Publications
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Vaughan AR, Lee JD, Misztal PK, et al., 2016, Spatially resolved flux measurements of NO<i><sub>x</sub></i> from London suggest significantly higher emissions than predicted by inventories, FARADAY DISCUSSIONS, Vol: 189, Pages: 455-472, ISSN: 1359-6640
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- Citations: 36
Crichton S, Barratt B, Spiridou A, et al., 2016, Associations between exhaust and non-exhaust particulate matter and stroke incidence by stroke subtype in South London, Sci Total Environ, Vol: 568, Pages: 278-284, ISSN: 1879-1026
BACKGROUND: Airborne particulate matter (PM) consists of particles from diverse sources, including vehicle exhausts. Associations between short-term PM changes and stroke incidence have been shown. Cumulative exposures over several months, or years, are less well studied; few studies examined ischaemic subtypes or PM source. AIMS: This study combines a high resolution urban air quality model with a population-based stroke register to explore associations between long-term exposure to PM and stroke incidence. METHOD: Data from the South London Stroke Register from 2005-2012 were included. Poisson regression explored association between stroke incidence and long-term (averaged across the study period) exposure to PM2.5(PM<2.5mum diameter) and PM10(PM<10mum), nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides and ozone, at the output area level (average population=309). Estimates were standardised for age and sex and adjusted for socio-economic deprivation. Models were stratified for ischaemic and haemorrhagic strokes and further broken down by Oxford Community Stroke Project classification and Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) classification. RESULTS: 1800 strokes were recorded (incidence=42.6/100,000 person-years). No associations were observed between PM and overall ischaemic or haemorrhagic incidence. For an interquartile range increase in PM2.5, there was a 23% increase in incidence (Incidence rate ratio=1.23 (95%CI: 1.03-1.44)) of total anterior circulation infarcts (TACI) and 20% increase for PM2.5 from exhausts (1.20(1.01-1.41)). There were similar associations with PM10, overall (1.21(1.01-1.44)) and from exhausts (1.20(1.01-1.41)). TACI incidence was not associated with non-exhaust sources. There were no associations with other stroke subtypes or pollutants. CONCLUSION: Outdoor air pollution, particularly that arising from vehicle exhausts, may increase risk of TACI but not other stroke subtypes.
Moore E, Chatzidiakou L, Kuku MO, et al., 2016, Global Associations between Air Pollutants and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Hospitalizations. A Systematic Review, Ann Am Thorac Soc, Vol: 13, Pages: 1814-1827, ISSN: 2325-6621
RATIONALE: Exacerbations are key events in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), affecting lung function decline and quality of life. The effect of exposure to different air pollutants on COPD exacerbations is not clear. OBJECTIVES: To carry out a systematic review, examining associations between air pollutants and hospital admissions for COPD exacerbations. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, BIOSIS, Science Citation Index, and the Air Pollution Epidemiology Database were searched for publications published between 1980 and September 2015. Inclusion criteria were focused on studies presenting solely a COPD outcome defined by hospital admissions and a measure of gaseous air pollutants and particle fractions. The association between each pollutant and COPD admissions was investigated in metaanalyses using random effects models. Analyses were stratified by geographical clusters for investigation of the consistency of the evidence worldwide. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Forty-six studies were included, and results for all the pollutants under investigation showed marginal positive associations; however, the number of included studies was small, the studies had high heterogeneity, and there was evidence of small-study bias. Geographical clustering of the effects of pollution on COPD hospital admissions was evident and reduced heterogeneity significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The most consistent association was between a 1-mg/m(3) increase in carbon monoxide level and COPD-related admissions (odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.03). The heterogeneity was moderate, and there was a consistent positive association in both Europe and North America, although levels were clearly below World Health Organization guideline values. There is mixed evidence on the effects of environmental pollution on COPD exacerbations. Limitations of previous studies included the low spatiotemporal resolution of pollutants, inadequate control for confounding factors, and the use of aggregate
Moore E, Chatzidiakou L, Jones RL, et al., 2016, Linking e-health records, patient-reported symptoms and environmental exposure data to characterise and model COPD exacerbations: protocol for the COPE study, BMJ Open, Vol: 6, ISSN: 2044-6055
INTRODUCTION: Relationships between exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and environmental factors such as temperature, humidity and air pollution are not well characterised, due in part to oversimplification in the assignment of exposure estimates to individuals and populations. New developments in miniature environmental sensors mean that patients can now carry a personal air quality monitor for long periods of time as they go about their daily lives. This creates the potential for capturing a direct link between individual activities, environmental exposures and the health of patients with COPD. Direct associations then have the potential to be scaled up to population levels and tested using advanced human exposure models linked to electronic health records. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study has 5 stages: (1) development and deployment of personal air monitors; (2) recruitment and monitoring of a cohort of 160 patients with COPD for up to 6 months with recruitment of participants through the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD); (3) statistical associations between personal exposure with COPD-related health outcomes; (4) validation of a time-activity exposure model and (5) development of a COPD prediction model for London. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Research Ethics Committee for Camden and Islington has provided ethical approval for the conduct of the study. Approval has also been granted by National Health Service (NHS) Research and Development and the Independent Scientific Advisory Committee. The results of the study will be disseminated through appropriate conference presentations and peer-reviewed journals.
Tonne C, Halonen JI, Beevers S, et al., 2016, Long-term traffic air and noise pollution in relation to mortality and hospital readmission among myocardial infarction survivors, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, Vol: 219, Pages: 72-78, ISSN: 1092-5732
Halonen JI, Blangiardo M, Toledano MB, et al., 2016, Is long-term exposure to traffic pollution associated with mortality? A small-area study in London, Environmental Pollution, Vol: 208, Pages: 25-32, ISSN: 0269-7491
Halonen JI, Blangiardo M, Toledano MB, et al., 2016, Long-term exposure to traffic pollution and hospital admissions in London, Environmental pollution, Vol: 208, Pages: 48-57, ISSN: 1873-6424
Gulliver J, Morley D, Vienneau D, et al., 2015, Development of an open-source road traffic noise model for exposure assessment, Environmental Modelling & Software, Vol: 74, Pages: 183-193, ISSN: 1364-8152
This paper describes the development of a model for assessing TRAffic Noise EXposure (TRANEX) in anopen-source geographic information system. Instead of using proprietary software we developed ourown model for two main reasons: 1) so that the treatment of source geometry, traffic information (flows/speeds/spatially varying diurnal traffic profiles) and receptors matched as closely as possible to that ofthe air pollution modelling being undertaken in the TRAFFIC project, and 2) to optimize model performancefor practical reasons of needing to implement a noise model with detailed source geometry, overa large geographical area, to produce noise estimates at up to several million address locations, withlimited computing resources. To evaluate TRANEX, noise estimates were compared with noise measurementsmade in the British cities of Leicester and Norwich. High correlation was seen betweenmodelled and measured LAeq,1hr (Norwich: r ¼ 0.85, p ¼ .000; Leicester: r ¼ 0.95, p ¼ .000) with averagemodel errors of 3.1 dB. TRANEX was used to estimate noise exposures (LAeq,1hr, LAeq,16hr, Lnight) for theresident population of London (2003e2010). Results suggest that 1.03 million (12%) people are exposedto daytime road traffic noise levels 65 dB(A) and 1.63 million (19%) people are exposed to night-timeroad traffic noise levels 55 dB(A). Differences in noise levels between 2010 and 2003 were on averagerelatively small: 0.25 dB (standard deviation: 0.89) and 0.26 dB (standard deviation: 0.87) for LAeq,16hrand Lnight.
Barone-Adesi F, Dent JE, Dajnak D, et al., 2015, Long-term exposure to primary traffic pollutants and lung function in children: cross-sectional study and meta-analysis, PLoS One, Vol: 10, Pages: 1-16, ISSN: 1932-6203
BackgroundThere is widespread concern about the possible health effects of traffic-related air pollution. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a convenient marker of primary pollution. We investigated the associations between lung function and current residential exposure to a range of air pollutants (particularly NO2, NO, NOx and particulate matter) in London children. Moreover, we placed the results for NO2 in context with a meta-analysis of published estimates of the association.Methods and FindingsAssociations between primary traffic pollutants and lung function were investigated in 4884 children aged 9–10 years who participated in the Child Heart and Health Study in England (CHASE). A systematic literature search identified 13 studies eligible for inclusion in a meta-analysis. We combined results from the meta-analysis with the distribution of the values of FEV1 in CHASE to estimate the prevalence of children with abnormal lung function (FEV1<80% of predicted value) expected under different scenarios of NO2 exposure. In CHASE, there were non-significant inverse associations between all pollutants except ozone and both FEV1 and FVC. In the meta-analysis, a 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 was associated with an 8 ml lower FEV1 (95% CI: -14 to -1 ml; p: 0.016). The observed effect was not modified by a reported asthma diagnosis. On the basis of these results, a 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 level would translate into a 7% (95% CI: 4% to 12%) increase of the prevalence of children with abnormal lung function.ConclusionsExposure to traffic pollution may cause a small overall reduction in lung function and increase the prevalence of children with clinically relevant declines in lung function.
Halonen JI, Hansell AL, Gulliver J, et al., 2015, Road traffic noise is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and all-cause mortality in London, European Heart Journal, Vol: 36, Pages: 2653-2661, ISSN: 0195-668X
AimsRoad traffic noise has been associated with hypertension but evidence for the long-term effects on hospital admissions and mortality is limited. We examined the effects of long-term exposure to road traffic noise on hospital admissions and mortality in the general population.Methods and resultsThe study population consisted of 8.6 million inhabitants of London, one of Europe's largest cities. We assessed small-area-level associations of day- (7:00–22:59) and nighttime (23:00–06:59) road traffic noise with cardiovascular hospital admissions and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in all adults (≥25 years) and elderly (≥75 years) through Poisson regression models. We adjusted models for age, sex, area-level socioeconomic deprivation, ethnicity, smoking, air pollution, and neighbourhood spatial structure. Median daytime exposure to road traffic noise was 55.6 dB. Daytime road traffic noise increased the risk of hospital admission for stroke with relative risk (RR) 1.05 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02–1.09] in adults, and 1.09 (95% CI: 1.04–1.14) in the elderly in areas >60 vs. <55 dB. Nighttime noise was associated with stroke admissions only among the elderly. Daytime noise was significantly associated with all-cause mortality in adults [RR 1.04 (95% CI: 1.00–1.07) in areas >60 vs. <55 dB]. Positive but non-significant associations were seen with mortality for cardiovascular and ischaemic heart disease, and stroke. Results were similar for the elderly.ConclusionsLong-term exposure to road traffic noise was associated with small increased risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in the general population, particularly for stroke in the elderly.
Menni C, Metrustry SJ, Mohney RP, et al., 2015, Circulating levels of antioxidant vitamins correlate with better lung function and reduced exposure to ambient pollution, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Vol: 191, Pages: 1203-1207, ISSN: 1073-449X
Lee JD, Helfter C, Purvis RM, et al., 2015, Measurement of NO<i><sub>x</sub></i> Fluxes from a Tall Tower in Central London, UK and Comparison with Emissions Inventories, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Vol: 49, Pages: 1025-1034, ISSN: 0013-936X
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- Citations: 28
Halonen J, Hansell A, Gulliver J, et al., 2015, Associations of road traffic noise with mortality and hospital admissions in London, Pages: 119-123
Background and aims Previously published studies have found associations of road noise with hypertension, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, especially for stroke. We aimed to examine the chronic effects of road traffic noise on mortality and hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease and stroke in a large general population. Methods The study population consisted of 8.61 million inhabitants in London. We assessed small-area level associations of day- (7:00-22:59) and night-time (23:00-06:59) road traffic noise with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular hospital admissions in all adults (25+ years) with Poisson regression models applying the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) approach in the Bayesian framework. We adjusted the models for age and sex, area-level deprivation, ethnicity, smoking, air pollution and a random effect. Results Mean daytime exposure to road traffic noise was 55.6 dB. Daytime noise was associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in adults; relative risks (RR) for all-cause mortality were 1.04 (95% CI 1.00-1.07) in areas with daytime road noise >60 dB vs. <55 dB. Exposure to daytime road traffic noise also increased the risk of hospital admission for stroke with RR 1.05 (95% CI 1.02-1.09) in areas >60 dB vs. <55 dB. Night-time noise was not associated with road traffic noise in adults of all ages. Conclusions This is the largest study to date to investigate environmental noise and cardiovascular disease. It suggests that road traffic noise is associated with small increased risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease.
Carslaw DC, Priestman M, Williams ML, et al., 2015, Performance of optimised SCR retrofit buses under urban driving and controlled conditions, ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT, Vol: 105, Pages: 70-77, ISSN: 1352-2310
This work presents the first comprehensive real-world emissions results from urban buses retrofitted with an optimised low-NO2 selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. The SCRT system combines a CRT (Continuously Regenerating Trap) to reduce particle emissions and SCR to reduce NOx emissions. The optimised low-NO2 SCRT was designed to work under urban conditions where the vehicle exhaust gas temperature is often too low for many SCR systems to work efficiently. The system was extensively tested through on-road and test track measurements using a vehicle emission remote sensing instrument capable of measuring both nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Over 700 on-road measurements of the SCRT system were made in London. Compared with identical buses operating under the same conditions fitted with a CRT, NO2 emissions were reduced by 61% and total NOx by 45%. Under test track conditions reductions in NOx of 77% were observed. The test track results do reveal however that compared with an original Euro III bus without a CRT, the SCRT retrofit bus emissions of NO2 are 50% higher. Engine-out and tailpipe measurements of several important engine parameters under test track conditions showed the important effect of SCR inlet temperature on NOx conversion efficiency. Overall, we conclude that retrofitting urban buses to use low-NO2 SCRT systems is an effective method for delivering NOx and NO2 emissions reduction.
Derwent R, Beevers S, Chemel C, et al., 2014, Analysis of UK and European NO<i><sub>x</sub></i> and VOC emission scenarios in the Defra model intercomparison exercise, ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT, Vol: 94, Pages: 249-257, ISSN: 1352-2310
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- Citations: 8
Tonne C, Elbaz A, Beevers S, et al., 2014, Traffic-related Air Pollution in Relation to Cognitive Function in Older Adults, EPIDEMIOLOGY, Vol: 25, Pages: 674-681, ISSN: 1044-3983
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- Citations: 132
Maheswaran R, Pearson T, Beevers SD, et al., 2014, Outdoor air pollution, subtypes and severity of ischemic stroke - a small-area level ecological study, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH GEOGRAPHICS, Vol: 13, ISSN: 1476-072X
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- Citations: 19
Hansell AL, Blangiardo M, Fortunato L, et al., 2014, Daytime and night-time aircraft noise and cardiovascular disease near Heathrow airport in London
Background. Few studies have investigated associations of aircraft noise with cardiovascular health. We investigated this in areas exposed to noise from London Heathrow airport. Methods. A small area study was conducted in 12,110 census output areas covering 3.6 million residents. Risks for hospital admissions and mortality in 2001-05 were assessed in relation to aircraft noise in 2001, adjusted for relevant confounders. Night (Lnight) and daytime (LAeq,16h) aircraft noise were assessed separately. Results. Higher aircraft noise was associated with higher relative risks for hospital admissions and mortality from stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease. Risk estimates were higher for night-time than daytime noise. Adjusted risks werehighest for stroke, with RR 1.29 [95% CI 1.14 to 1.46] for Lnight and RR 1.08 [95% CI 1.02 to 1.14] for LAeq,16hfor >55dB vs. <50dB. All linear dose-response relationships were statistically significant for hospital admissions but not for mortality, except for CHD and LAeq,16h. Discussion. This research attracted a high level of policy interest. However, the impact of this and other recent papers on policy decisions such as increased airport capacity in England is currently unclear. Priority areas for follow-up health research into aircraft noise need to be considered.
Hansell AL, Gulliver J, Beevers S, et al., 2013, AIRCRAFT NOISE AND HEALTH Working at Heathrow airport may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease Reply, BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, Vol: 347, ISSN: 1756-1833
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- Citations: 2
Baxter LK, Dionisio KL, Burke J, et al., 2013, Exposure prediction approaches used in air pollution epidemiology studies: Key findings and future recommendations, JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Vol: 23, Pages: 654-659, ISSN: 1559-0631
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- Citations: 72
Griffiths C, Mudway I, Wood H, et al., 2013, Impact of traffic-related pollution on respiratory function in children living in London's low emission zone: A sequential cross sectional study, Publisher: EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY SOC JOURNALS LTD, ISSN: 0903-1936
Carslaw DC, Beevers SD, 2013, Characterising and understanding emission sources using bivariate polar plots and k-means clustering, ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE, Vol: 40, Pages: 325-329, ISSN: 1364-8152
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- Citations: 127
Beevers SD, Kitwiroon N, Williams ML, et al., 2013, Air pollution dispersion models for human exposure predictions in London, Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, Vol: 23, Pages: 647-653, ISSN: 1559-064X
The London household survey has shown that people travel and are exposed to air pollutants differently. This argues for human exposure to be based upon space-time-activity data and spatio-temporal air quality predictions. For the latter, we have demonstrated the role that dispersion models can play by using two complimentary models, KCLurban, which gives source apportionment information, and Community Multi-scale Air Quality Model (CMAQ)-urban, which predicts hourly air quality. The KCLurban model is in close agreement with observations of NO(X), NO(2) and particulate matter (PM)(10/2.5), having a small normalised mean bias (-6% to 4%) and a large Index of Agreement (0.71-0.88). The temporal trends of NO(X) from the CMAQ-urban model are also in reasonable agreement with observations. Spatially, NO(2) predictions show that within 10's of metres of major roads, concentrations can range from approximately 10-20 p.p.b. up to 70 p.p.b. and that for PM(10/2.5) central London roadside concentrations are approximately double the suburban background concentrations. Exposure to different PM sources is important and we predict that brake wear-related PM(10) concentrations are approximately eight times greater near major roads than at suburban background locations. Temporally, we have shown that average NO(X) concentrations close to roads can range by a factor of approximately six between the early morning minimum and morning rush hour maximum periods. These results present strong arguments for the hybrid exposure model under development at King's and, in future, for in-building models and a model for the London Underground.
Hansell AL, Blangiardo M, Fortunato L, et al., 2013, Aircraft noise and cardiovascular disease near Heathrow airport in London: small area study., BMJ, Vol: 347, ISSN: 0959-535X
To investigate the association of aircraft noise with risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease in the general population.
Carslaw DC, Williams ML, Tate JE, et al., 2013, The importance of high vehicle power for passenger car emissions, ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT, Vol: 68, Pages: 8-16, ISSN: 1352-2310
In this paper we use a quantile regression technique to explore the emissions characteristics of petrol and diesel passenger cars to reveal the importance of high vehicle power on exhaust emissions. A large database of approximate to 67,000 passenger cars from vehicle emission remote sensing data was used from surveys from several campaigns around the UK. Most previous remote sensing studies have focused on presenting mean emission estimates by vehicle type over time. However, as shown in the current work, considerably more insight can be gained into vehicle emission characteristics if techniques are used that can describe and model the full distribution of vehicle emissions as a function of important explanatory variables. For post-2000 model year (Euro 3-5) diesel cars it is shown that there is a strong dependence of vehicle specific power for emissions of NOx that was absent in earlier models and is absent for other pollutants such as CO, hydrocarbons and 'smoke'. Furthermore, we also find a stronger dependence on vehicle specific power for older catalyst-equipped petrol vehicles (Euro 1/2) on emissions of NOx that is less important for other emissions such as CO and hydrocarbons. Moreover, it is shown that while the rated maximum power output of petrol cars has remained almost constant over the past 15-20 years, the power output from diesel cars has increased markedly by about 50%. These results suggest that changes to vehicle technology, driving conditions and driver behaviour have become more important determinants of passenger car NOx emissions in recent years and may help explain why urban ambient concentrations of NOx have not decreased as much as anticipated. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Emberson LD, Kitwiroon N, Beevers S, et al., 2013, Scorched Earth: how will changes in the strength of the vegetation sink to ozone deposition affect human health and ecosystems?, ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, Vol: 13, Pages: 6741-6755, ISSN: 1680-7316
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- Citations: 38
Iamarino M, Beevers S, Grimmond CSB, 2012, High-resolution (space, time) anthropogenic heat emissions: London 1970-2025, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Vol: 32, Pages: 1754-1767, ISSN: 0899-8418
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- Citations: 88
Maheswaran R, Pearson T, Smeeton NC, et al., 2012, Outdoor Air Pollution and Incidence of Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke A Small-Area Level Ecological Study, STROKE, Vol: 43, Pages: 22-27, ISSN: 0039-2499
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- Citations: 59
, 2012, PM mass concentration and PM oxidative potential in relation to carotid intima-media thickness, Vol: 23, Pages: 486-494, ISSN: 1531-5487
, 2012, Modeling exposures to the oxidative potential of PM10, Vol: 46, Pages: 7612-7620, ISSN: 1520-5851
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