TY - JOUR
T1 - Long-term wind turbine noise exposure and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation in the Danish Nurse cohort
AU - Bräuner, Elvira V
AU - Jørgensen, Jeanette T
AU - Duun-Henriksen, Anne Katrine
AU - Backalarz, Claus
AU - Laursen, Jens E
AU - Pedersen, Torben H
AU - Simonsen, Mette K
AU - Andersen, Zorana J
N1 - Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - BACKGROUND: The potential health effects related to wind turbine noise (WTN) have received increased focus during the past decades, but evidence is sparse. We examined the association between long-term exposure to wind turbine noise and incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: First ever hospital admission of AF amongst 28,731 female nurses in the Danish Nurse Cohort were identified in the Danish National Patient register until ultimo 2013. WTN levels at residential addresses between 1982 and 2013 were estimated using the Nord2000 noise propagation model, as the annual means of Lden, Lday, Levening and Lnight at the most exposed facade. Time-varying Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to examine the association between the 11-, 5- and 1-year rolling means of WTN levels and AF incidence. RESULTS: 1430 nurses developed AF by end of follow-up in 2013. Mean (standard deviation) baseline residential noise levels amongst exposed nurses were 26.3 (6.7) dB and slightly higher in those who developed AF (27.3 (7.31) dB), than those who didn't (26.2 (6.6)). We observed a 30% statistically significant increased risk (95% CI: 1.05-1.61) of AF amongst nurses exposed to long-term (11-year running mean) WTN levels >/=20dB(A) at night compared to nurses exposed to levels <20dB(A). Similar effects were observed with day (HR 1.25; 95% CI: 1.01-1.54), and evening (HR 1.25; 95% CI: 1.01-1.54) noise levels. CONCLUSIONS: We found suggestive evidence of an association between long-term exposure to WTN and AF amongst female nurses. However, interpretation should be cautious as exposure levels were low
AB - BACKGROUND: The potential health effects related to wind turbine noise (WTN) have received increased focus during the past decades, but evidence is sparse. We examined the association between long-term exposure to wind turbine noise and incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: First ever hospital admission of AF amongst 28,731 female nurses in the Danish Nurse Cohort were identified in the Danish National Patient register until ultimo 2013. WTN levels at residential addresses between 1982 and 2013 were estimated using the Nord2000 noise propagation model, as the annual means of Lden, Lday, Levening and Lnight at the most exposed facade. Time-varying Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to examine the association between the 11-, 5- and 1-year rolling means of WTN levels and AF incidence. RESULTS: 1430 nurses developed AF by end of follow-up in 2013. Mean (standard deviation) baseline residential noise levels amongst exposed nurses were 26.3 (6.7) dB and slightly higher in those who developed AF (27.3 (7.31) dB), than those who didn't (26.2 (6.6)). We observed a 30% statistically significant increased risk (95% CI: 1.05-1.61) of AF amongst nurses exposed to long-term (11-year running mean) WTN levels >/=20dB(A) at night compared to nurses exposed to levels <20dB(A). Similar effects were observed with day (HR 1.25; 95% CI: 1.01-1.54), and evening (HR 1.25; 95% CI: 1.01-1.54) noise levels. CONCLUSIONS: We found suggestive evidence of an association between long-term exposure to WTN and AF amongst female nurses. However, interpretation should be cautious as exposure levels were low
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85069715541&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envint.2019.104915
DO - 10.1016/j.envint.2019.104915
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 31344645
SN - 0160-4120
VL - 130
SP - 104915
JO - Environmental International
JF - Environmental International
M1 - 104915
ER -