title: Associations of short-term particle and noise exposures with markers of cardiovascular and respiratory health among highway maintenance workers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Highway maintenance workers are constantly and simultaneously exposed to traffic-related particle and noise emissions, both of which have been linked to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in population-based epidemiology studies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate short-term health effects related to particle and noise exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  We monitored 18 maintenance workers, during as many as five 24-hr periods from a total of 50 observation days. We measured their exposure to fine particulate matter (diameter ≤ 2.5 μm; PM2.5), ultrafine particles, and noise, and the cardiopulmonary health end points: blood pressure, proinflammatory and prothrombotic markers in the blood, lung function, and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measured approximately 15 hr after work. Heart rate variability was assessed during a sleep period approximately 10 hr after work.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PM2.5 exposure was significantly associated with C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A, and was negatively associated with tumor necrosis factor α. None of the particle metrics were significantly associated with von Willebrand factor or tissue factor expression. PM2.5 and work noise were associated with markers of increased heart rate variability, and with increased high-frequency and low-frequency power. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure on the following morning were significantly associated with noise exposure after work, and nonsignificantly associated with PM2.5. We observed no significant associations between any of the exposures and lung function or FeNO.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that exposure to particles and noise during highway maintenance work might pose a cardiovascular health risk. Actions to reduce these exposures could lead to better health for this population of workers.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Work and Health (Institut universitaire romand de Santé au Travail), University of Lausanne and University of Geneva, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Reto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: Wayne E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Cascio
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ghio
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.forename: Brigitta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Danuser
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riediker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010316:Particle Size; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000633:toxicity*; D013557:Switzerland; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D015415:Biomarkers; D052638:Particulate Matter