The information participants provided about where they lived when they joined UK Biobank was used to derive detailed data on their local environment.
By combining data on participants’ local environment with their health information, researchers can explore how factors such as levels of air or noise pollution and proximity to green space interact with health and impact disease risk.
Air pollution
Estimates of nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter (2.5 and 2.10), traffic load and traffic intensity close to participants’ residence at the time of recruitment.
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Current availability- 500,000 participants
Noise pollution
Estimates of noise levels in participants’ local area at the time of recruitment.
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Current availability
- 500,000 participants
Greenspace, built environment and coastal proximity
The amount of greenspace in participants’ local area, the built environment around them and the distance of their home location to the coast.
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Current availability
- 500,000 participants
Water minerals
Hardness of tap water in participants’ local area.
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Current availability
- 500,000 participants
Access UK Biobank environmental data
Researchers can explore all environmental data on our data browser, Showcase.
Environmental data research stories
Read a selection of stories about how healthcare is being changed by discoveries made with environmental data.
Researchers claim that people who live near major airports have poorer cardiac function so stricter noise limits for planes are urgently needed.
Explore our other data categories
Magnetic resonance images, bone-density scans, carotid artery ultrasound and more
Proteins, metabolites, infectious disease markers and other biomarkers
Genotyping, exome and whole-genome information
Linked electronic medical records, including hospital stays, cancer diagnoses and causes of death
Participants’ information on health and lifestyle collected via online or touchscreen questionnaires
Baseline data from physical exams, vision and hearing tests, activity monitor and more
Participants’ self-reported data on health and lifestyle