Background and planned projects during the senior professorship:

• The European Environment Agency and the WHO report drastic health side effects from transport noise and air pollution. Jos Lelieveld (MPI Mainz) calculated almost 800,000 excess deaths due to fine dust pollution (PM 2.5µm), with deaths due to cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke, but also diabetes and arterial hypertension dominating. At the same time, almost 150 million people in Europe are exposed to noise levels > 55 dBA - noise levels that we know are pathogenic at this level.
• There is usually a combination of noise and fine dust in the environment, e.g., street noise with NO2 and PM2.5 pollution or aircraft noise with ultrafine dust. The EU estimates that the cost of combining noise and air pollution is €1 trillion annually.
   
• Mechanistic, animal experimental studies, translational field studies, and transfer to the population using the Gutenberg health study are planned.
  
   
• WP 1: Search for the stress mediators that cause lasting cardiovascular damage through noise.
  
  
   

• WP 2: Translational field study on the topic of car noise. The effects of car noise on endothelial function, determined by flow-dependent dilatation of the brachial artery, are investigated.

• WP3: Transfer to the population: Impact of noise and particulate matter on endothelial function (subclinical form of atherosclerosis) in the Gutenberg health study

• Technological, clinical and socioeconomic impact of environmental research