TagNoise(262)

This brochure, published by the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA), argues against the Port of Seattle's 'Flight Plan' proposal to add a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. It highlights existing noise burdens on South End communities—where jet noise already averages 65 Ldn and reaches up to 105 decibels—and warns that the expansion would add 120,000 more flights annually by 2020, consuming 12% of residents' daily lives with jet noise. The document cites health experts and a renowned noise specialist, Dr. James Chalupnik, to advocate for alternative solutions such as remote airports and high-speed rail instead of expanding the urban airport.

The FAA is reviewing its civil aviation noise policy, which is based on decades-old research, to better address how aircraft noise affects communities near airports like Sea-Tac. The review examines noise measurement systems, acceptable noise thresholds, and the impact of aviation noise on residents—including annoyance, sleep disturbance, and health effects. Public and stakeholder input is being sought to help modernize the policy.

This study projects the long-term health and economic costs of aircraft noise generated by the NextGen automated flight system, focusing on communities near Baltimore Washington International Airport. Using a mathematical simulation model, researchers estimated the impact of noise exposure on cardiovascular disease, anxiety, annoyance, and low birth weight over periods of 10, 20, and 30 years. The findings are intended to inform noise mitigation policies and provide a clearer picture of the public health consequences of modern air traffic management systems.

Aviation noise consultant Vince Mestre explains to the Port of Seattle why changing the FAA's 65 DNL noise contour standard — the threshold used to determine acceptable aircraft noise near residential areas — would likely require an act of Congress rather than a simple regulatory update. The 65 DNL standard is embedded in at least three federal regulations and orders (CFR 14 Parts 150 and 161, and FAA Order 1050.1F), all of which trace their authority back to enabling legislation such as the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act (ASNA) of 1978 and the Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA) of 1990. Because the FAA's rulemaking authority is granted and bounded by those Congressional statutes, modifying ASNA would most likely be required before the FAA could formally lower or otherwise change the noise compatibility standard.

A large study of over 35,000 female nurses across the United States found that exposure to aircraft nighttime noise levels at or above 45 decibels was associated with 23% greater odds of sleeping less than 7 hours per night. The research, which tracked participants living near 90 U.S. airports between 2000 and 2014, suggests that aircraft noise — including at levels below the federally regulated threshold of 65 decibels — may meaningfully disrupt sleep duration. Stronger effects were observed among residents in the Western United States and those living near major cargo airports, findings with direct relevance to communities around airports like Sea-Tac.

Academic paper presented at the 183rd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America arguing that the FAA’s 65 dBA day-night average sound level standard is not safe for public health. The paper discusses how the EPA calculated safer levels at 55 dB for outdoor activities and 45 dB for indoor activities, and examines the non-auditory