Search Results (2)

Road-traffic-noise exposition is widespread in Germany and can have harmful health effects. As guidance for informed decision-making, we estimated the environmental burden of disease attributable to road-traffic noise in Hesse, Germany as disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Using detailed road-traffic-noise exposure data provided by the Hessian Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment, and Geology (HLNUG), we calculated the DALYs due to road-traffic noise > 40 dB(A) L_24h (unweighted average 24 h noise level) and other noise metrics for endpoints with known dose-response functions and evidence in the literature (NORAH-study on disease risks and WHO reviews): cardiovascular disease, depressive disorders, road-traffic annoyance, and sleep disturbance. We calculated the population-attributable fractions (PAF) for road-noise-related cardiovascular disease (hypertensive heart disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke) and depressive disorders in the population using published relative risk estimates. We multiplied the PAFs with the Hessian proportion of the 2015 WHO DALY estimates for Germany in people aged ≥ 40 years. For high annoyance and high sleep disturbance, we used published dose-response functions to determine the burden for residents of all ages. For Hesse, we found a total of 26,501 DALYs attributable to road-traffic noise or 435 DALY per 100,000 persons for the reference year, 2015. Further, we estimated that a hypothetic uniform road-traffic-noise reduction of 3 dB would prevent 23% of this burden of disease. Full article

A successful utilization of deep geothermal resources requires accurate predictions about the distribution of reservoir temperature as well as of the hydraulic processes exerting a direct influence on the productivity of geothermal reservoirs. The aim of this study was to investigate and quantify the influence that regional thermo-hydraulic processes have on the geothermal configuration of potential reservoirs in the German Federal State of Hesse. Specifically, we have addressed the question of how the regional thermal and hydraulic configuration influence the local hydro-thermal reservoir conditions. Therefore, a 3D structural model of Hesse was used as a basis for purely hydraulic, purely thermal and coupled 3D thermo-hydraulic simulations of the deep fluid flow and heat transport. As a result of our numerical simulations, Hesse can be differentiated into sub-areas differing in terms of the dominating heat transport process. In a final attempt to quantify the robustness and reliability of the modelling results, the modelling outcomes were analyzed by comparing them to available subsurface temperature, hydraulic and hydrochemical data. Full article