Health Impairments, Annoyance and Learning Disorders Caused by Aircraft Noise-Synopsis of the State of Current Noise Research

The article reviews the results of scientific research on aircraft noise induced health impairments, annoyance as well as learning disorders and summarizes consequences for legislative and political decisions. The association of noise with an increased incidence of chronic arterial hypertension has been shown in large-scale epidemiological studies. Identified risks are up to 20% per 10 dB increase in day-evening-night level (above 50 dB(A)) and for nightly noise exposure within a range of 19-34% per 10 dB (above 30-35dB(A)). Identified risks regarding the use of antihypertensive drugs are partly higher. Also an increase in strokes is documented in recent epidemiological studies and understood as a consequence of hypertension. The same applies in the case of heart failure. Likewise an increase in myocardial infarctions has been confirmed in the recent studies with large populations included. Moreover, the annoyance due to aircraft noise has been significantly underestimated in the last 15 years. Compared to the EU-position paper of 2002 the sound level at a given extent of annoyance (25% HA) is at least 10 dB(A) lower. Impairments of cognitive performance in children attending schools exposed to high aircraft noise have been demonstrated in national and international studies up to the year 2014. As consequence of the present knowledge in noise effect research legal and political decisions must form the base to reduce aircraft noise exposure during the 24h-day to Lden = 50 and during the night to Ln = 45 dB(A).