Immersive virtual reality and environmental noise assessment: An innovative audio–visual approach

Several international studies have shown that traffic noise has a negative impact on people's health and that people's annoyance does not depend only on noise energetic levels, but rather on multi-perceptual factors. The combination of virtual reality technology and audio rendering techniques allow us to experiment a new approach for environmental noise assessment that can help to investigate in advance the potential negative effects of noise associated with a specific project and that in turn can help designers to make educated decisions. In the present study, the audio–visual impact of a new motorway project on people has been assessed by means of immersive virtual reality technology. In particular, participants were exposed to 3D reconstructions of an actual landscape without the projected motorway (ante operam condition), and of the same landscape with the projected motorway (post operam condition). Furthermore, individuals' reactions to noise were assessed by means of objective cognitive measures (short term verbal memory and executive functions) and subjective evaluations (noise and visual annoyance). Overall, the results showed that the introduction of a projected motorway in the environment can have immediate detrimental effects of people's well-being depending on the distance from the noise source. In particular, noise due to the new infrastructure seems to exert a negative influence on short term verbal memory and to increase both visual and noise annoyance. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Inclusion of Noise in Environmental Assessment of Road Transportation

In life cycle assessment (LCA) of road transportation systems, limited attention is given to noise as an impact category. This paper presents a method in order to include the environmental effects of noise in the LCA of road transportation. Life cycle inventory is developed based on the IMAGINE road vehicle noise emission model. Life cycle impact assessment is based on cause-effect chain including fate, exposure, effect, and damage analysis. The health effects of road traffic noise are evaluated in terms of acute myocardial infarction, annoyance, and sleep disturbance. The corresponding health damages are quantified using disability adjusted life years (DALY). A case study evaluating the health effects of road transportation noise for the nine municipalities of Istanbul using the proposed method is also presented. It was shown that transportation noise has significant adverse health effects and therefore should be accounted for in the LCA of road transportation along with other environmental interventions.     

Associations between self-reported odour annoyance and volatile organic compounds in ‘Chemical Valley’, Sarnia, Ontario

Annoyance produced by air pollution has been suggested as a useful proxy for determining ambient air pollution exposure. However, most of the studies, to date, have focused on nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, with no work done on volatile organic compounds (VOC). This study is aimed at examining the associations between odour annoyance and VOC in ‘Chemical Valley’, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Annoyance scores were extracted from a community health survey (N?=?774), and exposures to VOC were estimated from respondents’ six-digit alphanumeric postal codes using land use regression models. Univariate analyses were used to explore the relationships between odour annoyance and modelled pollutants, whilst multivariate ordinal logistic regression was utilized to examine the determinants of odour annoyance. The results indicate that odour annoyance is significantly associated with modelled benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene and (m?+?p)?xylene (BTEX) pollutants. The findings also show that the determinants of odour annoyance in the context of VOC include gender, number of relatives in the community, perception of air pollution, community satisfaction, medical checkups, ability to cope with daily life demands and general symptoms. When compared, the analysis indicates that Sarnia residents respond to considerably lower BTEX concentrations than the allowable ‘safe’ levels in the province of Ontario. In general, the results exhibit a dose–response gradient with annoyance score increasing with rising modelled pollutant concentrations. The observed relationships suggest that odour annoyance might be a function of true exposure and may serve as a proxy for air quality and ambient air pollution monitoring. However, questionnaire-based odour annoyance scores need to be longitudinally validated across different geographical scales and pollutants if they are to be adopted at the national level.     

Assessing the effects of noise abatement measures on health risks: A case study in Istanbul

In recent decades, noise pollution caused by industrialization and increased motorization has become a major concern around the world because of its adverse effects on human well-being. Therefore, transportation agencies have been implementing noise abatement measures in order to reduce road traffic noise. However, limited attention is given to noise in environmental assessment of road transportation systems. This paper presents a framework for a health impact assessment model for road transportation noise emissions. The model allows noise impacts to be addressed with the health effects of air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from road transportation. The health damages assessed in the model include annoyance, sleep disturbance, and cardiovascular disease in terms of acute myocardial infarction. The model was applied in a case study in Istanbul in order to evaluate the change in health risks from the implementation of noise abatement strategies. The noise abatement strategies evaluated include altering pavement surfaces in order to absorb noise and introducing speed limits. It was shown that significant improvements in health risks can be achieved using open graded pavement surfaces and introducing speed limits on highways.     

Health impact assessment of air pollution using a dynamic exposure profile: Implications for exposure and health impact estimates

In both ambient air pollution epidemiology and health impact assessment an accurate assessment of the population exposure is crucial. Although considerable advances have been made in assessing human exposure outdoors, the assessments often do not consider the impact of individual travel behavior on such exposures.Population-based exposures to NO₂ and O₃ using only home addresses were compared with models that integrate all time-activity patterns—including time in commute—for Flanders and Brussels. The exposure estimates were used to estimate the air pollution impact on years of life lost due to respiratory mortality.Health impact of NO₂ using an exposure that integrates time-activity information was on average 1.2% higher than when assuming that people are always at their home address. For ozone the overall estimated health impact was 0.8% lower. Local differences could be much larger, with estimates that differ up to 12% from the exposure using residential addresses only. Depending on age and gender, deviations from the population average were seen.Our results showed modest differences on a regional level. At the local level, however, time-activity patterns indicated larger differences in exposure and health impact estimates, mainly for people living in more rural areas. These results suggest that for local analyses the dynamic approach can contribute to an improved assessment of the health impact of various types of pollution and to the understanding of exposure differences between population groups.     

Traffic-generated noise pollution: exposure of road users and populations in Metropolitan Kuwait

This study was carried out in metropolitan Kuwait with a sound level meter to assess peak hour and off-peak hour noise level. In local/collector streets, noise ranged between 56.0 to 79.2 dBA and 55.3 to 76.4 dBA; in arterial streets, 62.3 to 89.2 dBA and 59.6 to 78.9 dBA; and in freeways, 66.7 to 94.8 dBA and 64.9 to 89.1 dBA during peak and off-peak hour respectively. Values were higher than their prescribed standards which may pose a significant impact on quality of life. Findings of this research have shown that the level of traffic-generated noise pollution in Kuwait urban area is high enough to adversely affect the human health and well-being of its residents. Over 1,400 subjects responded to a randomly administered survey that assessed the physical health, personal well-being, and mental health. People residing in neighborhoods exposed to higher noise levels have significantly higher stress and noise annoyance levels and also adversely affected their sense of well-being. In the responder analysis, those people living in quiet neighborhoods had significantly higher mean scores in general health (35 points higher, p < 0.05), sense of vitality (30 points higher, p < 0.05), and mental health (20 points higher, p < 0.05) when compared to the other group. In addition, the component scores of stress and noise sensitivity for the participants living in quiet neighborhoods had significantly lower values (30 points lower and 59 points lower, respectively) than that of the participants living in noisy neighborhood. With the rapid expansion of the infrastructures in metropolitan Kuwait, it is virtually definite that traffic noise will shortly assume a dangerous dimension, and will be a ground of escalating fear for both the public and liable policy-makers. The quality of life in metropolitan Kuwait will certainly be negatively affected.     

Health impact assessment and health equity in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review

BackgroundNatural resource extraction projects can have positive but also negative effects on the health of affected communities, governed by demographic, economic, environmental, physical and social changes. Negative effects often prevail and these might widen existing health inequities. Health impact assessment (HIA) is a decision-support tool that aims at maximizing benefits and minimizing negative impacts on people's health. A core value of HIA is equity; yet, little is known about health equity in the frame of HIA, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.MethodologyWe conducted a scoping review to determine whether and to what extent HIA in sub-Saharan Africa addresses health equity. We included peer-reviewed publications and guidelines pertaining to HIA, environmental impact assessment (EIA) and social impact assessment (SIA). Health equity was investigated by identifying (i) how health considerations were addressed and (ii) whether health was stratified by subgroups of the community.ResultsOut of 1′640 raw hits, we identified 62 articles (16 HIA, 36 EIA, one SIA and nine integrated assessments), 32 of which specifically addressed health. While 20 articles focused on a specific health topic, 12 articles used a more comprehensive approach to address health. In 15 articles there were specific subgroup analyses (e.g. mothers, children or marginalized groups) as a measure of health equity. Another 12 papers referred to the community in a more general way (e.g. affected). Without exception, health was an integral part of the nine included guidelines. HIA guidelines addressed health systematically through environmental health areas, risk assessment matrix or key performance indicators.ConclusionsWe found evidence that previously conducted HIA in sub-Saharan Africa and current guidelines address health equity. However, there is a need to stratify community subgroups more systematically in order to determine health differentials better. Future HIA should consider community heterogeneity in an effort to reduce health inequities by “leaving no one behind”, as suggested by the Sustainable Development Goals.     

Hierarchy of factors affecting the social perception of dam reservoirs

This study presents an assessment of factors that influence how people who live in the vicinity of dams view such projects. The usefulness of the principal component analysis (PCA) method for identifying variables that determine individuals' opinion about large dam projects was reviewed. The study focuses on people affected by the construction of the Mucharski Reservoir in the Polish Carpathians. The construction took over 30 years and took place at a time when Poland transitioned from a planned economy to a free market one.We used in-depth interviews (N = 96) and a set of 18 factors classified as personal, emotional and economic. Our results indicate that the variables that significantly affect social perception of dam projects by the local population include their opinion regarding the viability of the project, sense of security, personal benefits, the extent to which they have accepted the structure, respecting the local community's interests when drafting the development plans and new opportunities. The results allow for the future optimization of research tools used to comprehensively examine social perception of hydraulic structures. Using PCA allowed us to take semi-structured data from interviews and extract meaningful relationships between the various inputs, show correlations between seemingly unrelated data, as well as explain the variances within the studied population. It also shows that PCA can be a useful tool for analyzing data that is not formally structured.     

Rethinking human health impact assessment

Most EIA programs around the world require the consideration of human health impacts. Yet relatively few EIA documents adequately address those impacts. This article examines how, why, and to what extent health impacts are analyzed in environmental impact assessments in the U.S. An empirical study of 42 environmental impact statements found that more than half contained no mention of health impacts. In the others, health impacts were analyzed narrowly, if at all, using risk assessment to quantify the carcinogenic potential of a single substance over a single generation. This analytic focus overlooks other significant morbidity and mortality risks, cumulative and intergenerational effects, and broader determinants of health. This article investigates these problems and provides recommendations to improve human health impact assessment, using strategic environmental assessment, qualitative health data, health outcomes in addition to cancer, and a precautionary approach to risk.     

人群聚集行为对空气微生物组成及人体健康风险影响分析

受相关疫情的影响,人群聚集行为对空气中微生物的组成及人体健康风险的影响成为研究的热点。以西安两处典型公共场所为观察对象,基于传统培养分离方法和16S rDNA分子生物学技术,结合《中国人群暴露参数手册(成人卷)》中的相关参数,揭示了人群聚集行为对空气微生物组成的影响,评估了微生物暴露对人体造成的健康风险。结果表明,较之人群聚集前,人群聚集时两个地点的空气微生物污染级别皆由清洁变成中污染。分离培养数据显示:人群聚集时,空气中的细菌种类较人群聚集前增加了11种,真菌种类增加了5种,且微生物菌落颜色、形态、湿润度和生理生化特征等均出现了变动;病原性微生物的种类由2种增加到9种,其中有5种达到了BSL-2级高生物风险,且属于人畜共患病病原菌。健康风险评价结果显示,人群聚集时,人体健康暴露风险系数相比人群聚集前增加了1.28~4.96倍,且男性的暴露风险系数显著高于女性。因此,建议在人群高聚集时段适当限制人流量并保持空间空气流通,以预防潜在传染病的暴发,有效保障人群健康。     

Land degradation due to erosion in public perception. Case study: Secaşul Mare river basin settlements (Transylvanian Depression,Romania)

According to the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR 1990–1999), the risk indicates potential losses due to particular natural phenomenon, and these could be reduced by improving of prevention and education. People perceive these losses differently depending on phenomenon occurrence, severity, and impact in time. Starting from this idea, this research presents public perception on land degradation through erosion in a small area from the central part of Romania (south-west of Transylvanian Depression). The research was based on a questionnaire consisting of 16 questions. The items were structured by issues: awareness assessment regarding hazard and risk phenomena, assessment of type of property and land use, assessment of knowledge and information on the possible production of negative effects by natural phenomena, and evaluation of land owners’ attitudes towards the occurrence of erosion on their land. Results reveal that the public perception on erosion is weak. This process is perceived as insignificant due to lack of phenomenon knowledge and especially because of scarcity preoccupation in land’s quality monitoring. Even though the owned lands are affected by erosion forms, the owners are not aware of the phenomenon that generates them. Material damages caused by erosion, loss of soil quality, and land fertility decrease are less perceived because the economic losses fill only at long term. This perception leads to underestimating erosion risk compared to other natural phenomena and to a passive attitude towards this particular phenomenon.     

Assessing health impacts in complex eco-epidemiological settings in the humid tropics: Modular baseline health surveys

The quantitative assessment of health impacts has been identified as a crucial feature for realising the full potential of health impact assessment (HIA). In settings where demographic and health data are notoriously scarce, but there is a broad range of ascertainable ecological, environmental, epidemiological and socioeconomic information, a diverse toolkit of data collection strategies becomes relevant for the mainly small-area impacts of interest. We present a modular, cross-sectional baseline health survey study design, which has been developed for HIA of industrial development projects in the humid tropics. The modular nature of our toolkit allows our methodology to be readily adapted to the prevailing eco-epidemiological characteristics of a given project setting. Central to our design is a broad set of key performance indicators, covering a multiplicity of health outcomes and determinants at different levels and scales. We present experience and key findings from our modular baseline health survey methodology employed in 14 selected sentinel sites within an iron ore mining project in the Republic of Guinea. We argue that our methodology is a generic example of rapid evidence assembly in difficult-to-reach localities, where improvement of the predictive validity of the assessment and establishment of a benchmark for longitudinal monitoring of project impacts and mitigation efforts is needed.     

Residents’ concerns and attitudes toward a municipal solid waste landfill: integrating a questionnaire survey and GIS techniques

The ever-growing industry of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal appeals to the growing need for disposal facilities, and MSW treatment facilities are increasingly an environmental and public health concern. Residents living near MSW management facilities are confronted with various risk perceptions, especially odour. In this study, in an effort to assist responsible decision-makers in better planning and managing such a project, a structured questionnaire was designed and distributed to assess the nearby residents’ concerns and attitudes surrounding the Laogang Landfill in Shanghai. Geographic information system techniques and relevance analysis were employed to conduct the spatial analysis of physical perceptions, especially odour annoyance. The findings of the research indicate that a significant percentage of the responding sample was aware of the negative impacts of landfills on the environment and public health, and residents in close proximity preferred to live farther from the landfill. The results from the spatial analysis demonstrated a definite degree of correlation between odour annoyance and distance to the facility and proved that the benefits of the socially disadvantaged have been neglected. The research findings also direct attention to the important role of public participation, information disclosure, transparency in management, and mutual communication to avoid conflicts and build social trust.     

Quantitative health impact assessment methodology for societal initiatives: A scoping review

Health initiatives are increasingly situated outside the institutionalised public health sector. The intersectoral character of societal initiatives, along with indirect relationships between initiatives and health, makes making projections of reach, impact and goal achievement complex. This scoping review of the peer-reviewed literature searches for appropriate methods to conduct quantitative health impact assessment for such initiatives. Database searches were done in PubMed and Web of Science, as well as a reference list search. Studies were then selected in a systematic manner. The review includes 64 studies. Most studies made estimates using simulation methods, notably with Monte Carlo, Markov and system dynamics modelling. Inputs for the models such as transition probabilities and price elasticities were taken from census, register and survey data, evidence from previous (scientific) studies and sometimes outcomes from stakeholder participation. Of different health outcome measures, the number of deaths was most frequently used, followed by QALYs and DALYs and life years. Health effect distribution is frequently mentioned, but not often estimated. Scientific methodological publications on HIAs focusing on civil society initiatives are relatively sparse, indicating possibilities for further methodological advancement. Estimating health effect distributions and incorporating stakeholder participation could make meaningful additions to standard practice.     

Assessing corporate project impacts in changeable contexts: A human rights perspective

Project-level impact assessment was originally conceived as a snapshot taken in advance of project implementation, contrasting current conditions with a likely future scenario involving a variety of predicted impacts. Current best practice guidance has encouraged a shift towards longitudinal assessments from the pre-project stage through the implementation and operating phases. Experience and study show, however, that assessment of infrastructure-intensive projects rarely endures past the project's construction phase. Negative consequences for environmental, social and health outcomes have been documented. Such consequences clarify the pressing need for longitudinal assessment in each of these domains, with human rights impact assessment (HRIA) as an umbrella over, and critical augmentation of, environmental, social and health assessments. Project impacts on human rights are more closely linked to political, economic and other factors beyond immediate effects of a company's policy and action throughout the project lifecycle. Delineating these processes requires an adequate framework, with strategies for collecting longitudinal data, protocols that provide core information for impact assessment and guidance for adaptive mitigation strategies as project-related effects change over time. This article presents general principles for the design and implementation of sustained, longitudinal HRIA, based on experience assessing and responding to human rights impact in a uranium mining project in Malawi. The case study demonstrates the value of longitudinal assessment both for limiting corporate risk and improving human welfare.     

Assessment of community noise problem in Greater Beirut Area,Lebanon

Over the last two decades, urban noise has been increasingrapidly, primarily in urban areas, due to population growthand the increase of certain noise sources. The main objectiveof this paper is to assess the sources and possible impactsof the community noise problems in Lebanese urban areas,particularly the Greater Beirut Area. The causes and effectsof community noise pollution are briefly presented. Soundpressure levels that were measured to define existing noiseexposure levels in various locations in the Greater BeirutArea are also presented. The attitudes toward noise pollutionand perceived annoyance impact on a sample of 1,038 exposedresidents are described. The association between measurednoise levels and sources, as well as annoyance, is examinedusing correlation analysis and linear and multiple linearregressions. A set of recommendations is presented to reducecommunity noise problem in Greater Beirut Area.     

Enhancing Indigenous impact assessment: Lessons from Indigenous planning theory

Impact assessment faces a number of key challenges. One area singled out as needing attention is community-based impact assessment. Impact assessment related to Indigenous communities is a particular case in point. We lend an Indigenous voice to this conversation. The emerging field of Indigenous impact assessment is under-developed compared to other forms of IA, particularly in terms of its theoretical foundation. In the article we address that gap by highlighting the current conundrum in Indigenous practice, exemplified in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. Then we base our deliberation in an Indigenous worldview, applying Indigenous planning theory to impact assessment. Indigenous planning theory has an explicit decolonising agenda that supports communities to reclaim traditional planning approaches. We provide key parameters for establishing a theoretical and practical space for Indigenous IA, and for conceptualising the relationship between Indigenous IA other forms of IA. We argue for a ‘third space’ that facilitates co-existence of different forms of IA activity rather than integration of Indigenous endeavours into broader IA types. In doing so, we demonstrate the potential of Indigenous planning theory to connect international dialogue and case studies on Indigenous impact assessment, and to broaden and deepen IA theory and practice.     

Liveability as determinant of health: Testing a new approach for health impact assessment of major infrastructure

Major urban infrastructure projects are intended to alter the built, human ecology for the better. Even when they are not labelled as health projects, arguably they should produce public health benefits that are commensurate with their scale, particularly when they are publicly funded. Health impact assessment (HIA) is an established method of evaluating major infrastructure projects using a determinants of health equity lens. HIA explicitly puts health front and centre to ask, ‘How should the proposed infrastructure project be altered to improve the determinants of health equity?’ There are well-established HIA protocols, but few provide a framework for scoping possible impacts. Given interest in the concept of liveability we introduce an exhaustive, evidence-based framework of 11 liveability domains for HIA. We then test the framework by scoping the impacts of the Upfield Level Crossing Removal (LXR) project in Melbourne, Australia to hypothesise its impacts on health. Scoping this case study suggests that many domains will be affected in complex ways, some positively and some negatively, exemplifying the potential for the framework to detect major infrastructures' pervasive impacts on determinants of health. The paper includes a plan to validate the liveability framework with empirical research in the HIA assessment stage. The paper concludes with a discussion of the contribution and usefulness of the liveability domains as a framework for structuring HIA and for building its profile, thus advancing the discipline, and helping to ensure that all major infrastructures constitute a prudent investment in public health.     

Reliability of differing densities of sample grids used for the monitoring of forest condition in Europe

Concern about the possible deterioration of forest health led to the establishment in the 1980s of inventories of forest condition throughout Europe. International standardisation of the programmes was sought and a number of recommendations were made concerning sampling and assessment procedures. One of the most important rulings was that the assessment should be made on a systematic grid, the minimum density of which was 16×16 km. However, many countries adopted denser sampling grids, with 4×4 km being used in several countries and 1×1 km being used in the Netherlands. With five or more years of monitoring completed, there is a growing belief that a rapid and irreversible decline in forest health is not occurring. Consequently, some countries/regions are seeking to reduce their annual investment in forest health monitoring.The precision of national/regional estimates of forest health can be directly related to the sample size. As the sample size decreases, so also does the precision of the estimates. This is illustrated using data collected in Switzerland in 1992 and using grid densities of 4×4 km, 8×8 km, 12×12 km and 16×16 km. The value of the data is dependent on the sample size and the degree to which it is broken down (by region or species). The loss of precision associated with most subdivisions at the 8×8 km grid level remains acceptable, but a sharp deterioration in the precision occurs at the 12×12 km and 16×16 km grid levels. This has considerable implications for the interpretation of the inventories from those countries using a 16×16 km grid. In Switzerland, a reduction from the current 4×4 km grid to an 8×8 km grid (i.e. 75% reduction in sample size) would have relatively little impact on the overall results from the annual inventories of forest health.     

Development of a landfill model to prioritize design and operating objectives

The application of scientifically based decision making tools to help address solid waste management issues dates back to the early 1960s. Researchers continue to use operations research tools to help optimize landfill design and operating parameters. This paper discusses the application of another type of decision making tool, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), to address priority ranking for a number of landfill engineering design and operating objectives in developing and developed countries. In this application, the AHP is used to rank, and prioritize, economic, environmental, health and safety, legislative and public perception objectives for landfill design and operations specific to landfill distance from a community, and precipitation levels. Results from a global survey using the Delphi process are included, with a discussion on the survey’s impact on the objective rankings relative to community proximity and precipitation. The Delphi process worked extremely well, and was an excellent tool to use in this application. The initial results from the objective rankings show promise in the development of an integrated model for landfill design and operation.