Study on the noise pollution at the new major airport

Noise in the vicinity of the Berlin-Brandenburg airport is being investigated

05/06/2012

Does traffic noise make me sick? Researchers at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) investigate this question in the vicinity of Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. 5,000 households in the three districts of Dahme-Spreewald, Märkisch-Oderland and Oder-Spree are interviewed to assess possible effects and desired preventive measures.

„What are the consequences of aviation, road and rail noise for the quality of life and health of people in this region? And what can be done to reduce the consequences for those affected?“, the RUB explained the questions of the noise impact study „NORAH“ (Noise-Related Annoyance, Cognition, and Health). In the interdisciplinary research project, the noise pollution around the new major airport in Berlin-Schönefeld, as well as Frankfurt a. Main, Cologne / Bonn and Stuttgart examined.

The „NORAH“-The study is intended to clarify which negative health effects emanate from the traffic noise in the vicinity of the airports and how these can be counteracted. The researchers of the RUB and the Social Science Survey Center (SUZ) from Duisburg have now begun with the first telephone interviews. „The two-year study is funded by the state of Hessen and supported by the Ministry of Environment, Health and Consumer Protection (MUGV) of the state of Brandenburg“, reports the RUB in the corresponding press release. By October, the survey of residents of Berlin-Brandenburg Airport is scheduled to be completed. After commissioning the airport, the investigation should be repeated, with the results being used as a basis for decision-making for passive (eg soundproof windows) and active (eg no-fly or guided flight) soundproofing measures.

The special feature of the NORAH study is the consideration of the different traffic noise sources. Not only aircraft noise, but also rail noise and road traffic noise are taken into account. According to the researchers, the noise impact study has the ambitious goal, „to obtain a scientifically validated description of the effects of the noise of different types of traffic on the health and quality of life of the affected resident population.“ For this purpose have become „several renowned research and specialist institutions of medicine, psychology, social science and acoustics have joined together to form a research consortium“, reports the RUB. Altogether, ten research institutions are involved in the study. (Fp)

Also read:
Aircraft noise increases heart attack risk
Federal Environmental Agency: study on aircraft noise diseases
Connection of aircraft noise and diseases

Picture credits: Ulla Trampert