Skip to main content

Spatial Variation in Environmental Noise and Air Pollution in New York City

Journal of Urban Health volume 91, pages 415–431 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Exposure to environmental noise from traffic is common in urban areas and has been linked to increased risks of adverse health effects including cardiovascular disease. Because traffic sources also produce air pollutants that increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity, associations between traffic exposures and health outcomes may involve confounding and/or synergisms between air pollution and noise. While prior studies have characterized intraurban spatial variation in air pollution in New York City (NYC), limited data exists on the levels and spatial variation in noise levels. We measured 1-week equivalent continuous sound pressure levels (Leq) at 56 sites during the fall of 2012 across NYC locations with varying traffic intensity and building density that are routinely monitored for combustion-related air pollutants. We evaluated correlations among several noise metrics used to characterize noise exposures, including Leq during different time periods (night, day, weekday, weekend), Ldn (day-night noise), and measures of intermittent noise defined as the ratio of peak levels to median and background levels. We also examined correlations between sound pressure levels and co-located simultaneous measures of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and black carbon (BC) as well as estimates of traffic and building density around the monitoring sites. Noise levels varied widely across the 56 monitoring sites; 1-week Leq varied by 21.6 dBA (range 59.1–80.7 dBA) with the highest levels observed during the weekday, daytime hours. Indices of average noise were well correlated with each other (r > 0.83), while indices of intermittent noise were not well correlated with average noise levels (r < 0.41). One-week Leq correlated well with NO, NO2, and EC levels (r = 0.61 to 0.68) and less so with PM2.5 levels (r = 0.45). We observed associations between 1-week noise levels and traffic intensity within 100 m of the monitoring sites (r = 0.58). The high levels of noise observed in NYC often exceed recommended guidelines for outdoor and personal exposures, suggesting unhealthy levels in many locations. Associations between noise, traffic, and combustion air pollutants suggest the possibility for confounding and/or synergism in intraurban epidemiological studies of traffic-related health effects. The different spatial pattern of intermittent noise compared to average noise level may suggest different sources.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

FIGure 1.
FIGure 2.
FIGure 3.
FIGURE 4.
FIGURE 5.

References

  1. Babisch W. Road traffic noise and cardiovascular risk. Noise Health. 2008; 10(38): 27–33.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Babisch W, Buele B, Schust M, Kersten N, Ising H. Traffic noise and risk of myocardial infarction. Epidemiology. 2005; 16(1): 33–39.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bendokiene I, Grazuleviciene R, Dedele A. Risk of hypertension related to road traffic noise among reproductive-age women. Noise Health. 2011; 13(55): 371–377.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bodin T, Albin M, Ardö J, Stroh E, Ostergren PO, Björk J. Road traffic noise and hypertension: results from a cross-sectional public health survey in southern Sweden. Environ Health. 2009; 8(38).

  5. Van Kempen E, Babisch W. The quantitative relationship between road traffic noise and hypertension: a meta-analysis. J Hypertens. 2012; 30(6): 1075–1086.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Babisch W. The noise/stress concept, risk assessment and research needs. Noise Health. 2002; 4: 1–11.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Stansfeld SA, Berglund B, Clark C, et al. Aircraft and road traffic noise and children’s cognition and health: a cross-national study. Lancet. 2005; 365(9475): 1942–1949.

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Haralabidis AS, Dimakopoulou K, Vigna-Taglianti F, Giampaolo M, Borgini A, Dudley ML. Acute effects of night-time noise exposure on blood pressure in populations living near airports. Euro Heart J. 2008; 29(5): 658–664.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Jarup L, Babisch W, Houthuijs D, et al. Hypertension and exposure to noise near airports: the HYENA study. Environ Health Perspect. 2008; 116(3): 329–333.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Di Nisi J, Muzet A, Ehrhart J, Libert JP. Comparison of cardiovascular responses to noise during waking and sleeping hours. Sleep. 1990; 13(2): 108–120.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Babisch W. Traffic noise and cardiovascular disease: epidemiological review and synthesis. Noise Health. 2000; 2(8): 9–32.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Halonen JI, Vahtera J, Stansfield S, et al. Association between nighttime traffic noise and sleep: the Finnish public sector study. Environ Health Perspect. 2013; 121(5): a147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. World Health Organization. Night Noise Guidelines for Europe. 2009; http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/43316/E92845.pdf. Accessed March 27, 2013.

  14. Schwela DH. The World Health Organization guidelines for environmental health. Noise/News International. 2000:9-22.

  15. Health Effects Institute Panel on the Health Effects of Traffic-Related Air Pollution. Traffic-Related Air Pollution: a Critical Review of the Literature on Emissions, Exposure, and Health Effects. HEI Special Report 17. Boston, MA 2010.

  16. Allen RW, Davies H, Cohen MA, Mallach G, Kaufman JD, Adar SD. The spatial relationship between traffic-generated air pollution and noise in two US cities. Environ Res. 2009; 109(3): 334–342.

    CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Beelen R, Hoek G, Houthuijs D, et al. The joint association of air pollution and noise from road traffic with cardiovascular mortality in a cohort study. Occup Environ Med. 2009; 66(4): 243–250.

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Davies HW, Vlaanderen JJ, Henderson SB, Brauer M. Correlation between co-exposures to noise and air pollution from traffic sources. Occup Environ Med. 2009; 66(5): 347–350.

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Foraster M, Deltell A, Basagaña X, et al. Local determinants of road traffic noise levels versus determinants of air pollution levels in a Mediterranean city. Environ Res. 2011; 111(1): 177–183.

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Ross Z, Kheirbek I, Clougherty JE, et al. Noise, air pollutants, and traffic: continuous measurement and correlation at a high traffic location in New York City. Environ Res. 2011; 111(8): 1054–1063.

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Ising H, Lange-Asschenfeldt H, Lieber G-F, Moriske HJ, Weinhold H. Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise and the development of respiratory diseases in children. J Child Health. 2004; 2: 145–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Kheirbek I, Johnson S, Ross Z, et al. Spatial variability in levels of benzene, formaldehyde, and total benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes in New York City: a land-use regression study. Environ Health. 2012;11(51).

  23. Clougherty JE, Kheirbek I, Eisl HM, et al. Intra-urban spatial variability in wintertime street-level concentrations of multiples combustion-related air pollutants: the New York City community air survey (NYCCAS). Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology 2013;1(9).

  24. Dratva J, Phuleria HC, Foraster M, Gaspoz JM, Keidel D, Künzli N. Transportation noise and blood pressure in a population-based sample of adults. Environ Health Perspect. 2012; 120: 50–55.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Gan WQ, Davies HW, Koehoorn M, Brauer M. Association of long-term exposure to community noise and traffic-related air pollution with coronary heart disease mortality. Am J Epidemiol. 2012; 175(9): 898–906.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Gan W, McLean K, Brauer M, Chiarello S, Davies H. Modeling population exposure to community noise and air pollution in a large metropolitan area. Environ Res. 2012; 116: 11–16.

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Ausejo M, Recuero M, Asensio C, Pavon I, Lopez JM. Study of precision, deviations, and uncertainty in the design of the strategic noise map of the macrocenter of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Environ Model Assess. 2010; 15: 125–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Eberhardt JL, Akselsson KR. The disturbance by road traffic noise of the sleep of young male adults as recorded in the home. J Sound Vib. 1987; 144(3): 417–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Passchier-Vermeer W, Passchier WF. Noise exposure and public health. Environ Health Perspect. 2000; 108(suppl 1): 123–131.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Kawada T. Noise and health-sleep disturbance in adults. J Occup Health. 2011; 53(6): 413–416.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Eberhardt JL, Stråle L-O, Berlin M. The influence of continuous and intermittent traffic noise on sleep. J Sound Vib. 1987; 116(3): 445–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. American Housing Survey. US Census Bureau; 2009. http://www.census.gov/housing/ahs/data/.

  33. Matte TD, Ross Z, Kheirbek I, et al. Monitoring intraurban spatial patterns of multiple combustion air pollutants in New York City: design and implementation. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. 2013;1(9).

  34. Neitzel R, Daniell WE, Sheppard L, Davies HW, Seixas NS. Evaluation and comparison of three exposure assessment techniques. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2011; 8(5): 310–323.

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Seixas N, Neitzel R, Sheppard L, Goldman B. Alternative metrics for noise exposure among construction workers. Ann Occup Hyg. 2005; 49(6): 493–502.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  36. American National Standards on Acoustics. ANSI S1.4: specification for sound level meters: American Institute of Physics for the Acoustical Society of America; 1983.

  37. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. NYC Community Air Survey, In: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, ed. New York City 2013.

  38. International Organization for Standardization. ISO 9835, Ambient Air- Determination of a Black Smoke Index1993.

  39. US Environmental Protection Agency. Information on Levels of Environmental Noise Requisite to Protect Public Health and Welfare with an Adequate Margin of Safety. In: office of noise abatement and control, ed. Washington D.C.1974.

  40. Pitney Bowes Inc. MPSI TrafficMetrix. 2013; http://www.pb.com/software/Data-Products/Street-and-Transportation-Data/MPSI-TrafficMetrix.shtml.

  41. New York Metropolitan Transportation Council. General Final Report: New York Best Practice Model 2005.

  42. New York City Department of City Planning. BYTES of the BIG APPLE. 2008; http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/applbyte.shtml.

  43. Xie D, Liu Y, Chen J. Mapping urban environmental noise: a land use regression method. Environ Sci Technol. 2011; 45: 7358–7364.

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Raaschou-Nielsen O, Anderson ZJ, Jensen SS, et al. Traffic air pollution and mortality from cardiovascular disease and all causes: a Danish cohort study. Environ Health. 2012;11(60).

  45. Tetreault L-F, Perron S, Smargiassi A. Cardiovascular health, traffic-related air pollution and noise: are associations mutually confounded? A systematic review. Int J Public Health. 2013.

  46. Beckerman B, Jerrett M, Brook JR, Verma DK, Arain MA, Finkelstein MM. Correlation of nitrogen dioxide with other traffic pollutants near a major expressway. Atmos Environ. 2008; 42: 275–290.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Karner AA, Eisinger DS, Niemeier DA. Near-roadway air quality: synthesizing the findings from real-world data. Environ Sci Technol. 2010; 44: 5334–5344.

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  48. World Health Organization Europe. Night Noise Guidelines for Europe. In: WHO Regional Office for Europe, ed. Copenhagen, Denmark: WHO; 2009.

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank John Gorczynski, Jordan Werbe-Fuentes, Anna Tilles, Rolando Munoz, Andres Camacho, and Steves Vanderpool of Queens College for their help in data collection. This work was supported by City of New York tax levy funds.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Environmental Surveillance and Policy, 125 Worth Street, CN34E, New York, NY, 10013, USA

    Iyad Kheirbek, Kazuhiko Ito, Jung Kim, Sarah Johnson & Thomas Matte

  2. Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Risk Science Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Richard Neitzel

  3. Center for the Biology of Natural Systems, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Remsen Hall 311, Flushing, NY, 11367, USA

    Jung Kim & Holger Eisl

  4. ZevRoss Spatial Analysis, 120 N. Aurora St, Suite 3A, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

    Zev Ross

Authors
  1. Iyad Kheirbek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kazuhiko Ito
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Richard Neitzel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jung Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sarah Johnson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Zev Ross
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Holger Eisl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Thomas Matte
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Iyad Kheirbek.

Additional information

This work was supported by City of New York tax levy funds.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kheirbek, I., Ito, K., Neitzel, R. et al. Spatial Variation in Environmental Noise and Air Pollution in New York City. J Urban Health 91, 415–431 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-013-9857-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-013-9857-0

Keywords

  • Noise
  • Air pollution
  • Traffic
  • Noise metrics
  • Environmental noise
  • Air monitoring