Inequality in exposure to daily aircraft noise near heathrow airport: An empirical study

Abstract

Aircraft noise is an important source of environmental pollution and a burden on public health. We examined the association between three different area-level deprivation measures (Carstairs index 2011 only; yearly avoidable mortality rates 2014–2018 and yearly fuel poverty rates 2014–2018) and daily aircraft noise metrics (Lday, Leve, Lnight, and LAeq24) around London Heathrow Airport. Analyses were conducted for 2014–18 for ∼155,000 postcodes using a Random-Effects model with an autoregressive term for the temporal variability of daily noise. We found that the relationship between aircraft noise and deprivation was complex, varying by the measure of deprivation and aircraft noise metric. We observed gradient relationships between avoidable death rates and aircraft noise exposure for all noise metrics. For Carstairs index, a measure of area-based material deprivation, the least deprived quintile exhibited the lowest night-time noise levels, but no gradients were observed for this or other noise metrics. Similarly, we did not see clear patterns of association between fuel poverty and aircraft noise. When stratifying the data by % non-White population, the conclusions for avoidable death rates and fuel poverty remained similar, but an association of Carstairs index with noise metrics was seen in the two tertiles with the highest % non-white population. Our strengths include our large dataset with high temporal and spatial resolution, as well as use of multiple deprivation measures and daily noise metrics over five years, that can capture dynamic changes in noise exposure related to changes in flight paths and weather conditions. Limitations include that we looked at 2014–18 and noise levels have been changing over time due to action plans to reduce exposure, and activity changes due to the pandemic and post-pandemic periods. Heathrow Airport is sited near wealthy and densely inhabited communities so may not be representative of all airports.