Group | Physical Hazards and Health

Man-made and natural physical hazards are ubiquitously distributed in our environment. The research of the Physical Hazards and Health Research group focuses on (but is not restricted to) the health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields, ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation, climate including extreme weather events, and noise.

Impact of our Environment

We develop exposure assessment methods and apply them to epidemiological studies to examine the impact of physical hazards on health. We consider a wide variety of health outcomes that are relevant in this context, such as carcinogenicity, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases or health-related quality of life. We also conduct regular health impact assessments and systematic reviews. In addition to physical hazards, we address the cardio-respiratory health effects of passive smoking and air pollution exposure.

Martin Röösli

Martin Röösli

Associate Professor, PhD

Arowosegbe O.O et al. Comparing methods to impute missing daily ground-level PM10 concentrations between 2010-2017 in South Africa. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(7):3374. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18073374

Cabré-Riera A et al. Association between estimated whole-brain radiofrequency electromagnetic fields dose and cognitive function in preadolescents and adolescents. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2021;231:113659. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113659

Raess M et al. Land use regression modelling of community noise in São Paulo, Brazil. Environ Res. 2021;199:111231. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111231

Saucy A et al. The role of extreme temperature in cause-specific acute cardiovascular mortality in Switzerland: a case-crossover study. Sci Total Environ. 2021;790:147958. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147958

Saucy A, Schäffer B, Tangermann L, Vienneau D, Wunderli J.M, Röösli M. Does night-time aircraft noise trigger mortality? A case-crossover study on 24 886 cardiovascular deaths. Eur Heart J. 2021;42(8):835-843. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa957

Strassmann A et al. NO2 and PM2.5 exposures and lung function in Swiss adults: estimated effects of short-term exposures and long-term exposures with and without adjustment for short-term deviations. Environ Health Perspect. 2021;129(1):17009. DOI: 10.1289/EHP7529

van Wel L et al. Radio-frequency electromagnetic field exposure and contribution of sources in the general population: an organ-specific integrative exposure assessment. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2021;31(6):999-1007. DOI: 10.1038/s41370-021-00287-8

Vicedo-Cabrera A.M et al. The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change. Nat Clim Chang. 2021;11(6):492-500. DOI: 10.1038/s41558-021-01058-x

Vienneau D et al. Residential radon - comparative analysis of exposure models in Switzerland. Environ Pollut. 2021;271:116356. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116356