Impact of Aircraft Noise on Health

Aircraft noise exposure is an environmental stressor and has been linked to various adverse health outcomes, such as annoyance, sleep disturbance, and cardiovascular diseases. Aircraft noise can trigger both psychological (annoyance and disturbance) and physiological stress responses (e.g. activation of the cardiovascular system and release of stress hormones). People are usually able to deal with this kind of stressor. However, a constant exposure to aircraft noise can cause a continuous state of stress. This in turn can constrain a person’s ability to regenerate and restore its resources to cope with the noise situation. As a consequence, the risk for certain negative health outcomes can be increased. Within the ANIMA project, literature reviews on the effects of aircraft noise on health outcomes have been performed. This chapter gives an overview of the relevant health outcomes affected by aircraft noise and summarises the results of different reviews and studies on these outcomes. Additionally, the underlying mechanisms of how noise impacts health are explained for daytime as well as night-time aircraft noise exposure (i.e. while sleeping). Further, the relevance of considering not only the general population, but vulnerable groups as well (such as children and elderly people) is described. Lastly, open questions for further studies are presented and discussed

Coping with Aviation Noise: Non-Acoustic Factors Influencing Annoyance and Sleep Disturbance from Noise

Annoyance and sleep disturbances due to aircraft noise represent a major burden of disease. They are considered as health effects as well as part of the causal pathway from exposure to long-term effects such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases as well as mental disorders (e.g. depression). Both annoyance and sleep disturbance are not only determined by the noise exposure, but also to a considerable extent by non-acoustic factors. This chapter summarises the most relevant non-acoustic factors and briefly explains their mechanisms on annoyance and sleep as well as the potential to address these factors via intervention methods aiming at the reduction of adverse noise outcomes and an increase in the quality of life of airport residents. Here, the focus is on airport management measures that are considered to help improve the residents’ coping capacity. Findings from the ANIMA case studies with regard to main aspects of quality of life in airport residents around European airports are briefly reported and recommendations for a community-oriented airport management are derived

Exemplification case studies as a focus for the implementation of best practices related to aircraft noise management at airports

This study presents the analysis of six airport exemplification case studies undertaken in the European project “Aviation Noise Impact Management through Novel Approaches - ANIMA”. Best practices related to aircraft noise management at airports in individual airport contexts were implemented and evaluated. Case studies on communication and community engagement in airport noise management were investigated at Heathrow (United Kingdom), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Rotterdam The Hague (The Netherlands) airports. For Zaporizhzhia (Ukraine) and Iasi (Romania) airports, the implementation of interventions related to land-use planning was examined. The interdependencies between noise and emissions were studied for Cluj (Romania) airport. All case studies were performed under the scope of the corresponding national legislation and guidelines. Individual characteristics of airport operations were taken into account. The case studies were aligned with expectations and priorities of all involved stakeholders, such as representatives of airport operators, local communities, civil aviation authorities and policy makers. The efficacy of the noise management case studies is assessed in terms of: the capacity to negotiate consensus outcomes, the extent to which noise impact reductions were achieved; and the participants' satisfaction with the process and outcomes. Experience gained from these studies will be used to distill best practices for future interventions

Parasympathetic nervous system dysfunction, as identified by pupil light reflex, and its possible connection to hearing impairment

Context Although the pupil light reflex has been widely used as a clinical diagnostic tool for autonomic nervous system dysfunction, there is no systematic review available to summarize the evidence that the pupil light reflex is a sensitive method to detect parasympathetic dysfunction. Meanwhile, the relationship between parasympathetic functioning and hearing impairment is relatively unknown. Objectives To 1) review the evidence for the pupil light reflex being a sensitive method to evaluate parasympathetic dysfunction, 2) review the evidence relating hearing impairment and parasympathetic activity and 3) seek evidence of possible connections between hearing impairment and the pupil light reflex. Methods Literature searches were performed in five electronic databases. All selected articles were categorized into three sections: pupil light reflex and parasympathetic dysfunction, hearing impairment and parasympathetic activity, pupil light reflex and hearing impairment. Results Thirty-eight articles were included in this review. Among them, 36 articles addressed the pupil light reflex and parasympathetic dysfunction. We summarized the information in these data according to different types of parasympathetic-related diseases. Most of the studies showed a difference on at least one pupil light reflex parameter between patients and healthy controls. Two articles discussed the relationship between hearing impairment and parasympathetic activity. Both studies reported a reduced parasympathetic activity in the hearing impaired groups. The searches identified no results for pupil light reflex and hearing impairment. Discussion and Conclusions As the first systematic review of the evidence, our findings suggest that the pupil light reflex is a sensitive tool to assess the presence of parasympathetic dysfunction. Maximum constriction velocity and relative constriction amplitude appear to be the most sensitive parameters. There are only two studies investigating the relationship between parasympathetic activity and hearing impairment, hence further research is needed. The pupil light reflex could be a candidate measurement tool to achieve this goal

The role of noise annoyance for health-related effects of aircraft noise and recommendations for interventions

Exposure to aircraft noise has been linked to health effects, e.g. cardiovascular disease, sleep outcomes, and noise annoyance. Recent studies suggest noise annoyance to mediate the effects of aircraft noise on other health outcomes. A similar mediating role of sleep disturbance is assumed for cardiovascular diseases as cross-sectional studies revealed that awakenings are accompanied by cardiovascular changes. Annoyance is regarded as a noise-induced stress response that is influenced by acoustic and non-acoustic factors (NAF) including coping capacities and perceived control. Also, for sleep disturbance, evidence exists for an influence of NAF. Whilst most interventions focus on reducing noise exposure, the potential to reduce noise-induced stress responses through tackling NAF can be considered as a promising new approach. We report implications for interventions at airports that directly address the reduction of citizens’ responses related to non-acoustic factors

The impacts of aviation noise on health and well-being

Exposure to aircraft noise is associated with several adverse health effects. Frequent flights over residential areas may cause disturbances of activities that require concentration like conversations, reading, and learning. Such interruptions may cause annoyance, irritation, and disappointment. Aircraft noise events can cause sleep disturbance as well. People are usually able to deal with this kind of inconvenience and to (partly) compensate short-term effects of noise-induced sleep disturbance. However, a constant exposure to noise can cause a permanent state of stress. Long-term noise and stress affect the cardiovascular and metabolic system leading to a higher risk for diseases such as heart infarction and diabetes. Children at school may have problems with reading comprehension and memory. In constantly noisy environments, overall quality of life may be reduced affecting well-being and mental health. Complex mechanisms how noise affects our health are explained in several scientific publications that were reviewed within the European ANIMA project and by the World Health Organization. Due to the diversity of noise characteristics (e.g. low frequency, impulses), and appearances in time (intermittent events), we recommend to consider additional noise indicators besides Lden and Lnight. For example, the maximum sound pressure level of a single noise event and the number and time of events during the night are relevant when assessing the impact on sleep. Not only the general population, but also vulnerable populations such as children and elderly people need to be considered in impact assessment. Furthermore, annoyance and sleep disturbance are not only determined by the noise exposure, but also by non-acoustic factors such as residents attitudes and expectations regarding the noise source. Therefore, transparent information policy is crucial in communication with residents affected by noise