title: Are air pollution and traffic noise independently associated with atherosclerosis: the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Living close to high traffic has been linked to subclinical atherosclerosis, however it is not clear, whether fine particulate matter (PM) air pollution or noise, two important traffic-related exposures, are responsible for the association. We investigate the independent associations of long-term exposure to fine PM and road traffic noise with thoracic aortic calcification (TAC), a reliable measure of subclinical atherosclerosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We used baseline data (2000-2003) from the German Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study, a population-based cohort of 4814 randomly selected participants. We assessed residential long-term exposure to PM with a chemistry transport model, and to road traffic noise using façade levels from noise models as weighted 24 h mean noise (Lden) and night-time noise (Lnight). Thoracic aortic calcification was quantified from non-contrast enhanced electron beam computed tomography. We used multiple linear regression to estimate associations of environmental exposures with ln(TAC+1), adjusting for each other, individual, and neighbourhood characteristics. In 4238 participants (mean age 60 years, 49.9% male), PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm) and Lnight are both associated with an increasing TAC-burden of 18.1% (95% CI: 6.6; 30.9%) per 2.4 µg/m(3) PM2.5 and 3.9% (95% CI 0.0; 8.0%) per 5dB(A) Lnight, respectively, in the full model and after mutual adjustment. We did not observe effect measure modification of the PM2.5 association by Lnight or vice versa.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term exposure to fine PM and night-time traffic noise are both independently associated with subclinical atherosclerosis and may both contribute to the association of traffic proximity with atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: West German Heart Center Essen, University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Hagen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kälsch
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hennig
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moebus
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Möhlenkamp
authors.forename: Nico
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dragano
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jakobs
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Memmesheimer
authors.forename: Raimund
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Erbel
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Jöckel
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000401:Aircraft; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D001336:Automobiles; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009624:Noise, Transportation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000633:toxicity; D012307:Risk Factors; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D052638:Particulate Matter
keywords: Air pollution; Atherosclerosis; Epidemiology; Traffic noise