Airport Air and Noise Pollution

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Airport Air and Noise pollution

It is true that residents of the vicinity of airports usually complain of noise and air pollution emanating from aircraft operations. This essay will debate on how noise and air pollution affects residents in the vicinity of airports.

Airports are the chief source of noise and air pollution internationally. It is true that everyday aircraft operations highly contributes to local pollution and has negative impacts on the health of individuals.

Aircraft pollution also contributes to negative effects on the quality of life of residents within the vicinity of the airport. It is clear that health is a whole state of emotional, mental, and social well-being.  Noise can distress one’s speech and other types of communication. Secondly, noise contributes to physiological stress reactions that can in turn have negative health implications. Furthermore, it can also be a key source of annoyance by disturbing relaxation, rest, and sleep.

Airport noise also has negative impacts on the development and health of children.  Children living within the vicinity of airports are most likely to have high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and reduced levels of reading comprehension. This is based on several experiments and studies that have been carried out that show that aircraft noise has negative impacts on the development of memory and ability to read in children.  Aircraft noise has been found to affect language skills and central processing, ability to comprehend, and ability to pay attention. With regard to cognitive impairment, aircraft noise has highly contributed to reduced recognition memory and reading comprehension. Aircraft noise further affects mental health.  Research indicates that psychological symptoms caused by noise are associated with depression and anxiety.  It has also been found out that individuals living in the vicinity of airports are most likely to suffer from anxiety disorders.

Noise pollution at the airports results in annoyance and it has been found out to be the most popular outcome to assess the impact of noise on individuals. A resident becomes annoyed when noise disturbs his everyday life for instance, by obstructing his conversation or simply interrupting him when resting. The majority of the individuals consider noise pollution from aircraft operations as interference with personal privacy.  Several studies carried out indicate that people are more sensitive to aircraft noise and a large number of people are annoyed with increased exposure to noise and air pollution.

Airport noise also affects sleep based on the age of the individual. For example, adults are most likely to suffer from disturbed sleep as compared to children. Although children are less likely to be disturbed than children, they are the ones who highly suffer from cardiovascular diseases. There is also a correlation between night time aircraft noise and hypertension.

Aviation is the chief source of air pollution resulting in important public health effects. There are various ways through which airports can generate air pollution for instance, combustion of aviation fuel that consist of kerosene responsible for producing carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulphur oxides.  Air pollution in airports can also be caused by construction of airport-related projects that result in emissions from laying asphalt and dust. Air pollution can have vast effects on individuals living within the vicinity of airports. For instance, when carbon monoxide produced by aircrafts is inhaled by individuals it reduces the carrying capacity of oxygen in human body and makes the red blood cells to die. Aircraft air pollution through jet emissions results in brain cancer, nasal, throat, asthma, leukemia, and birth defects. One of the byproducts of jet fuel combustion called carcinogenic benzpyrene causes cancer in individuals through skin and lung adsorption.

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