Worries About Air Pollution from the Unsustainable Use of Studded Tires and Cruise Ships—A Preliminary Study on the Relationship Between Worries and Health Complaints Due to Seasonal Pollution

The relationship between ambient particulate matter (PM) and mental health conditions is well established. No study so far has investigated whether different sources of air pollution are associated with distinctive worries. We recruited n = 47 citizens living in an area with seasonal air pollution from studded tires (winter) and cruise ships (summer). We asked about seasonal well-being, symptoms of insomnia, migraine, and eco-anxiety, as well as worries about air pollution. Participants were more worried about air pollution from cruise ships as compared to studded tires (p = 0.013), which stands in contrast to PM caused by studded tires being more severe. There were significant correlations between worries about outdoor air pollution and insomnia symptoms (p = 0.003), worries about indoor air pollution and migraine symptoms (p < 0.001), worries about air pollution from studded tires and eco-anxiety (p = 0.001), and worries about air pollution from cruise ships and symptoms of migraine (p = 0.001). The low participation rate limits generalizability but is a result by itself because of the highly controversial topic of studded tires. We hypothesize that participation in studies set out to demonstrate negative effects of particulate matter needs to be strategically planned when the overall opinion of the population to be studied is positive towards the source of the hazardous pollution. Additionally, we hypothesize that the contribution of air pollution from different sources receives a varying degree of attention from the population. Further research into the relation between attitudes towards the unsustainable use of studded tires and perceived vs. real air pollution might help to design effective campaigns to influence decision-making.