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Background:Exposure to transportation noise is widespread and has been associated with obesity in some studies. However, the evidence from longitudinal studies is limited and little is known about effects of combined exposure to different noise sources.Objectives:The aim of this longitudinal study was to estimate the association between exposure to noise from road traffic, railways, or aircraft and the development of obesity markers.Methods:We assessed individual long-term exposure to road traffic, railway, and aircraft noise based on residential histories in a cohort of 5,184 men and women from Stockholm County. Noise levels were estimated at the most exposed façade of each dwelling. Waist circumference, weight, and height were measured at recruitment and after an average of 8.9 y of follow-up. Extensive information on potential confounders was available from repeated questionnaires and registers.Results:Waist circumference increased 0.04cm/y (95% CI: 0.02, 0.06) and 0.16cm/y (95% CI: 0.14, 0.17) per 10 dB normalLden in relation to road traffic and aircraft noise, respectively. No corresponding association was seen for railway noise. Weight gain was only related to aircraft noise exposure. A similar pattern occurred for incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of central obesity and overweight. The IRR of central obesity increased from 1.22 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.39) in those exposed to only one source of transportation noise to 2.26 (95% CI: 1.55, 3.29) among those exposed to all three sources.Conclusion:Our results link transportation noise exposure to development of obesity and suggest that combined exposure from different sources may be particularly harmful. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1910

BackgroundThere is limited evidence from longitudinal studies on transportation noise from different sources and development of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke.ObjectivesThis cohort study assessed associations between exposure to noise from road traffic, railway or aircraft and incidence of IHD and stroke.MethodsIn a cohort of 20 012 individuals from Stockholm County, we estimated long-term residential exposure to road traffic, railway and aircraft noise. National Patient and Cause-of-Death Registers were used to identify IHD and stroke events. Information on risk factors was obtained from questionnaires and registers. Adjusted HR for cardiovascular outcomes related to source-specific noise exposure were computed using Cox proportional hazards regression.ResultsNo clear or consistent associations were observed between transportation noise and incidence of IHD or stroke. However, noise exposure from road traffic and aircraft was related to IHD incidence in women, with HR of 1.11 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.22) and 1.25 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.44) per 10 dB Lden, respectively. For both sexes taken together, we observed a particularly high risk of IHD in those exposed to all three transportation noise sources at≥45 dB Lden, with a HR of 1.57 (95% CI 1.06 to 2.32), and a similar tendency for stroke (HR 1.42; 95% CI 0.87 to 2.32).ConclusionNo overall associations were observed between transportation noise exposure and incidence of IHD or stroke. However, there appeared to be an increased risk of IHD in women exposed to road traffic or aircraft noise as well as in those exposed to multiple sources of transportation noise.

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We have used the absorption spectra of whole blood, erythrocytes, and plasma to study photochemical reactions initiated by exposure of blood in vivo to UV radiation (UV irradiation) in the UV-visible and IR regions of the spectrum. We have established that when blood is exposed to therapeutic doses of UV radiation (0.5 J/cm 2 ), the absorption of blood proteins decreases as monitored using the UV absorption and luminescence bands of the proteins; photochemical reactions are initiated in the protein and heme components of the hemoglobin. For the studied doses, the reversible reaction of photodissociation of hemoglobin complexes with oxygen is one of the most likely primary reactions initiated by UV irradiation of blood. We conclude that changes in the position and relative intensities of the IR absorption bands of the peptide groups (stretching and bending vibrations of NH, CN, and CO bonds) may be due to conformational transitions in the blood protein macromolecules, induced with a change in the intermolecular hydrogen bonds on absorption of the UV radiation by the blood. The changes in the absorption spectra of blood initiated by UV irradiation are compared with the results of laboratory blood analyses.Key words: UV irradiation, spectrum of blood, photodissociation of hemoglobin, conformational transitions in proteins. Introduction.Exposure of blood to UV radiation (UV irradiation) is widely used in medical practice for treatment of various diseases as a method based on modification of blood by optical radiation in the UV range followed by returning the blood back into the body. UV irradiation is recognized as an effective phototherapy method that has multiple impacts on the body [1, 2]. However, to date opinions vary concerning the primary mechanisms of action on the blood by UV irradiation. The effect of UV irradiation has been studied in the most detail in cell cultures, for which several important effects have been identified: the high reversibility of the changes induced by UV irradiation; the different sensitivities of both different cells and the same cell, depending on its physiological state; stimulation of protein and nucleic acid synthesis by exposure to small UV doses [3].The effect of UV irradiation at the molecular level has been most studied for exposure of cell cultures and biomolecules to high doses (D UV >> 1 J/cm 2 ). For such doses, the molecular structure of DNA breaks down, intramolecular crosslinking of pyrimidine bases and different types of intermolecular crosslinking appear. The most general primary response of proteins to treatment with high doses of UV irradiation is the process of deamination and decarboxylation [4]. The photodissociation products are NH 3 , CO 2 , and aldehydes. A number of observed effects are associated with denaturing changes in the protein molecules. Among the effects detected at the molecular level, we also note changes in the biological activity of proteins and formation of new compounds having higher biological activity. Some of these compounds, structurally...