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Exposure to aircraft and road traffic noise and associations with heart disease and stroke in six European countries
(2013)
Background
Although a number of studies have found an association between aircraft noise and hypertension, there is a lack of evidence on associations with other cardiovascular disease. For road traffic noise, more studies are available but the extent of possible confounding by air pollution has not been established.
Methods
This study used data from the Hypertension and Environmental Noise near Airports (HYENA) study. Cross-sectional associations between self-reported ´heart disease and stroke and aircraft noise and road traffic noise were examined using data collected between 2004 and 2006 on 4712 participants (276 cases), who lived near airports in six European countries (UK, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Greece, Italy). Data were available to assess potential confounding by NO2 air pollution in a subsample of three countries (UK, Netherlands, Sweden).
Results
An association between night-time average aircraft noise and ´heart disease and stroke was found after adjustment for socio-demographic confounders for participants who had lived in the same place for?=?20 years (odds ratio (OR): 1.25 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03, 1.51) per 10 dB (A)); this association was robust to adjustment for exposure to air pollution in the subsample. 24 hour average road traffic noise exposure was associated with ´heart disease and stroke (OR: 1.19 (95% CI 1.00, 1.41), but adjustment for air pollution in the subsample suggested this may have been due to confounding by air pollution. Statistical assessment (correlations and variance inflation factor) suggested only modest collinearity between noise and NO2 exposures.
Conclusions
Exposure to aircraft noise over many years may increase risks of heart disease and stroke, although more studies are needed to establish how much the risks associated with road traffic noise may be explained by air pollution.
Quelle: http://www.ehjournal.net/
Communication in a Human biomonitoring study:Focus group work public engagement and lessons learnt in 17 European countries
(2015)
A communication strategy was developed by The Consortium to Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale (COPHES), as part of its objectives to develop a framework and protocols to enable the collection of comparable human biomonitoring data throughout Europe. The framework and protocols were tested in the pilot study DEMOCOPHES (Demonstration of a study to Coordinate and Perform Human biomonitoring on a European Scale). The aims of the communication strategy were to raise awareness of human biomonitoring, encourage participation in the study and to communicate the study results and their public health significance. It identified the audiences and key messages, documented the procedure for dissemination of results and was updated as the project progressed. A communication plan listed the tools and materials such as press releases, flyers, recruitment letters and information leaflets required for each audience with a time frame for releasing them. Public insight research was used to evaluate the recruitment material, and the feedback was used to improve the documents. Dissemination of results was coordinated in a step by step approach by the participating countries within DEMOCOPHES, taking into account specific national messages according to the needs of each country. Participants received individual results, unless they refused to be informed, along with guidance on what the results meant. The aggregate results and policy recommendations were then communicated to the general public and stakeholders, followed by dissemination at European level. Several lessons were learnt that may assist other future human biomonitoring studies. Recruitment took longer than anticipated and so social scientists, to help with community engagement, should be part of the research team from the start. As a European study, involving multiple countries, additional considerations were needed for the numerous organisations, different languages, cultures, policies and priorities. Therefore, communication documents should be seen as templates with essential information clearly indicated and the option for each country to tailor the material to reflect these differences. Future studies should consider setting up multidisciplinary networks of medical professionals and communication experts, and holding training workshops to discuss the interpretation of results and risk communication. Publicity and wide dissemination of the results helped to raise awareness of human biomonitoring to the general public, policy makers and other key stakeholders. Effective and timely communication, at all stages of a study, is essential if the potential of human biomonitoring research to improve public health is to be realised.& 2014PublishedbyElsevierInc.
Transport and removal of viruses in saturated sand columns under oxic and anoxic conditions
(2014)
To protect groundwater as a drinking water resource from microbiological contamination, protection zones are installed. While travelling through these zones, concentrations of potential pathogens should decline to levels that pose no risks to human health. Removal of viruses during subsurface passage is influenced by physicochemical conditions, such as oxygen concentration, which also affects virus survival. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of redox conditions on the removal of viruses during sand filtration. Experiments in glass columns filled with medium-grained sand were conducted to investigate virus removal in the presence and absence of dissolved oxygen. Bacteriophages MS2 and PhiX174, as surrogates for human enteric viruses were spiked in pulsed or in continuous mode and pumped through the columns at a filter velocity of about 1 m/d. Virus breakthrough curves were analyzed by calculating total viral elimination and fitted using one-dimensional transport models (CXTFIT and HYDRUS-1D). While short-term experiments with pulsed virus application showed only small differences with regard to virus removal under oxic and anoxic conditions, a long-term experiment with continuous dosing revealed a clearly lower elimination of viruses under anoxic conditions. These findings suggest that less inactivation and less adsorption of viruses in anoxic environments affect their removal. Therefore, in risk assessment studies aimed to secure drinking water resources from viral contamination and optimization of protection zones, the oxic and anoxic conditions in the subsurface should also be considered.
Quelle: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/
Development of a Quantitative Methodology to Assess the Impacts of Urban Transport Interventions and Related Noise on Well-Being
(2015)
Public health impacts of city policies to reduce climate change: findings from the URGENCHE EU-China project
(2016) Sabel, Clive E.; Hiscock, Rosemary; Asikainen, Arja; Tobollik, Myriam
Background: Climate change is a global threat to health and wellbeing. Here we provide findings of an international research project investigating the health and wellbeing impacts of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in urban environments. Methods: Five European and two Chinese city authorities and partner academic organisations formed the project consortium. The methodology involved modelling the impact of adopted urban climate-change mitigation transport, buildings and energy policy scenarios, usually for the year 2020 and comparing them with business as usual (BAU) scenarios (where policies had not been adopted). Carbon dioxide emissions, health impacting exposures (air pollution, noise and physical activity), health (cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer and leukaemia) and wellbeing (including noise related wellbeing, overall wellbeing, economic wellbeing and inequalities) were modelled. The scenarios were developed from corresponding known levels in 2010 and pre-existing exposure response functions. Additionally there were literature reviews, three longitudinal observational studies and two cross sectional surveys. Results: There are four key findings. Firstly introduction of electric cars may confer some small health benefits but it would be unwise for a city to invest in electric vehicles unless their power generation fuel mix generates fewer emissions than petrol and diesel. Second, adopting policies to reduce private car use may have benefits for carbon dioxide reduction and positive health impacts through reduced noise and increased physical activity. Third, the benefits of carbon dioxide reduction from increasing housing efficiency are likely to be minor and co-benefits for health and wellbeing are dependent on good air exchange. Fourthly, although heating dwellings by in-home biomass burning may reduce carbon dioxide emissions, consequences for health and wellbeing were negative with the technology in use in the cities studied. Conclusions: The climate-change reduction policies reduced CO2 emissions (the most common greenhouse gas) from cities but impact on global emissions of CO2 would be more limited due to some displacement of emissions. The health and wellbeing impacts varied and were often limited reflecting existing relatively high quality of life and environmental standards in most of the participating cities; the greatest potential for future health benefit occurs in less developed or developing countries. Quelle: www.ehjournal.biomedcentral.com
A consensus based vulnerability assessment to climate change in Germany
(2015) Greiving, Stefan; Zebisch, Marc; Schauser, Inke; Schneiderbauer, Stefan
Purpose This paper aims to propose a collaborative approach toward an integrated vulnerability assessment to climate change in Germany that attempts to bridge the gap between scientific output and policy demand. Design/methodology/approach Conceptually, the approach follows the definition of vulnerability as used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, but it has modified this basic concept. It clearly distinguishes between three time slices (presence, near and remote future) not only regarding the change in the climatic conditions but also socio-economic development trends. Findings The paper concentrates on the selected methodological framework, the collaborative research design and those preliminary results of the nationwide vulnerability assessment that are transferable to other settings. Practical implications A Vulnerability Network (̮Netzwerk VulnerabilitaetŁ) emerged from an applied research project commissioned under the Adaptation Action Plan of the German Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and the Federal Environment Agency. The assessment serves as evidence basis for the implementation of the German Adaptation Strategy. Thus, all relevant federal authorities and agencies are represented in the Vulnerability Network. Originality/value The approach is the first really integrative vulnerability assessment for the whole Germany, as it considers not only 16 sectors but also interconnections between these sectors and cumulative effects for three different time slices. Moreover, the normative component of the assessment was clearly separated from the analytic one. The Vulnerability Network as a whole has been responsible for all normative decisions to be taken during the assessment procedure thus ensuring a wide understanding and acceptance of commonly achieved results. Quelle: http://www.emeraldinsight.com
Need for action: How to achieve a greenhouse gas neutral German transport sector
(2019) Dziekan, Katrin; Lambrecht, Martin; Zimmermann, Annegret
Impacts of climate change on tourism areas in Germany: an overview of adaptation measures recommended and thier communication
(2022) Wachotsch, Ulrike
Environment Agency is continuously monitoring and evaluating these changes on behalf of the Federal Government in order to advise it on the necessary measures. Climate change will also affect the tourism industry and travel regions in Germany. Hence, temporary or permanent restrictions on business activities may occur, endangering jobs and incomes. The changes are much more visible on the level of the travel regions than on the national level. In a research project, measures for Germany that can be taken on the regional level to counter the consequences were identified through communication with stakeholders in the tourism industry and tourism destinations. Additionally, data on climate change are made available via a climate information system. This serves to raise awareness of climate change among stakeholders. © The Authors
No climate-resilient society without a resilient transport system
(2021) Glock, Jan Peter; Hartl, Richard; Krieg, Michael
Transport systems are a barrier to climate-resilient societies. Their crucial societal function to provide access is outweighed by the effects transportation has on society through its nexus with public health and the climate system. These range from greenhouse gas emissions via air andnoise pollution to accidents and reinforcing harmful sedentary lifestyles. Removing the barrier needs a transformative understanding of resilience as opposed to resilience as withstanding and adapting to pressures. This chapter entangles the relationships between transportation, public health, climate, and society in a nexus framework and explains why transport systems as barrier to climate-resilient societies will prevail as long as conventional approaches to change cause further lock-in and rebound effects. It provides an understanding of resilience allowing for transformational change. In addition, two approaches that contribute to transformative resilience are presented. Firstly, people-centered mobility puts humans and their needs before infrastructure and means of transport. This is a prerequisite for deconstructing transport systems as a barrier to climate resilience. Secondly, the pricing of externalities has the potential to completely change transport systems as we know them today, by closing the gap between prices paid for transport by individual users and actual costs incurred on a societal level. Transforming the transport sector needs to be a key element of any strategy to strive toward societal resilience. Without it, negative effects of transport systems can neither be avoided nor reduced in the required order of magnitude. A climate-resilient society cannot be reached without changes in transportation. © The Author(s)
Benefits from critical review and communication
(2023) Garvens, Hans-Jürgen
The critical peer review (CPR) of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies is a task of value. The majority of benefits lie in the projects and are not realized from the outside. The effect to the outside concerns communication. A peer review can be conducted on various levels. As a measure of quality assurance and to assist the interpretation of results, it is already meaningful to ask some colleagues for their opinion. For credibility and reliability, external reviews are most suitable. The best option is to include interested parties, which will also support communication. Communication of LCA results need to be suitable for the respective target audience. Often results are over-interpreted or simplified too much. The publication of an assertion "A is better than B" is meaningless without some background information and some limitations of that statement. The background information and limitations are meaningless, if the target audience cannot understand them. © 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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