Environmental Epidemiology最新文献

{"title":"Increased mortality from a two-year delay in Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) emission-reductions of filterable PM_2.5 at specific coal-fired power plants in the United States.","authors":"Bujin Bekbulat, Kevin R Cromar, Julian D Marshall","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/EE9.0000000000000422","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency tightened the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for emissions of filterable particulate matter (fPM) from coal-fired power plants to 0.010 lb/MMBtu. In April 2025, a presidential proclamation stated that 47 specific power plant companies received a 2-year exemption from the new requirements. The proclamation provided no estimates of the resulting health impacts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Our approach applies conventional risk-assessment calculations for mortality from inhalation of filterable PM_2.5 (fPM_2.5) emissions, for \"with\" versus \"without\" the exemption, across four steps: (1) calculate fPM_2.5 emissions, based on government databases; (2) calculate the change in ambient PM_2.5 concentrations, using the Intervention Model for Air Pollution (InMAP) source-receptor matrix (ISRM); (3) calculate mortality impacts from inhalation of PM_2.5, using the Orellano et al., 2024 concentration-response function (CRF; relative risk (RR) per 10 μg/m³: 1.095, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.064, 1.127; in sensitivity analyses, we employ other CRFs); (4) aggregate results (e.g., by US state).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most (83%) of the exempted power plant facilities already have sufficient control technology installed that they operate below the new MATS limit, indicating that much of that fleet already adopted cleaner technologies. For the remaining 17% of facilities, the proclamation will increase total fPM_2.5 emissions to ~6,900 tons, from ~4,400 tons. We estimate that the additional ~2,500 tons emitted will lead to 32 (95% CI = 22, 43) deaths. The highest mortality is in St. Louis, Missouri, (population: 2.2 million) with an estimated 14 (95% CI = 10,19) deaths. The increased mortality is, for some states (e.g., Missouri, and Pennsylvania), caused by mostly in-state emissions; for other states (e.g., Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia), the cause is out-of-state emissions.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Results here quantify a portion of the health impacts but leave unquantified nonmortality impacts, impacts from hazardous air pollutant (HAP) exposures, and noninhalation pathways. The reduced computational demands of the air pollution model employed here allows for more timely investigation of government actions than would traditional air dispersion modeling. Sensitivity analyses yielded mortality results that ranged from 47% lower to 169% higher than the core findings.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We estimate that a 2-year delay in MATS emission reductions of fPM_2.5 at the exempted coal-fired power plants will lead to 32 (95% CI = 22, 43) additional deaths.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"9 5","pages":"e422"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12506990/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145257702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cumulative residential greenness and childhood body mass index.","authors":"Jo Davies, Lucy J Griffiths, Theodora Pouliou, Rowena Bailey, Richard Fry, Ronan A Lyons, Gareth Stratton, Amy Mizen","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000421","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000421","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Childhood obesity is a complex and multifaceted public health issue. Several studies have found that children living in greener neighborhoods have a lower body mass index (BMI); however, evidence on longitudinal exposure remains limited. This study examined the relationship between Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), green space, and children's weight status using linked environmental and national health data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We derived annual EVI values from Landsat 8 satellite imagery (30 m resolution) within 300 m of a child's residence in Wales from 2008 to 2019. Mean EVI exposure was calculated for the 4 years preceding BMI measurement. We utilized 2017 Ordnance Survey Open Greenspace data to identify green spaces within 800 m of a child's residence. BMI obtained from the Child Measurement Programme for Wales (2012/13 to 2018/19) for children aged 4-5 years was used to define healthy versus overweight/obesity. We used logistic regression to evaluate associations between residential greenness, green spaces, and childhood weight status.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The final cohort consisted of 200,237 children. A one-unit increase in EVI was associated with a 20% higher likelihood of being overweight or obese (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.37). For every additional green space within 800 m, the likelihood of having an unhealthy weight increased by 0.3%.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings suggest that EVI and access to green spaces should be interpreted with care, as they may not capture how young children interact with nearby green environments. Future work investigating the impact of greenness and greenspace on child weight status should use measures tailored to more accurately represent age-specific behaviors.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"9 5","pages":"e421"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12466902/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145184967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temporal changes in the high-temperature-mortality association in the Netherlands and the potential impact of the implementation of the national heat plan.","authors":"Jochem O Klompmaker, Werner I Hagens","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000424","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000424","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>To mitigate the health impact of high temperatures, heat plans (HPs) have become widespread around the world. Our aim was to evaluate the temperature-mortality associations and estimate the temperature-related deaths in the Netherlands in the years before (2000-2009) and after (2010-2019) the first activation of the national HP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We obtained data about daily all-cause mortality (2000-2019) for the entire Dutch population, and by age, sex, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and urbanization. We linked the daily maximum temperature based on 23 monitoring stations across the Netherlands. Time-series Poisson regression models with a distributed lag nonlinear model, adjusted for long-term and seasonal trends and day of the week, were used to assess relative risks (RRs, 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) in the warm months (May-September). Temperature-attributable mortality fractions for high-temperature exposures and potential HP days were calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We observed positive associations between daily maximum temperature and mortality in 2000-2009 and in 2010-2019. Associations of high temperatures (28.9 °C-95th percentile) were weaker in 2010-2019 (RR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.09) than in 2000-2009 (RR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.20). The attenuation in temperature-mortality risk was strongest for the elderly, women, and individuals living in low-socioeconomic status neighborhoods. The estimated mortality attributable fractions of high temperatures (≥28.9 °C) were lower in 2010-2019 (0.72, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.84) than in 2000-2009 (1.21%, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.33).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The impact of high temperatures on mortality attenuated in the Netherlands. This might be due to the implementation of the national HP, but other factors may have played a role as well.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"9 5","pages":"e424"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12466905/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145184963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The occurrence of appendicitis varies according to latitudes and seasons: A French national retrospective study.","authors":"Jean-François Hamel, Chloé Saint-Dizier, Antoine Lamer, Dune Allard, Tino Bienvenu, Mathieu Levaillant, Aurélien Venara","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000412","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000412","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Recent reports indicate that the occurrence of appendicitis follows a seasonal pattern and that there is an association between increased incidence and warmer weather. It is noteworthy that a reduction in the incidence of appendicitis has been observed in the Northern Hemisphere. The objective of this study is to present the epidemiological profile of appendicitis at the national level in France.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective observational study, based on data from the French National Discharge Database, encompasses all hospitalizations for appendicitis diagnosis between 2013 and 2022. The progression of appendicitis over time was assessed through time-series models. The incidence of appendicitis was also compared depending on year, gender, age, and latitude.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>It is noteworthy that the incidence of appendectomy in France exhibited a significant decrease between 2013 and 2022, with an average reduction of 2.1% annually. There was a significant decrease in the number of appendectomies performed on patients ≤20, while there was an increase in those >60. Furthermore, there was a seasonal pattern in the incidence of appendicitis, with a peak during the summer months. The seasonality remained consistent over time. Furthermore, there was a south-north gradient, with a higher number of appendectomies performed in the south.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Seasonality (summer vs. winter) and latitude (south vs. north) could be considered as a proxy for temperature. However, temperature alone cannot explain the observed variations in appendicitis occurrence, since the latter decreases over time, in parallel with global warming. It is likely that other environmental and ecological parameters may be responsible for these variations.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"9 4","pages":"e412"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12309809/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144752711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associations of prenatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances with whole blood folate levels in pregnant women in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study.","authors":"Harin Lee, Amber M Hall, Antonia M Calafat, Aimin Chen, Zia Fazili, Bruce P Lanphear, Christine M Pfeiffer, Kimberly Yolton, Joseph M Braun","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000406","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000406","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Folate plays a critical role during pregnancy, preventing neural tube defects and possibly adverse neurodevelopment. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals that may decrease folate levels. Although some studies have found associations between PFAS and folate, we are unaware of studies conducted in pregnant women. To address this knowledge gap, we evaluated associations between PFAS and whole blood folate (WBF) in pregnant women.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used data from 288 pregnant women in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study, a pregnancy and birth cohort in the Cincinnati Ohio area. We measured eight serum PFAS and WBF concentrations at 16 weeks' gestation. We used linear regression to estimate the effect of each PFAS on WBF, and quantile-based g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to investigate the joint effect of PFAS on WBF, adjusting for parity, prenatal vitamin intake, maternal race/ethnicity, household income, maternal age, and second trimester smoking status in all models. In addition, we investigated interactions between PFAS using BKMR.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We did not observe inverse associations of individual PFAS or their mixture with WBF, nor interactions between PFAS in the BKMR model in pregnant women.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Future studies could consider WBF measures in late pregnancy to evaluate other periods of susceptibility. Furthermore, as people are exposed to multiple PFAS, future studies should continue to consider joint PFAS exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"9 4","pages":"e406"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12212838/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144539598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disparities in the association of ambient air pollution with childhood asthma incidence in the ECHO consortium: A US-wide multi-cohort study.","authors":"Veronica A Wang, Rima Habre, Patrick H Ryan, Brent A Coull, Soma Datta, Heike Luttmann-Gibson, Jeff Blossom, Allan C Just, Joel Schwartz, Jeff D Yanosky, Izzuddin M Aris, Aruna Chandran, Amii M Kress, Carrie Breton, Shohreh F Farzan, Carlos A Camargo, Donghai Liang, Assiamira Ferrera, Alicia K Peterson, Jean M Kerver, Catherine J Karr, Leslie D Leve, Dana Dabelea, Margaret R Karagas, Deborah H Bennett, Flory L Nkoy, Judy Aschner, T Michael O'Shea, Nathan Lothrop, Cindy T McEvoy, Emily A Knapp, Holly B Schuh, Rachel L Miller, Diane R Gold, Antonella Zanobetti","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000398","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000398","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Characterization of US sociodemographic disparities in air pollution respiratory effects has often been limited by lack of participant diversity, geography, exposure characterization, and small sample size.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We included 34 sites comprising 23,234 children (born 1981-2021) from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program with data on asthma diagnosis until age 10 (182,008 person-years). Predicted annual exposure to fine particulate matter (1988-2021), nitrogen dioxide (2000-2016), and ground ozone (2000-2016) were assigned based on residential histories. For each pollutant, we fitted time-varying Cox models adjusted for time trend, site, and several area- and individual-level sociodemographic features that were separately considered as modifiers via an interaction with exposure.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The hazard ratio of incident asthma by age 10 years was 1.19 (95% CI = 1.10, 1.28), 1.19 (95% CI = 1.05, 1.34), and 1.11 (95% CI = 1.01, 1.22) of an interquartile range increase in prior-year exposure to fine particulate matter (6.17 µg/m³), nitrogen dioxide (15.37 ppb), and ozone (6.87 ppb), respectively. For both fine particulate and nitrogen dioxide, children from areas with a higher proportion of Black residents or with a higher population density had greater pollution-associated risks of incident asthma. For ozone, asthma risks were enhanced in less dense areas.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>US efforts to mitigate childhood asthma risk by reducing air pollution would benefit from addressing root structural causes of vulnerability and susceptibility, including spatial patterning in air pollution sources and exposures as well as social and economic disadvantage.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"9 4","pages":"e398"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12160752/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144301387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association between gestational environmental chemical mixtures and folate exposures with autistic behaviors in a Canadian birth cohort.","authors":"Joshua D Alampi, Bruce P Lanphear, Amanda J MacFarlane, Joseph M Braun, Youssef Oulhote, Jillian Ashley-Martin, Tye E Arbuckle, Aimin Chen, Gina Muckle, Lawrence C McCandless","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000402","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000402","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals may be associated with autism or autistic-like behaviors. Previous studies suggest that these associations are stronger when folic acid (FA) supplementation is lower.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used data from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals study, a Canadian pregnancy and birth cohort (2008-2011). We considered five separate chemical mixtures (measured during the first trimester of pregnancy): metals, organochlorine pesticides, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and persistent organic pollutants (POPs; including organochlorine pesticides, PFAS, PCBs, and one polybrominated diphenyl ether congener). Autistic-like behaviors were documented in 601 3-4-year-old children with the social responsiveness scale-2 (SRS-2), where higher T-scores denote more behaviors. We used quantile g-computation to estimate the mixture-SRS-2 associations and assessed whether gestational FA supplementation and plasma total folate concentrations modified these associations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The PFAS mixture was associated with decreased SRS-2 T-scores (Ψ = -0.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.1, 0.1). The metal-SRS-2 associations were stronger in the positive direction among participants with high (>1,000 μg/d) FA supplementation (Ψ = 2.4; 95% CI = 0.8, 3.9) versus those with adequate (400-1,000 μg/d) supplementation (Ψ = -0.2; 95% CI = -1.1, 0.7) (p-interaction = 0.003). Plasma total folate concentrations similarly modified these associations (p-interaction = 0.01). The associations between the PFAS, PCB, and POP mixtures and SRS-2 T-scores were stronger in the positive direction among participants with low (<400 μg/d) versus adequate FA supplementation. This was not observed when assessing modification by plasma total folate concentrations.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our results suggest that the metal mixture is more strongly associated with autistic-like behaviors among participants with higher folate exposure, and the PFAS, PCB, and POP mixtures are more strongly associated with autistic-like behaviors among participants with low FA supplementation.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"9 4","pages":"e402"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12160746/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144301386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The association between time spent outdoors during daylight and mortality among participants of the Adventist Health Study 2 Cohort.","authors":"Noor Nazeeh, Michael J Orlich, Gina Segovia-Siapco, Gary E Fraser, David Shavlik","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000401","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000401","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Prolonged exposure to sunlight increases the risk of skin cancer. However, multiple sunlight-related health benefits have been identified. The overall effect of sun exposure on mortality remains inconclusive. This study investigated the association between daylight exposure and mortality (all-cause and cause-specific: cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and noncancer non-CVD mortalities).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study utilized the Adventist Health Study (AHS) 2 cohort of North America. Sun exposure was defined using time spent outdoors during daylight in warmer and cooler months. Mortality outcomes were identified through 2015. Multivariable Cox regression was used to examine the association between sun exposure and mortality.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This study included 83,205 AHS-2 participants enrolled between 2002 and 2007. We observed nonlinear (reverse J-shaped) associations between time outdoors in warmer months and the risks of all-cause, CVD, and noncancer non-CVD mortalities. Compared with spending 30 min/day during daylight in warmer months, spending 2 hours/day was associated with a lower risk of all-cause (hazard ratio: 0.90; 95% confidence interval = 0.86, 0.93), CVD (0.89; 0.83, 0.95), and noncancer non-CVD mortalities (0.83; 0.78, 0.89), but was not significantly associated with cancer mortality risk (1.02; 0.93, 1.13) after adjusting for physical activity and important confounders. All associations were weaker with the time spent outdoors in cooler months.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Moderate time outdoors in daylight during warmer months could be associated with lower risks of all-cause, CVD, and noncancer non-CVD mortality; however, there was no clear evidence of an association with cancer mortality. Epidemiological studies need to investigate the balance between sun exposure's health benefits and risks.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"9 3","pages":"e401"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12122178/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144181201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The association of multiple built environment factors with a clinical measure of grip strength.","authors":"Millie Baghela, Jaclyn Parks, Parveen Bhatti","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000391","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000391","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Population-level interventions that promote healthy aging through modifications to the built environment are likely to be more effective than individual-level interventions. Few studies have examined the influence of multiple built environment factors on measures of healthy aging.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We leveraged detailed data from a population-based cohort study to examine how multiple aspects of the built environment were associated with grip strength, a well-accepted measure of age-related health status.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 15,068 participants of the British Columbia Generations Project. Geospatial measures of air pollution (PM_2.5, SO₂, and NO₂), greenness, light-at-night, and walkability were linked to participant residential postal codes. Grip strength was measured using a digital hydraulic hand dynamometer. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the odds of having sex-specific clinically weak measures of grip strength in association with each built environment factor. The other built environment factors, demographics, and lifestyle factors were evaluated as confounders.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Increased SO₂ and greenness were statistically significantly associated with increased and decreased odds of having clinically weak grip strength, respectively, after adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and other built environment factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings suggest that built environment factors are compelling targets for improving age-related health, though the mechanisms underlying associations with these factors, particularly greenness, remain uncertain.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"9 3","pages":"e391"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12122174/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144181538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Road traffic noise and incident ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Göran Pershagen, Andrei Pyko, Gunn Marit Aasvang, Mikael Ögren, Pekka Tiittanen, Timo Lanki, Mette Sørensen","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000400","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000400","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This systematic review aimed to estimate relative risks for incident ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke in relation to long-term road traffic noise exposure and to evaluate exposure-response functions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We systematically searched databases for longitudinal studies in humans on incident IHD, MI, and/or stroke, including quantitative estimates on individual exposure to residential road traffic noise based on validated models or measurements. Risk of bias was evaluated in each study based on predefined criteria. Pooled linear exposure-response functions were generated from random-effect models in meta-analyses of study-specific risk estimates. Restricted cubic spline models were used to capture potential nonlinear associations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty eligible studies were identified based on more than 8.4 million individuals, mostly from Europe, including between 160,000 and 240,000 cases for each of the outcomes. Pooled relative risk estimates were 1.017 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.990, 1.044) for IHD, 1.029 (95% CI: 1.011, 1.048) for MI, and 1.025 (95% CI: 1.009, 1.041) for stroke per 10 dB L_den in road traffic noise exposure. Risk estimates appeared higher in combined analyses of studies with a low risk of exposure assessment bias. Restricted cubic spline analyses of these studies showed clear risk increases with exposure for all three cardiovascular outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The evidence indicates that long-term exposure to road traffic noise increases the incidence of IHD, including MI, and stroke. Given the abundant exposure, traffic noise is a cardiovascular risk factor of public health importance. High-quality assessment of noise exposure appears essential for the risk estimation.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"9 3","pages":"e400"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12122180/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144181045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}