A 1992 report from the Health Subcommittee of the Regional Coalition on Airport Affairs argues that noise from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport poses serious health risks to nearby residents, including increased rates of psychiatric illness, sleep disruption, hypertension, and adverse birth outcomes. The report also cites 1992 measurements showing classroom noise levels exceeding 85 decibels in Highline School District schools, linking airport noise to declining standardized test scores. The authors conclude that expansion of Sea-Tac Airport would significantly worsen these documented public health impacts.Open full document
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A report prepared by the Health Subcommittee of the Environmental Impact Committee of the Regional Coalition on Airport Affairs examining the adverse health effects of airport noise and expansion near Sea-Tac International Airport. The document presents fiction versus fact comparisons addressing mental health impacts, birth outcomes, physical health risks, educational impacts, and sleep disturbance caused by airport noise. Specific data from Highline Schools in 1992 and nighttime flight activity at Sea-Tac are cited.