Filed Under: Environmental Issues | New York City | Enforcement | Air

Noise Pollution in New YorkAnnoying car alarms and sirens, loud music, jackhammers, traffic jams and blaring horns, soaring jets and low-flying helicopters, rumbling and screeching subway cars - in a word, noise - form an overlooked public health issue in New York City. Since the 1970's, many studies have linked excessive noise to stress-related disorders, hypertension, sleep disturbance, poor work and academic performance. Noise is the top complaint to the New York City 311 Citizen’s hotline. Although some degree of noise is expected in an urban environment as large as New York City, keeping it within acceptable limits is a challenge, and defining what are "acceptable limits" is even more of a challenge. NYC Sources of Noise Pollution Airport Noise Air traffic operations in the northeast are the busiest in the world and Queens is home to two of the nation's busiest airports, John F. Kennedy International Airport and La Guardia Airport. Studies show that high levels of airplane noise can impact residents' health and children's ability to learn in schools near airports. A 1997 study by the Mayor's Council on the Environment found that nearly 70% of residents who live beneath the paths of airplanes perceive themselves to be in poorer health, describe sleep difficulties and report that noise interferes with their daily activities. Some studies have shown that continuous exposure to high levels of aircraft noise is also associated with hypertension, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems. A Cornell University study found that children exposed to frequent airplane noise often don't learn to read as well as other children. Aircraft noise and flight paths are regulated by the federal Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA), under the jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In addition to efforts to control noise at its source, the aircraft and engines, the FAA is in the early stages of a comprehensive airspace redesign project. Beginning with the airspace in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut tri-state area, the FAA will examine and consider many flight path alternatives in an effort to reduce the number of people adversely affected by aircraft noise. Noise is measured in decibels (dBA). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recommendation for protective noise levels is 55 dBA during the day and 45 dBA at night. Normal conversation is 60 dBA, while motorcycles register 90 dBA and rock concerts 140 dBA. Continued exposure to 100 dBA for more than fifteen minutes can put workers at risk of permanent hearing loss, according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Each increment of 10 dBA is perceived by the human ear to be a doubling of the noise level. Helicopter Noise As the countries busiest helicopter zone, New York City has significant helicopter noise. In the year 2000, 125,000 take offs and landings were counted from the city’s three heliports on East 34th Street, West 30th Street and Wall Street. Half of these were sightseeing air tours with the remaining including corporate, commercial and media flights. A Natural Resources Defense Council (www.nrdc.org) study on the environmental impact of helicopter noise on the tri-state region found that helicopters are inadequately regulated with no minimum flight altitudes or required flight paths in most places. Supervision of the helicopter industry, under the jurisdiction of the FAA, has little capacity to control the harmful effects of helicopter engines on the population. Helicopter routes in New York City are essentially voluntary agreements made between the FAA and helicopter operators, so they can be changed at whim, disrupting the quality of life of those below their flight path. ANCA only regulates larger aircraft - over 75,000 pounds - and has no authority to enforce reduction of helicopter noise levels. The New York City Heliport and Helicopter Master Plan released in 1999 established a landmark city policy allowing the city of New York as landlord, to regulate the hours and number of flights to reduce noise levels. This plan however, does not address other sources of noise such as minimum altitude, hovering limits or fixed routes. NRDC's study recommends Congressional action to regulate the fast growing helicopter industry on a national basis. For instance, the development of more protective noise standards, incentives to retire noisy helicopters and invest in quieter (and cleaner) models, and to continue to research and document the effects of helicopter and other aircraft noise on health and learning. Subway Noise In the 1980's, in response to New York State Rapid Transit regulations as well as pressure from noise experts, NYC Transit installed quieter motors in the City's subway cars. Nonetheless, passengers are still being exposed to horrible noise conditions in the subways. Decibel surveys of the New York City subways have registered noise levels as high as 101 dBA. Transit officials do not systematically measure the sound levels in the subway and the agency has no noise abatement program. The agency is, however, experimenting with wheel lubricants to produce a quieter ride.