Indicators of residential traffic exposure:Modelled NO X , traffic proximity, and self-reported exposure in RHINE III

• Published in: Atmospheric Environment
• Main Authors: Carlsen, Hanne Krage, Bäck, Erik, Eneroth, Kristina, Gislason, Thorarinn, Holm, Mathias, Janson, Christer, Jensen, Steen Solvang, Johannessen, Ane, Kaasik, Marko, Modig, Lars, Segersson, David, Sigsgaard, Torben, Forsberg, Bertil, Olsson, David, Orru, Hans
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: Cohort study; Dispersion models; Land-use regression models; NO; Noise exposure; Traffic exposure; Iceland
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/a8778569-ad00-4f47-961c-14a9d697a112; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.08.015; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85028350198&partnerID=8YFLogxK

Few studies have investigated associations between self-reported and modelled exposure to traffic pollution. The objective of this study was to examine correlations between self-reported traffic exposure and modelled (a) NO X and (b) traffic proximity in seven different northern European cities; Aarhus (Denmark), Bergen (Norway), Gothenburg, Umeå, and Uppsala (Sweden), Reykjavik (Iceland), and Tartu (Estonia). We analysed data from the RHINE III (Respiratory Health in Northern Europe, www.rhine.nu) cohorts of the seven study cities. Traffic proximity (distance to the nearest road with >10,000 vehicles per day) was calculated and vehicle exhaust (NO X ) was modelled using dispersion models and land-use regression (LUR) data from 2011. Participants were asked a question about self-reported traffic intensity near bedroom window and another about traffic noise exposure at the residence. The data were analysed using rank correlation (Kendall's tau) and inter-rater agreement (Cohen's Kappa) between tertiles of modelled NO X and traffic proximity tertile and traffic proximity categories (0–150 metres (m), 150–200 m, >300 m) in each centre. Data on variables of interest were available for 50–99% of study participants per each cohort. Mean modelled NO X levels were between 6.5 and 16.0 μg/m 3 median traffic intensity was between 303 and 10,750 m in each centre. In each centre, 7.7–18.7% of respondents reported exposure to high traffic intensity and 3.6–16.3% of respondents reported high exposure to traffic noise. Self-reported residential traffic exposure had low or no correlation with modelled exposure and traffic proximity in all centres, although results were statistically significant (tau = 0.057–0.305). Self-reported residential traffic noise correlated weakly (tau = 0.090–0.255), with modelled exposure in all centres except Reykjavik. Modelled NO X had the highest correlations between self-reported and modelled traffic exposure in five of seven centres, traffic noise exposure had the highest correlation ...