Aircraft Noise and Health (2016)

The Trust, together with HACAN, co-sponsored a major research project pulling together studies on health and aircraft noise from around the world. The report, undertaken by the Aviation Environment Federation, was launched in Parliament in January 2016 and can be read here

The report identified that aircraft noise can no longer be considered simply as an inconvenience to people’s lives. Major studies have concluded that aircraft noise is negatively affecting people’s health and quality of life.

Exposure to aircraft noise can lead to short-term responses such as sleep disturbance, annoyance, and impairment of learning in children, and long-term exposure is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, dementia, and may contribute to long-term mental health issues.

In the UK, over one million peopleare exposed to aircraft noise above levels recommended for the protection of health, estimated in the report to cost £540 million each year.

Around 460 schools are exposed to aircraft noise at levels around Heathrow that can impede memory and learning in children while around 600,000 people in the UK are exposed to average aircraft noise levels that risk regular sleep disturbance.