Aircraft Noise Effects on Individuals and Communities

Like other forms of transportation noise, aircraft noise annoys people, interferes with their speech, disturbs their sleep, and can interfere with performance of some non-verbal tasks. Aircraft noise does not pose a meaningful risk of hearing damage in residential settings (as it does in some occupational settings), but is often alleged to be linked with extra-auditory public health risks. For reasons discussed at length in Sect. 3.9, and despite many assertions to the contrary, the latter claims are only weakly supported by epidemiologic evidence, and remain controversial, even after decades of study.