HEALTH RISK AS A CRITERION TO ESTIMATE POPULATION SAFETY IN AN AIRPORT ZONE

Abstract

The paper considers and tests methodological approaches to assessing public health risks when establishing and using the sanitary (seventh) subzone in an airport zone. Testing was performed at a large civilian airport in Russia. It involved outlining noise contours in accordance with the ICAO methodology. The aviation noise contours were verified with the results produced by instrumental measurements. Acoustic exposure was calculated through assessing averaged daily equivalent noise level (LDN) that was equal to 65 dBA. Health risk assessment showed that long-term exposure primarily affected the cardiovascular system: moderate risks would occur by 23 years; high, by 55 years; and very high, by 63 years. Identified health disorders may become apparent through elevated blood pressure, heart diseases, myocardial infarctions and others.

Background. It is quite common to locate certain objects within an AZ that are subject to sanitary-epidemiological standardization. Use of any AZ for location of such objects should be well grounded and this is a significant issue occurring when the sanitary (seventh) subzone is established. In particular, this concerns equivalent outdoor noise levels and equivalent and maximum permissible indoor noise levels.

Purpose. Our research goal was to test the suggested approach to health risk assessment within the boundaries of an aircraft zone.

Materials and methods. Our research object was a large civil aviation airport located in the temperate zone with an average daily number of landings and takeoffs being about 200. At the exposure assessment stage, we calculated aircraft noise contours by using a certified software package that was based on «Recommended Method for Computing Noise Contours Around Airports» (ICAO Doc 9911-2018). We took an equivalent averaged noise level (L_Aday, dBА) as an indicator applied to estimate population exposure to a harmful factor.

We performed continuous AN measurements on a territory that was planned for development. This AN occurred due to AC takeoffs and landings with more than 600 AC flights detected during the measurement period. This determined effects produced by AN on the examined territory. Assessment of “exposure – response” and “exposure – effect” relationships involved using recurrent risk growth equations built on conventional pair mathematical models. This risk was measured within a range from 0 to 1 and scale was considered when giving its estimates.

Results. This value was calculated based on maximum noise levels established during a single aircraft flight when it took off or landed along a route that was the most significant for determining exposure to aircraft noise. We also calculated equivalent noise levels at day and at night that corresponded to flight intensities typical for normal airport operations (2019). These levels were L_Aeq.day = 66,0 dBA (“takeoff”), L_Aeq.night = 52,0 dBA (“landing”).

Health risk assessment indicated that long-term (chronic) exposure to average daily noise L_Аd = 65 dBA primarily produced effects on the cardiovascular system. This created moderate risks by the age of 23 years; high risks, 55 years; and extremely high risks, by 63 years.

We established that living for more than 15 years in an airport zone with identified noise levels could result in negative health outcomes.

Conclusion. Overall, we have confirmed that health risk assessment should be considered an important instrument for substantiating boundaries of a zone influenced by an airport. Results produced by such assessment are a key criterion in determining how to use a territory near an airport in future as regards locating capital objects there including residential areas and their exploitation.