Monday, July 12, 2010

Women's Issue

How bad is jet noise for humans? A German study comes to some distressing conclusions.

Results of the study, published in January 2010 and commissioned by Germany's Federal Environment Agency, is based on the analysis of data from public health insurers that were drawn from more than 1 million Germans ages 40 and over.

According to Eberhard Greiser, an emeritus professor of epidemiology at Bremen University. "Jet noise is more dangerous than any other kind of road-traffic noise or rail noise because it is especially acute and sharp and it induces stress hormones."

The study indicates men who are exposed to jet noise have a 69% higher risk of being hospitalized for cardiovascular disease. Women living under flight paths fare even worse, logging a 93% higher rate of hospitalization with cardiovascular problems, compared with their counterparts in quiet residential areas. Essentially all Americans live under flight paths! The study found that women who are exposed to jet noise equal to conversational speech during the day are 172% more likely to suffer a stroke.

This is a Women’s issue!

In a separate study it was discovered that women near Cologne-Bonn Airport had an increased risk of developing breast cancer and leukemia. Research found that women who are exposed to 60 decibels [loudness of conversational speech] of jet noise at night are twice as likely to contract breast cancer. "It seems women are more sensitive to jet noise than men, but I would advise everyone to think twice about living near an airport because it's not just aircraft noise which can be deadly; aircraft emissions are also dangerous," says Greiser.

"When it comes to expanding airports, governments and the courts all over the world will have to weigh the benefits of commercial interests against the danger to public health," Greiser says. "How many additional diseases is society prepared to accept?"

Do Americans care?

Complete article can be found here:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1929071_1929070_1947782,00.html

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