Anti Noise And Why Noise Is A Problem

London Heathrow Airport, is of the worlds busiest airports for air movements.

John Szepietowski estimates 164 million passengers travel through Heathrow a year, the most in Europe.

Currently a shocking 465,000 flights a year!

one,200 flights a day arrive and depart at Heathrow!

On a typical day in Stockwell, South London, around 400 planes a day fly over, every two minutes!

In London over 400,000 people rate aircraft noise a serious issue.

Stacks, are inbound planes held in a racetrack pattern, they are becoming an increasing concern to residents in areas close in propinquity. Noise pollution is now affecting people in Heathrow stacks at Bovingdon, Lamboune in Essex, Biggin Hill in Bromley and Ockham in Surrey.

Increasing Reliance on computers to guide planes in to land is now concentrating flight paths in definite areas, often a significant distance from the airport, causing distress to residents who live below those flight paths outside of London also.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to provide workers with hearing protection in the event that they are exposed to an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 dBA or more. For those living or working near flight paths of major airports, the noise of aircraft taking off and landing can exceed 100 dBA.

High levels of aircraft noise that exist near major commercial airports are known to cause issues to the human body. Sounds louder than a standard conversation can destroy the delicate hair cells in the inner ear. Initially destroy may be temporary, but with repeated exposure, the destroy becomes permanent.

Research in to noise pollution also indicates that it contributes to heart diseases, immune deficiencies, skin disorders, asthma and other stress related diseases. There is a growing body of proof, from the USA, which points to higher levels of cancer around major airports.

A quarter of a million people live in the Borough of Hounslow and most of them suffer the effects of aircraft noise. With a plane taking off or landing every 60-90 seconds, Hounslow is overflown 75% of the time.
The Enviromental Law Foundation held a public meeting in 2005 in Hounslow,schools under flight paths must operate in impossible circumstances due to aircraft noise. Harvey (7 years elderly) who attends Hounslow Heath Kids School says “The noise is annoying because when I am outside I cannot listen to my teacher if they are trying to learn PE and he cannot listen to me. When I am playing with my friends or trying to converse, they must cease when a plane flies over. So sometimes I don’t bother to speak at all”.