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Category Archives: Health
On one’s exposure to noise
Here is another article on noise, relating about how it affects our health (e.g., “noise can damage your heart as well as your hearing”). The article also includes reference to an app developed by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) – a sound level meter iOS app that utilizes sound energy, and has its accuracy verified in an acoustics lab.
To quote from the article something related to transport and traffic:
“As a general rule of thumb, the World Health Organization considers average road traffic noise levels above 53 decibels and average aircraft noise levels above 45 dB to be associated with adverse health outcomes, though their metrics are weighted slightly differently than the average on your screen.
Nighttime noise is considered particularly harmful because it can fragment your sleep and prompt a stress response, even if you don’t remember waking up. The W.H.O. has long recommended less than 30 dB of nighttime noise inside your bedroom for high-quality sleep.”
We tend to dismiss or take for granted the noise from transport and traffic. While it seems that it does not have an effect on our health and well-being, it will eventually catch up with us and cost us health-wise. I have downloaded and installed the NIOSH app on my phone and occasionally monitor the noise around me whether I am at home or at the office. It can get pretty loud during my commutes and I drive so am curious how loud it can be for those taking public transportation. I have experienced riding in jeepneys blaring loud music. A daily dose of that for long periods each way of the commute will surely affect one’s hearing and overall health. Exposure, after all, isn’t just about the intensity of the noise but how long you experience or endure it.
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On noise and how it affects your health
I am sharing this article on noise that was recently published in The New York Times:
Baumgaertner, E., et al (June 9, 2023) “Noise Could Take Years Off Your Life. Here’s How,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/06/09/health/noise-exposure-health-impacts.html?smid=url-share [Last accessed: 6/13/2023]
To quote from the article:
“European countries have far outpaced the rest of the world in regulating noise. The European Union requires member nations to monitor and assess sound levels across regions and to produce new action plans every five years to address communities at greatest risk. The E.U. now mandates quiet brake locks on rail freight fleets and noise labels on outdoor power equipment; it also requires noise reduction in car manufacturing and mitigation efforts at airports.
Individual cities and countries have taken additional measures. Paris has installed noise cameras that measure the sound level of vehicles and fine drivers who exceed them. Berlin has used new bike lanes to reduce the flow of engine-powered vehicles and move the source of the noise to the center of the road, away from houses. Switzerland has introduced national “quiet hours” — overnight, one midday hour on weekdays, and all day on Sundays.
While scientists say it’s too soon to make a prediction about the effects of these policies on cardiovascular health, several European countries have reported tens of thousands fewer residents exposed to major sources of noise.
Like many health issues, protection against noise would be economically advantageous. Economists who analyzed health care spending and productivity loss because of heart disease and hypertension have argued that a 5 dB reduction in U.S. noise could result in an annual benefit of $3.9 billion.”
Not everyone is aware of how noise may affect our health. Most of us are exposed to noise of different levels and lengths of time (i.e., duration). We probably take for granted, for example, the noises we hear during our commutes or perhaps the noises in our workplaces. These actually take a toll not just on our hearing (e.g., long time factory workers likely have hearing problems after they retire) but other aspects of our health as well. Long commutes inside jeepneys blaring music can do damage to your health. Noise from busy streets will cause damage to the health of those residing along these streets. Are we doing anything to mitigate such noise in the Philippines?
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New reclamations at Manila Bay
As our plane approached to land at NAIA yesterday, I saw the current extent of the reclamation projects underway at the Manila Bay.
These projects are expensive to implement and will surely lead to even higher real estate prices. This will translate to expensive office, commercial and residential units. So one wonders who will ultimately benefit from these developments. Will government come in and require low cost housing here or will future workers have to commute to these places from the suburbs? The latter will definitely put more pressure on an already deficient transport system.
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Covid test kits at the airport
Despite the relaxed stance on COVID-19, the virus is still very much around and evolving or mutating. While airports in the Philippines are lax about the wearing of masks, airlines require masks for passengers on flights. I’m not sure how effective as a preventive measure this is since most people at airports don’t wear masks and there is nothing that will allow for contact tracing anymore.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 test kits vending machines are now common at airports. I guess aside from being a reminder of the pandemic, it is also a convenience for people who want to check, quickly though not so accurately, if they are positive for the virus.
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On bicycles as a preferred mode of transport
Sharing this article on bicycles being the perfect mode of transportation. It is framed with respect to the concept of the 15-minute city. Here is the article:
Johnson, R. (April 19, 2023) “Embracing the 15-Minute City: 7 Reasons why Bicycles Are the Perfect Mode of Transportation,” Momentum Mag, https://momentummag.com/embracing-the-15-minute-city-7-reasons-why-bicycles-are-the-perfect-mode-of-transportation/ [Last accessed: 4/29/2023]
To quote from the article:
“Bicycles are aligned with the goals of sustainability and climate action, as they contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and congestion. In a 15-Minute City, where the focus is on creating sustainable and climate-friendly communities, bicycles can be a powerful tool to achieve these objectives. By promoting cycling as a viable transportation option, cities can reduce their carbon footprint, mitigate climate change impacts, and promote a greener and healthier way of living.”
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On air quality in subways
I saw this article on Wired and immediately read it as the topic to me was interesting. I have been using when I lived in Japan in the 1990s and in Singapore in 2010-2o12. I have used the transit system in many other cities including in the US and Europe. And so the topic of air quality in subways (particularly the stations and inside the trains) got my attention. I guess this is not entirely an issue for ground-level and overhead systems like what most of Lines 1, 2 and 3 and the PNR are. Only Line 2 has one underground station (Katipunan Station) and perhaps has that issue. Here is the article about the air in subways:
Baraniuk (April 24, 2023) “The Filthy Truth About Subway Air,” Wired, https://www.wired.com/story/subway-air-health/ [Last accessed: 4/25/2023]
To quote from the article:
“The big unknown is whether all of this particulate matter is actually causing health problems for people. Millions of commuters use metro systems, in many cases for multiple hours a day, five days a week, for years on end. And thousands of transport workers spend even longer in the tunnels. But there are no widespread signs of severe or acute health problems among these populations, even if pollution levels in subways exceed recommended limits. Could there be more subtle, chronic effects, however—impacts on lung, brain, or heart function?”
Indeed, metros or subway systems have been operating for over a century and so far there is limited that we know about the health risks concerning their use by passengers. But this is something to keep in mind as the Philippines builds its first subway line in Metro Manila. The depots and the situation of workers thought may be a different matter. I recall one of my colleagues at the university doing a quick study of the Line 3 depot, which is underground (i.e., underneath the Trinoma Mall), and measurements showed the air quality to be quite bad. Imagine working there and being exposed to that everyday. Those conditions merit further study but require immediate action to improve working conditions considering the impact to health.
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On sleepy drivers
I am sharing this article on sleep-deprived driving as there appears to be low awareness of the dangers of this behavior as opposed to the typical drunk driving or driving under the influence (DUI) cases that we often hear or read about in the news (mainstream or social media).
Britt, R.B. (April 18, 2023) “Sleep-Deprived Drivers Might as Well be Drunk,” Medium.com, https://robertroybritt.medium.com/sleep-deprived-drivers-might-as-well-be-drunk-887aab48c1c [Last accessed: 4/21/2023]
To quote from the article:
“A 2016 study by AAA linked lack of sleep in the past 24 hours to dramatically higher crash risk, in hour-by-hour increments:
6–7 hours sleep: 1.3 times the risk
5–6 hours: 1.9 times the risk
4–5 hours: 4.3 times the risk
<4 hours: 11.5 times the risk
The risk of a crash drops to zero if you simply stay off the road, of course. Otherwise, the bottom line is pretty clear:
“You cannot miss sleep and still expect to be able to safely function behind the wheel,” said David Yang, executive director for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.”
So make sure you get your sleep because it is really important for you to function not just as a driver or rider. It also applies to other activities or tasks as well whether you’re working, studying or playing.
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On bicycles and first responders
I am sharing this article on the use of bicycles by first responders, particularly the police for their work:
International Police Mountain Bike Association (April 11, 2023) “Why Bicycles are Great for Police and First Responders,” Policemag.com, https://www.policemag.com/patrol/news/15382905/why-bicycles-are-great-for-police-and-first-responders [Last accessed: 4/15/2023]
To quote from the article:
“The advantages of using bicycles in public safety include:
• Bicycles can easily penetrate crowds – in highly congested areas police, EMS, and security personnel on bikes can move around more easily than patrol cars and ambulances.
• Response time in heavy traffic is improved – during their trial period in Orlando, bike medics responded in less than one minute 55% of the time; less than two minutes 83% of the time; and less than three minutes 95% of the time; contrasted with an average of four minutes for motorized rescue units.
• Stealth advantage – bicycles give officers the “stealth advantage” – because they are silent. Cops on bikes can ride right up to the scene of a crime before they are noticed.
• Police, EMS, and security cyclists lead by example – promoting helmet use and bike safety to the community and its children.
• Bicycles are great for public relations – an officer or a medic on a bike is much more approachable than one in a patrol car or ambulance.
• Bicycle use promotes good health – and departments benefit from decreased healthcare costs.
• Bicycles are enjoyable – even occasional bike duty improves morale.
• Bicycles are cost-effective – the average cost per bike is approximately $1200, a fraction of the cost of a cruiser, an ambulance, or any other motorized vehicle – and the annual maintenance costs are low.
• Bicycles are environmentally-friendly – no fossil fuels or emissions, and less parking surface is needed.”
While there are no disadvantages mentioned in the article, the advantages are clear and can be assumed to outweigh the cons of using bicycles. This is especially true in an urban setting where the items mentioned above are applicable and surely gives police and other first responders an advantage. In the Philippines, where the image of a bad or corrupt police officer is one who has bulging tummy, more physically fit and approachable officers on bicycles will surely improve the image of the PNP and other traffic enforcers as well.
Quezon City’s Green Transport Office Bike Patrol
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Back to ‘old’ normal for air travel in the Philippines
Before we embark on another trip this week, I just wanted to share that it seems all is back to the old normal in as far as air travel is concerned in the Philippines. There are few, if any, exceptions based on what I and colleagues have experienced while traveling domestically. The only difference now from pre-COVID-19 air travel is that people are required to wear face masks inside the aircraft. Inside the airports, masks appear to be optional though most people wear them.
The March-April 2023 issue of Cebu Pacific’s Smile Magazine features places to go while in Tokyo, Japan, a popular destination these days as foreign travel restrictions have eased.
Cebu Pacific provides passengers with their Smile magazine on-board their aircraft. Philippine Airlines domestic flights don’t have magazines (unless they do on Business or First Class) for Economy passengers. I noticed also that PAL did not have duty free items on-board their aircraft (at least for the MNL-SIN-MNL trips we had recently). I know that other airlines have resumed duty free sales on-board so perhaps this is just a cost-cutting thing for PAL. Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific’s inflight shop is open and selling souvenir items on their domestic flights.
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Noise, air pollution and your health
Here is another quick share of an article relating transportation and health:
Hunter, M. (March 27, 2023) “Road Noise Might Be One Reason Why Your Blood Pressure is High,” Medium.com, https://medium.com/beingwell/road-noise-might-be-one-reason-your-blood-pressure-is-high-5f6c7bd69ad8 [Last accessed: 3/29/2023]
To quote from the article:
“After a median of 8.1 years, the researchers discovered a dose-response relationship: The higher the noise exposure, the greater the risk of having a diagnosis of hypertension.
For every 10 decibel increase (in average 24-hour road traffic noise level), there was a 1.07 times rise in the chances of having high blood pressure. The researchers adjusted the data for fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure.
Exposure to air pollution and traffic noise exposure led to the highest high blood pressure risk.”
Both air pollution and noise are mentioned as issues to be addressed by implementing programs for sustainable transport. Sustainable transport includes low carbon transport as well as the reduction of noise generated by traffic.
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Caught (up) in traffic 