation and help determine potential intervention strategies.