Assessment of health effects of aircraft noise on residents living around Noi Bai International Airport

The number of studies on the impact of noise on health is very limited especially for people living around major airports in developing countries. Two surveys on health effects of aircraft noise were conducted at 13 sites around Noi Bai International Airport (HNBIA) in November 2017 and August 2018. The surveyed contents included aircraft noise exposure levels, noise annoyance, sleep disturbance and general health indicators such as Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, etc. Exposure levels were obtained by field measurement and noise map estimation. Community responses were investigated by face-to-face interview. Blood pressure of the respondents was assessed by self-reported method and measurement. Comparisons of respondents with high blood pressure and insomnia ratios at different noise exposure level ranges showed that there is no significant association between ratios of hypertension and noise exposure levels (Lden) but a significant exposure-response relationship was found between night-time noise exposure levels and insomnia. This result suggested that a restriction on nighttime flight operation and a specific regulation for aircraft noise limit should be considered to protect the health of residents living around airports for sustainable and balanced development of air transport in Vietnam.