Burden of disease due to transportation noise in the Nordic countries.

Background: Environmental noise is of increasing concern for public health. Quantification of associated health impacts is important for regulation and preventive strategies.

Aim: To estimate the burden of disease (BoD) due to road traffic and railway noise in four Nordic countries and their capitals, in terms of DALYs (Disability-Adjusted Life Years), using comparable input data across countries.

Exposure-Response Functions for the Effects of Traffic Noise on Self-Reported Annoyance and Sleep Disturbance in Finland: Effect of Exposure Estimation Method.

Large variations in transportation noise tolerance have been reported between communities. In addition to population sensitivity, exposure-response functions (ERFs) for the effects of transportation noise depend on the exposure estimation method used. In the EU, the new CNOSSOS-EU method will change the estimations of exposure by changing the assignment of noise levels and populations to buildings.

Long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter originating from traffic and residential wood combustion and the prevalence of depression.

Introduction: Air pollution has been suggested to be associated with depression. However, current evidence is conflicting, and no study has considered different sources of ambient particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter below 2.5 µm (PM).

Self-reported health in the vicinity of five wind power production areas in Finland.

In many countries, some people living in the vicinity of wind power production areas report having symptoms that they intuitively associate with wind turbines. Recently public discussions have focused especially on wind turbine infrasound. However, scientific evidence supporting an association is lacking.

Heterogeneous Urban Exposures and Prevalent Hypertension in the Helsinki Capital Region, Finland.

Urban dwellers are simultaneously exposed to several environmental health risk factors. This study aimed to examine the relationship between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM, diameter < 2.5 µm) of residential-wood-burning and road-traffic origin, road-traffic noise, green space around participants' homes, and hypertension.

Symptoms intuitively associated with wind turbine infrasound.

In many countries, a certain proportion of individuals living in the vicinity of wind power areas have reported symptoms that they have intuitively associated with infrasound from wind turbines. While the reason for these symptoms remains under debate, this is the first study to describe the phenomenon by assessing the prevalence and severity of these wind turbine infrasound related symptoms as well as factors associated with being symptomatic. Four wind power areas in Finland assessed to have the most problems intuitively associated with wind turbine infrasound were selected for the study.

Traffic noise, noise annoyance and psychotropic medication use.

Background: Road-traffic noise can induce stress, which may contribute to mental health disorders. Mental health problems have not received much attention in noise research. People perceive noise differently, which may affect the extent to which noise contributes to poor mental health at the individual level.

Particulates and noise exposure during bicycle, bus and car commuting: A study in three European cities.

Background: In order to curb traffic-related air pollution and its impact on the physical environment, contemporary city commuters are encouraged to shift from private car use to active or public transport modes. However, personal exposures to particulate matter (PM), black carbon and noise during commuting may be substantial. Therefore, studies comparing exposures during recommended modes of transport versus car trips are needed.

Road-traffic noise: annoyance, risk perception, and noise sensitivity in the Finnish adult population.

Exposure to road-traffic noise commonly engenders annoyance, the extent of which is determined by factors not fully understood. Our aim was to estimate the prevalence and determinants of road-traffic noise annoyance and noise sensitivity in the Finnish adult population, while comparing the perceptions of road-traffic noise to exhausts as environmental health problems. Using a questionnaire that yielded responses from 1112 randomly selected adult Finnish respondents, we estimated road-traffic noise- and exhausts-related perceived exposures, health-risk perceptions, and self-reported annoyance on five-point scales, while noise sensitivity estimates were based on four questions.

Long-term Exposure to Particulate Matter Constituents and the Incidence of Coronary Events in 11 European Cohorts.

Background: Long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) has been associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality but little is known about the role of the chemical composition of PM. This study examined the association of residential long-term exposure to PM components with incident coronary events.

Methods: Eleven cohorts from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Italy participated in this analysis.

Air Pollution from Road Traffic and Systemic Inflammation in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in the European ESCAPE Project.

Background: Exposure to particulate matter air pollution (PM) has been associated with cardiovascular diseases.

Objectives: In this study we evaluated whether annual exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with systemic inflammation, which is hypothesized to be an intermediate step to cardiovascular disease.

Methods: Six cohorts of adults from Central and Northern Europe were used in this cross-sectional study as part of the larger ESCAPE project (European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects).

Cancer incidence in a cohort with high fish consumption.

Purpose: Evidence suggests that fish-derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibit cancer promotion and progression. On the other hand, fish may contain endocrine-disrupting and potentially carcinogenic environmental contaminants. Our objective was to describe cancer incidence among the Finnish professional fishermen and their wives who are presumed to eat a lot of fish, partly from the contaminated Baltic Sea.

Arterial blood pressure and long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution: an analysis in the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE).

Background: Long-term exposure to air pollution has been hypothesized to elevate arterial blood pressure (BP). The existing evidence is scarce and country specific.

Objectives: We investigated the cross-sectional association of long-term traffic-related air pollution with BP and prevalent hypertension in European populations.

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and incidence of cerebrovascular events: results from 11 European cohorts within the ESCAPE project.

Background: Few studies have investigated effects of air pollution on the incidence of cerebrovascular events.

Objectives: We assessed the association between long-term exposure to multiple air pollutants and the incidence of stroke in European cohorts.

Methods: Data from 11 cohorts were collected, and occurrence of a first stroke was evaluated.

Associations of traffic noise with self-rated health and psychotropic medication use.

Objectives: Road traffic noise is a common environmental nuisance, which has been thought to increase the risk of many types of health problems. However, population-level evidence often remains scarce. This study examined whether road traffic noise is associated with self-rated health and use of psychotropic medication in a cohort of public sector employees.

Long-term exposure to elemental constituents of particulate matter and cardiovascular mortality in 19 European cohorts: results from the ESCAPE and TRANSPHORM projects.

Background: Associations between long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) and cardiovascular (CVD) mortality have been widely recognized. However, health effects of long-term exposure to constituents of PM on total CVD mortality have been explored in a single study only.

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine the association of PM composition with cardiovascular mortality.

Air pollution and nonmalignant respiratory mortality in 16 cohorts within the ESCAPE project.

Rationale: Prospective cohort studies have shown that chronic exposure to particulate matter and traffic-related air pollution is associated with reduced survival. However, the effects on nonmalignant respiratory mortality are less studied, and the data reported are less consistent.

Objectives: We have investigated the relationship of long-term exposure to air pollution and nonmalignant respiratory mortality in 16 cohorts with individual level data within the multicenter European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE).

Effects of long-term exposure to air pollution on natural-cause mortality: an analysis of 22 European cohorts within the multicentre ESCAPE project.

Background: Few studies on long-term exposure to air pollution and mortality have been reported from Europe. Within the multicentre European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE), we aimed to investigate the association between natural-cause mortality and long-term exposure to several air pollutants.

Methods: We used data from 22 European cohort studies, which created a total study population of 367,251 participants.

Mortality among population with exposure to industrial air pollution containing nickel and other toxic metals.

Objective: To assess disease mortality among people with exposure to metal-rich particulate air pollution.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study on mortality from 1981 to 2005 among 33,573 people living near a nickel/copper smelter in Harjavalta, Finland. Nickel concentration in soil humus was selected as an indicator for long-term exposure.

Fish consumption in relation to other foods in the diet.

Our aim was to investigate whether fish consumption is associated with the consumption of other healthy foods. The study population consisted of 2605 men and 3199 women from the nationally representative Health 2000 survey and 114 professional fishermen and 114 fishermen's wives (the Fishermen substudy) in Finland. Dietary data were collected using a calibrated (i.

Organotin intake through fish consumption in Finland.

Background: Organotin compounds (OTCs) are a large class of synthetic chemicals with widely varying properties. Due to their potential adverse health effects, their use has been restricted in many countries. Humans are exposed to OTCs mostly through fish consumption.

Blood concentration of methylmercury in relation to food consumption.

Objective: Dietary fish is the main source of methylmercury (MeHg) for man, and fish consumption has been used as a measure of MeHg exposure. However, other dietary sources of exposure exist and MeHg metabolism may also be modified by nutritional factors. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between blood MeHg concentration and consumption of different foods in a Finnish population with high fish consumption.