Airport-Related Air Pollution and Noise

Abstract

To provide quantitative evidence of the impact on people of a neighboring metropolitan airport, La Guardia Airport (LGA) in New York City, (1) airborne particulate matter (PM) was measured to determine whether concentration differences could be detected between homes that are upwind and downwind of the airport; (2) 24-hr noise measurements were made in 12 homes near the airport; and (3) the impact of noise was assessed by a Community Wellness and Health Promotion Survey. Particulate matter concentrations were higher during active airport operating hours than during nonoperating hours, and the percent increase varied inversely with distance from the airport. Hourly differences between paired upwind and downwind sites were not remarkable. Residents living near the airport were exposed to noise levels as much as four times greater than those experienced by residents in a quiet, comparison home. Impulse noise events were detected from both aircraft and vehicular traffic. More than 55% of the people living within the flight path were bothered by aircraft noise, and 63% by highway noise; these were significantly higher percentages than for residents in the nonflight area. The change in PM concentrations with distance during operating compared with nonoperating hours; traffic-related impulse noise events; and the elevated annoyance with highway noise, as well as aircraft noise among residents in the flight path area, show airport-related motor vehicle traffic to be a major contributor to the negative impact of airports on people in the surrounding communities.

Keywords:

• airport-associated air pollution
• airport-associated traffic
• airport noise
• residential air pollution
• residential noise

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Congressman J. Crowley, 7 ^th District, who secured appropriations for this work from USEPA and NIEHS grants. Support and help were provided by Martin Blaustein, Jessica Clemente, Gordon Cook, Brian Howald, David Kow, Toni Moore, Paul Peters, Lung-Chi Chen (NYUSOM); Kevin Casey and AnneMarie Anzalone (congressional staff); Ralph Tragale, Kevin Bleach, and Edward Knoesel (PANYNJ); and Thomas O'Neill. Special thanks go to those residents of Queens and the Bronx who gave the authors access to their homes and complied with study protocols.

Notes

^A Excluding pollution episode and high smoke days. Site 1 omitted because of subsequent equipment failure. Site 5 omitted because of too little data.

^A Equivalent sound level (L_eq) = The Equivalent Sound Level is the level of a constant sound over a specific time period T₂-T₁ that has the same energy level as the actual (unsteady) sound over the same time period. L_eq = 10 log₁₀ [(1/T)∫ (p² (t) /p₀ ²) dt]. This is integrated over T₂-T_1. p (t) is the time varying pressure. T = T₂-T₁ = 23 hr 58 min, p_o = .0002 microbar.

^B Sound exposure level (SEL) = Total Sound Energy During The Event calculated as shown in Footnote A above with T = 1 s.

^C L_max, L_min, L_peak are maximum, minimum and total peak sound level recorded during the 24 hour measurement.

^D See text.

^{a E} Percentage energy below 500 H_z = 100{1–[10^dB(A)/10/10^dB(F)/10]}.

^F Day night level (see text).

^A Fisher's exact test, p < .0001.

^B Fisher's exact test, p < .0154.

^C Fisher's exact test, p < .0124.