Aircraft noise and health of residents living in the vicinity of Frankfurt Airport

In 2005 a field study on the effects of aircraft noise on annoyance, disturbances and health-related quality of life was done with residents living around Frankfurt Airport. Face-to- face studies with 2312 residents were carried out, for each address aircraft noise levels were calculated on the base of flight movements of the 6 busiest months of the year. This contribution deals with analyses of the data from this field study with regard to the relationship between aircraft noise level, reactions to aircraft noise (in particular noise annoyance), noise sensitivity and physical as well as mental health. The results do not support the assumption of a direct effect of aircraft noise exposure on physical and mental health. However, associations between noise annoyance, noise sensitivity and self-reported health could be observed. Three approaches may explain the observed relationships. According to the first approach, it is not the noise exposure itself but the psychological reaction to noise which leads to further health effects. The second model suggests that the assessed complaints, health diseases and noise sensitivity increase psychological reactions to noise like annoyance. The third approach combines the first two models and describes a recursive process of health complaints and noise sensitivity intensifying noise annoyance, which in the long run lead to further health effects.