Heathrow Airport and Its Aviation Operations: Noise Pollution as an Environmental Stressor - Research Paper Example

 1. Introduction Heathrow airport is the busiest in the UK and has a great history since it was established. Numerous flights pass and are connected to their world destinations via Heathrow airport. This includes the long and short haul flights across continents, within Europe and United Kingdom itself. Over the past, the number of airline companies offering flight services around the world through Heathrow increased, which was a great strategy to market the UK and its investments to the world. The demand to use the airport was obviously led by several factors, but it’s worth noting that London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) has been expanded in the process to accommodate the increased airlines aircrafts, and the intensity of passengers using the route to their destinations. LHR already has 5 terminals and is a base for approximately ninety airlines and over sixty five million passengers travel to their destinations through it. Above that, it is located at the busy west side of London city and surrounded by housing and business premises. The issue of noise pollution is a present problem in LHR and has severe impacts on thousands of people living and working under the flight path (BBC, 2012). The operations and activities of the airport and the flying aircrafts have been protested by the London society, especially those affected on the left side of the city, mainly on the environmental grounds. 2. Impact of Aviation Noise on Communities adjacent to London Heathrow Considering that Heathrow is the largest and busiest airport in the UK, it has many airplanes landing and taking off from time to time. Just like in other transportation routes and industry locations, those affected by the aviation noise are those closer to the airport. LHR affects the largest group of people (258,500) on average noise energy compared to other airports in the UK (Transport for London, 2013). This affects both children and adults in their daily operations, which results to other serious effects. 2.1 Effects on children learning and cognition The environments which children live in and study from actively affect their development and their sustainable life. Noise is unwanted and acts as an environmental pollutant impairing the activities of young people. Children are not like adults; they are in a stage of cognitive development and require environments which have less stress to enhance and support their learning and cognitive engagements. Noise pollution is an environmental stressor that could greatly prevent children’s ability to process, retain and recall information; hence affecting their cognitive development (attention, reading, memory) (Stansfeld et al., 2005). Aviation noises provide unwanted distractions to children, especially with the increasing noise intensity when a plane is about to touch down or take off from the ground than when roaming in the air. The distraction sways away their attention and concentration. Past researches have shown links between exposure of children to aviation noise and their cognition, which are suggested to result to impaired or lost attention, pupil frustration, sleep disturbance, noise annoyance, affecting reading comprehension and memory. According to the BBC, those children living under the flight paths and near Heathrow like other busy airports risked suffering two months lags in their reading development, for each 5 decibel increase of aviation noise (2005). Not only is the teacher’s work made difficult, but the noise is an additional stress that contributes to their reduced learning and cognitive performance. 2.2 Health effects 2.2.1 Heart diseases Matters pertaining to people’s health around Heathrow are a great concern and are currently a public health issue in London. Despite the economic benefits that LHR contributes to the UK, health effects, especially cardiovascular diseases and hearing problems have been the trade off with the society. The higher the level of aircraft noise and proximity to the airport, the greater the risk of diseases like hypertension and stroke, especially among the group of senior adults. London research conducted on 3.6 million people around Heathrow to study the link between aviation noise and cardiovascular diseases (stroke and coronary heart disease) revealed that people exposed to the highest level of aircraft noise in daytime and night time had an increased risk of the diseases (BMJ, 2013). The same noise pollution can affect the individuals’ blood pressure, when the body is stressed. In fact, the way the blood pressure reacts in individuals determines the consequent risk to cardiovascular diseases. Aviation noise causes body stress, which leads hormones to cause increased blood pressure and increased heart rate; all these could eventually lead to stroke or heart diseases. Regardless of other causes, Heathrow’s noise plays a role in the existing cardiovascular diseases of surrounding residents. 2.2.2 Hearing loss Noise is not just from the flying airplanes, but also from the ground through things like power plants, alert systems, and movement operations of constant vehicles facilitating airports operations. When the traffic is high, some planes are supposed to remain flying around until the run way clears up. Together with the ground noise, landing, taking off and flying aircrafts, the effects of noise exposure could result to hearing impairment, ear discomforts, or pain depending with the level of decibel noise, especially higher than 90 decibels, which could affect the workers in the airport, flying pilots, residents and workers around. The human auditory system is very sensitive and can be destroyed gradually by exposure to high noise levels, which could lead to shifting of a higher sound level for the ear to be sensitive (rduaircraftnoise.com, n.d.). After long periods of exposure to aviation noise, hearing loss could either occur temporarily or permanently. 2.3 Other non-auditory effects on health People around Heathrow deserve a quiet environment to rest, but this has been impossible for people living or working under flight paths. Instead they have to tolerate the noise even as the planes fly closer to their rooftops awakening them from their sleep. Even in last century, this had been a problem with the expanding LHR. A good number of people could experience some form of fear and mild anger as the noise causes interference, which some react to by annoyance. Annoyance and other psychological reactions could lead to mental disorders such as depression and could be difficult to treat. 3. The Measurement of Aviation Noise UK Aircraft Noise Contour Model (ANCON) developed by the Environmental Research and Consultancy Department is the one that computes regular noise contours for UK airports (Heathrow, Manchester, and Gatwick among other). There are different noise metrics used around the globe; for example, the USA uses the Day Night Average Sound level (DNL), while the European Union employs overall noise level during the day, evening and night (Lden). Unlike Europe, the UK uses the Equivalent Continuous Sound Level (Leq) as it main measure of aviation averaging the noise exposure over a 16 hour period each day (0700 to 2300) (Transport for London, 2013). Leq metrics used in Heathrow and other UK airports do not cover a 24 hour system like the general European Lden. For a series of events within a specified period like that of Heathrow with series of noise generating events, it is able to measure the cumulative impact of aviation noise. Using the Leq measurement in Heathrow sets the UK common annoyance threshold at 57 decibels compared to 55 for European Union through Lden. This means that the sound energy produced by the aviation noise is equal to the constant sound of 57 dB (A), that is A-weighted decibel scale over busy 16 hours of a specified km2 area. The proposal to establish a new noise metric for the UK or adopt the EU’s method is quite a debatable issue in the UK that UK’s CAA is currently facing from environmentalists and other interested groups to counter aviation noise pollution. 4. Mitigations of Noise Pollution and how Governments and London Heathrow reduce the Noise Impacts Mitigation of noise pollution can occur at three distinguished aspects; at the source, at the receiver and in operational activities. Considering that the case here is aviation, there are much efforts that airports and their operations can do to prevent noise pollution around the environment. To prevent the effects of the noise, its cause needs to be established, for government and Heathrow to place proactive and reactive measures. 4.1 Legislative regulations The UK government has previously been enacting Acts to support noise control strategies. The civil Aviation Acts of 1982 allow the Secretary of State powers to designate airports (current designated are Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted) by establishing limits and directions for airports management to control aircrafts noise. In addition, the Airports Acts of 1986 grants the Secretary of State power to limit the number of civil aviation landings and take offs in airports in relation to its capacity. Effectively, they can specify the noise and track monitoring equipment to be used to control noise pollution in the designated airports (FitzGearld, 2011). Besides the ability of the government to introduce noise and control measures, airport operators are further granted power to charge aircrafts for cleaner and quieter environment. CAA of 2006 “permits airport authority to charge aircraft operators for use of the airports based on noise and emission...and allow airport operators to levy financial penalties on aircraft operators who breach noise abatement requirement of the state”; the latter has for long being implemented in Heathrow Airport (Heathrowairport.com, 2011, p. 8). Subsequent laws developed in the last decade stressed on procedures used to adhere to noise regulations, achieving the objectives and airports’ needs to develop action plans. Based on aerodromes regulation of 2003, the legislature sets out the procedure that airports should use when implementing noise restrictions strategies during operations; as a result, the secretary of state set Heathrow‘s statutory environmental noise objectives (Heathrowairport.com, n.d.). The Environmental Noise Regulation of 2006 brings together both government actions and airport operators’ efforts to minimize noise. While the Secretary of State develops a strategic noise map, appropriate action plans should be developed and implemented by the airport operators to affect the established noise situation. On the same note, the UK government is working together with the WHO and European commission towards noise mitigation strategy. The UK government is signed up to WHO’s guideline values for communities’ exposure to noise in specific environment for effective policy development and meeting the long term objective (Bishop and Grayling, 2003). The UK further collaborates with ICAO noise Standards of the European system. Heathrow airport has been using ICAO to implement their noise action plan. 4.2 Excess landing fees It is acknowledged that Heathrow airport, being the largest UK and European hub, it is quite often used by numerous aircrafts. Hence, as much as the UK civil aircrafts could have made tremendous effort towards reducing noise on their part, some aircraft models still in operation are much noisier than others. Due to this and for the need to protect the community, Heathrow airport uses differential noise charging structures for noisier and quieter aircrafts based on the ICAO chapters for noise standards (Heathrowairport.com, 2011). When an aircraft wants to use the LHR route, it has to ensure it meets the requirements of the airport based on the ICAO standards base or minimal charge, least there are the extra charges for failure to comply. In return, the fees charges are redirected to assist the affected neighbourhood community in measures for noise abatement and other developments. The airport collects billions of Euros through the charges and these have been essential in solving residential and community problems in relation to noise. However, as a measure to encourage quieter aircrafts, its effectiveness is quite debatable in the UK, causing the society and interested groups to propose for higher charges. 4.3 Noise preferential routes at Heathrow This plan has been implemented in Heathrow to ensure civil aircrafts take off on a suitable angle away from the highly populated or built up areas. Traffic controllers at the airport provide a departing aircraft with one of the Noise preferential routes (NPR), which the autopilot system should follow. Various flight paths are set by the governments since the secretary of state has the authority to recommend an NPR in Heathrow. These routes are 3 Km wide and the planes are required to fly within 1.5 Km of the route centre, until they reach an altitude of either 3000ft or4000ft at most, depending on the route taken, after which they are directed off the flight path (Butcher, 2010). This helps the society by keeping off the high noise impact of the departing aircrafts. At Heathrow, considering the great population of the London residents, the government requires that flights taking off from Heathrow do so in the west, unless weather conditions requires otherwise. 4.4 Restrictions on night flying For several decades now, the community continue to raise their concern over the increasing noise during the nights. Though the government has placed certain restrictions for night movement of the aircrafts, there is a concern that the number of flights continue to rise in Heathrow Hub. LHR has “restrictions on the number of movements and places a ban on the noisiest aircrafts from flying into airport at night periods; these restrictions have been extended until October of 2014” (House of Common Transport Committee, 2013, p. 348). The government together with the airport sought to phase out the noisier flying aircrafts, while regulating the noise disturbance of residents around the airport at nights. Therefore, between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM, the government night time rules are applied in LHR; meaning Heathrow allows night flights based on the total quota system they have. The noisier the aircraft, the lower the chances of flying into the airport, as they use higher number of points on the quota compared to quieter ones. As a result, quietest aircrafts are encouraged to fly due to their low points of the quota. 4.5 Noise insulation schemes The efforts to protect citizens living and working around Heathrow airport have been established through the scheme. The scheme was designed to provide existing buildings (that are widely used by the community or they spend most of their time in) with sufficient noise insulation mechanisms. The airport through the support of the former BAA has been striving to offer acoustic insulation to the numerous buildings affected by the aviation noise and vibrations. The scheme focuses on residential homes, schools, hospitals among other community buildings for gatherings and those eligible. It aims to place more barriers that prevent noise from impacting heavily into the society. 4.6 Other measures During the 90s, ANMAC recommended the reduction of the departure noise limits of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. Following this, the departure noise limits were lowered in Heathrow by 3 and 2 dBA to 94 and 87 dBA during the day and night respectively (Cadoux and Ollerhead, 1995). However, for the shoulder period, it could remain at 89 dBA. The airlines had to adhere to the noise limits least they could be fined. Together with the noise limits, the number of monitors was increased for purposes of supporting NPR and implementing fair noise limits. Heathrow also employs recent technological development of Continuous Decent Approach (CDA) that is currently being used by most airlines to control their civil aircrafts noise upon arrival. 5. Ways through which the Industry can Improve upon the Noise Mitigation Process 5.1 Managing the plane-ground noise Apart from the flying planes, those that have already landed need to be controlled to avoid producing further noise. Heathrow management requires placing measures to prevent aircrafts use of reverse thrust when unnecessary. Reverse thrust used for slowing down aircrafts upon landing creates quite loud noise on the ground. In addition, leaving power engines of planes running while on stand should be discouraged, unless for maintenance reasons. 5.2 Noise envelope Another contribution to the operational restrictions is by limiting the airport’s overall noise impact. The method has been used in Gatwick airport and legally enforced since the beginning of the 21st century, and greatly benefited the society and the airport by fostering its growth with much reduced noise pollution. Noise envelope is the future recommendation that the government wishes to consider come 2015, to give developers and local communities’ certainty on how they would use the airport and the level of noise that would be expected in future respectively (Great Britain: Department for Transport, 2013). Heathrow can also set up their noise envelop and develop clear incentives that would promote their aviation operations or growth, while considering the societies’ welfare by mitigating noise pollution and its impact. 5.3 Enforcing land use planning around Heathrow Land use planning remains a challenge in London an especially around Heathrow airport. Though currently being implemented around Heathrow, the number of in-compatible land use development around Heathrow has increased which conflict with the airports development. The enforcement and guidance to local authorities on residential development near the airports has been loose; in fact, between 2013 and 1991, there are 16 % more residential homes among other noise sensitive development within the 57dBA Leq noise contour around LHR (Heathrow Airport Limited, 2013). The government together with LHR needs to come up with better plans for land use, especially when it comes to expansions, and make efforts to enable the society understand the need to relocate certain developments in areas away from the noise. Other factors entail enhancing transparency in noise management and actively collaborating with the neighbouring community. The use of an independent oversight to regulate the airport noise management could be beneficial in enhancing transparency for the public. 6. How Technology can be used to Mitigate the Concept of Aviation Noise at LHR Technology in aircrafts design: The numerous airlines operating within Heathrow route put pressure on the airport ability to reduce noise. Some airlines are currently using newer aircraft models with capacity to reduce noise pollution, while others still use the noisy engine models. By Heathrow and other airports, and airlines coordinating with the planes manufactures, better engine technologies can be developed for current aircrafts not only for the benefit of LHR, but also other large hubs and airports around the world. Modern aircraft designs have larger engines with bigger fans than before to reduce the air movement speed across the engine, which effectively reduce noise by approximately over seventy per cent of the perceived noise compared to the first developed jets. According to Zaporozhets, Tokarev and Attenborough “the critical technology for source noise reduction embraces the engine (fan, compressor, turbine, core, progress in nacelle design and jet noise reduction), the airframe and the use of favourable installation effects” (2011, p. 38). Heathrow hence needs to ensure that airlines using their route use aircrafts models with noise reduction technology or those that meet the certification standards. It is the airlines’ role to ensure their planes produces very minimal noise where possible. There is an increased rate of airlines which currently use quieter aircraft models when using Heathrow Hub. Similarly, still focusing on the mechanical concept of the aircrafts, technology has made it possible to produce aircrafts with less weight that assists in reducing the noise generated, especially based on the landing impact. 7. An Examination of the Effectiveness of Noise Mitigation around London Heathrow A lot of homes and community buildings have benefit noise insulation schemes. Working with the community organized groups more people are insulated from flights noise and aviation operations. First airport operators are not coerced to provide this to the community, but considering they are part of the larger society, BAA felt the need to protect people in highly sensitive areas to noise and reduce their vulnerability to associated health effects. For example, between 1996 and 2002, BAA managed to insulate a total of 3270 houses reducing the impact of aviation noise, having invested 10 million British pounds for a five year program for houses within 69 dBA contours (Egan and Wilson, 2002). However, despite the noise insulation scheme later altering the eligibility of areas to be affected by the program, BAA continues to further implement with the new contours settings. Recent strategy has been working to insulate approximately forty one thousand homes or sensitive buildings around Heathrow, especially focusing on their sleeping and living rooms. The number of people being protected through the scheme is increasing, which is a positive strategy for Heathrow airport management. The CDA abatement method has assisted Heathrow by reducing air and noise pollution as the carbon emissions and noise are reduced during the descending moments of a plane. This is made possible by the fact that the need to increase the power for the engines that creates lots of noise is reduced. At Heathrow, CDA technology and other measures working towards quieter aircrafts have reduced the level of noise annoyance among people as airlines employ the code of practice (Egan and Wilson, 2002). However, research indicates that there is a trade off with the reduced runway’s capacity upon use of CDA. Majority of arriving aircrafts in Heathrow from different airlines use CDA, positively contributing to noise reductions. With the noise abatement strategies that make penalties to those who breeched the regulations and set standards at the airport, Heathrow airport has been collecting enough funds to aid the noise affected zones. On one side, the funds have been used on community groups and local learning institutions for noise mitigation projects. Insulators have been put on school buildings so far and more is yet to be established. For the sake of the young children in nurseries and primary schools, Heathrow has further committed itself to bring in innovative solutions against the aviation noise in the schools. Currently, it has funded and initiated the adobe building constructions, which gives the playing children a relief against the impact of aircrafts’ noise (Airportwatch.org.uk, 2013). It delivers sound and earthquake proof buildings for kids’ outdoor school curriculum, where they can play in and learn from comfortably. The effectiveness of night flying restrictions and land planning use is quite debatable in the public perception. First, the UK or Heathrow has never banned night movements completely due to the economic gains since it began operating. Though the night quotas are used to restrict scheduled arrivals and regulate noise caused by the aircrafts, the society has to accept that the number of flights and airlines using the hub has increased. Hence, the movement may still be high while the noise is moderated. Second, if the land planning use was well enforced, the number of increased homes and developments experienced in the last two decades around Heathrow would not have been there. These developments from the poorly controlled society bring with them more residents and workers (greater population) in noise sensitive areas that could have been reserved for airport operations and expansions. Similarly, Heathrow is seeking to expand its operations by construction of another runway, which leaves the society wondering how effective the land use planning is considering the neighbouring communities’ noise complaints. The measures that the UK government and the larger Heathrow hub among other airports have placed to counter aviation noise and its impacts have contributed to the 40 per cent reduction of the people inside the government’s set noise contour (57 dBA Leq), regardless of the 5 percent increase in air movement (Stansfeld et al., 2005). The airlines have also made efforts to use modern models of aircrafts with much regulated noise. Putting together all the operational restrictions, community development and insulation schemes, mitigations on the aircrafts use and operators and other regulations, the noise pollution has reduced though much more effort is required to prevent negative health effects on the people living and working around Heathrow and under flight paths. 8. Conclusion Heathrow airport and its aviation operations have to deal with the surrounding societies’ complaints over noise pollution more strategically. The economy needs to keep growing, but the health and sustainable living of the people in the neighbourhood needs to be considered above all. The coordinated efforts of LHR, the UK government, local authorities and communities around Heathrow are required, to ensure perception of minimal noise possible in the aviation activities. Some policies and mitigation methods have already been in use, but that alone cannot fully achieve the set objectives towards noise reduction. 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