Oslo traffic study - part 1: an integrated approach to assess the combinedeffects of noise and air pollution on annoyance

Vehicular traffic is a common important source of air pollution, traffic ac cidents, road traffic noise as well as other environmental exposures. The r elationship between each of these exposures and their respective impacts ar e nevertheless most often studied separately. An integrated alternative app roach was adopted in the Oslo traffic study to allow people's environmental annoyances to be studied relative to the indicators of air pollution, road traffic noise and residential traffic. These annoyances include annoyance with the smell of exhaust, with dust and grime, feeling insecure in traffic and being annoyed with road traffic noise. A hypothesis was that multiple exposures typical in city areas have combined impacts - that people exposed to both air pollution and road traffic noise will be more annoyed than in the respective single-exposure situations. Three environmental studies in 1 987, 1994 and 1996 each year comprising about 1000 respondents after a resp onse rate of 50%, serve as before-after studies of two tunnel projects. Per sonal interviews were utilised in the before study in 1987 and telephone in terviews in 1994 and 1996. Exposure indicators for air pollution as well as road traffic noise and residential traffic levels were produced for each r espondent by comprehensive environmental modelling. Exposure-effect logisti c regression models for the probability of people being highly annoyed by t he smell of exhaust and by road traffic noise, respectively, were estimated . The results indicate that the higher the road traffic noise levels people are exposed to, the more likely they are to be highly annoyed by exhaust s mell at a specified air pollution level. The higher air pollution levels pe ople are exposed to the more likely they are to be annoyed by road traffic noise at a specified noise level. Modifying factors were controlled for. (C ) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.