The association of traffic-related air and noise pollution with maternal blood pressure and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in the HOME study cohort

Abstract

Traffic-related air and noise pollution may increase the risk for cardiovascular disorders, especially among susceptible populations like pregnant women. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of exposure to traffic-related air pollution and traffic noise with blood pressure in pregnant women. We extracted systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at ≥ 20 weeks gestation, as well as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy from medical records in the HOME Study, a prospective pregnancy and birth cohort from Cincinnati, OH (n = 370). We estimated exposure to elemental carbon attributable to traffic (ECAT)1, a marker of traffic-related air pollution, at women’s residences at ~20 weeks gestation using a validated land use regression model and traffic noise using a publicly available transportation noise model. We used linear mixed models and modified Poisson regression adjusted for covariates to examine associations of ECAT and traffic noise with blood pressure and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy risk, respectively. In adjusted models, we found a 1.6 (95% CI= 0.02, 3.3; p= 0.048) mm Hg increase in SBP associated with an interquartile range increase in ECAT concentration; the association was stronger after adjusting for traffic noise (1.9 mmHg, 95% = 0.1, 3.7; p = 0.035). ECAT concentrations were not significantly associated with DBP or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and traffic noise was not associated with SBP, DBP, or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. There was no evidence of a joint effect of traffic noise and ECAT on any outcome. In this cohort, higher residential traffic-related air pollution exposure at ~20 weeks gestation was associated with higher SBP in late pregnancy. It is important for future studies of traffic-related air or noise pollution to jointly consider both exposures and neighborhood characteristics given their correlation and potential cumulative impact on cardiovascular health.

Indoor nocturnal noise is associated with body mass index and blood pressure: a cross-sectional study

“…Concerning the association between transportation noise and the prevalence of hypertension, the relative risks (RRs) per 10 dBA of road traffic noise, aircraft noise, and rail traffic noise were all approximately 1.05 [ 1 ]. However, some studies failed to find the significant associations between noise and blood pressure in specific population groups such as general women [ 53 ] and pregnant women [ 54 ]. The inconsistencies may result from the sample sizes, self-reported high blood pressure diagnosis, accurate exposure levels of noise, and other potential confounding factors.…”

Acute cardiovascular health effects in a panel study of personal exposure to traffic-related air pollutants and noise in Toronto, Canada

“…These findings corroborate results from several previous studies of concurrent exposure to traffic noise and air pollution on cardiovascular outcomes including prevalent hypertension and blood pressure 16 – 18 , heart rate 17 , incident myocardial infarction 19 , hospital readmission for myocardial infarction 20 , all-cause mortality 20 , heart failure 7 , myocardial infarction mortality 21 and CHD mortality 8 . These studies and others examining correlations between traffic noise and air pollution 22 , 23 were the first to suggest that noise may confound traffic-related health effects in epidemiologic studies of air pollution, and we assessed this potential bias more precisely by using personal exposure measures. Our findings are consistent with previous studies and indicate that failing to adjust adequately for traffic noise may overestimate the impacts of air pollution on some acute and subacute physiological measures of cardiovascular disease.…”

Monitoring noise level in cities: A step towards urban environmental quality management in Nigeria

“…Apart from hearing loss or impairment which is the most common manifestation of noise pollution [28], other physiological and psychological adverse effects of noise pollution exist. And abundance of evidence in the literature reveal examples of these effects to include damage on fetal development, annoyance and anxiety [53] mental health catastrophe [19], sleep disturbance and insomnia, cardiovascular disorders in pregnant women [57,62],respiratory ailments, dizziness and tiredness in school children [1,65],high blood pressure and cognitive difficulties in adults [16,48], cardiocerebrovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes incidence [51] and medically unexplained physical symptoms including other auditory and non-auditory effects such as myocardial infarction incidence, peptic ulcers [44] and disruption of communication and retentive capabilities in children. Consequently, noise pollution is noted for serious deleterious effect on the entire planet [17,49] which cannot be over-emphasized.…”