Snohomish Health District joins fray about airport noise

  • Bill Sheets<br>For the Enterprise
  • Monday, March 3, 2008 6:43am

EVERETT — The harmful effects of high-level aircraft noise on children’s learning and cognitive ability is the common theme running through about a dozen studies recently gathered by the Snohomish Health District.

The studies, done between 1997 and 2002, were collected by district health officer Dr. M. Ward Hinds at the request of Health District board chairman Jim Smith.

Smith said he asked for the studies in response to claims by opponents of expansion of operations at Snohomish County’s Paine Field, who have contended aircraft noise can be harmful to human health.

“If there are some health issues, the Health District should be involved in it,” Smith said. “If there aren’t, we shouldn’t.”

The 12 studies were scheduled to be presented to the 15-member board. Smith would not speculate what type of action the board could take.

“It’s premature to suppose what we will do without knowing if there are any health problems,” Smith said.

Hinds said he started his research with references provided to him by Greg Hauth, president of Save Our Communities, the Mukilteo-based citizens group working to oppose commercial traffic at Paine Field. Then he did an Internet search on airport noise, limiting his research to relatively recent studies that focus on health and childhood learning issues.

“I included all that I could find on these issues and for this time period,” Hinds said. “It is certainly possible that the list is not complete.”

The studies were undertaken by health-related organizations and publications. Most were done in communities located near airports overseas.

Two were done near San Diego and one near Minneapolis. The latter surveyed more than 2,000 people who live near an airport regarding their health in several categories, then compared the results to others who live in areas away from the airport.

“All health measures were significantly worse in the neighborhoods exposed to commercial aircraft noise,” concludes the study, done in 2000 by the Journal of Environmental Health. “Respondents with the worst health status tended to be among those experiencing aircraft noise with the greatest severity.”

The noise level in the neighborhoods, averaged out over a 24-hour period, ranged between 81 and 111 decibels.

The Minneapolis-area neighborhoods surveyed were considerably louder than the noise projected to result from addition of commercial traffic at Paine Field.

Snohomish County airport officials say the noise averaged over a 24-hour period would not extend into neighborhoods even with the addition of commercial flights. That noise level is roughly equivalent to a busy intersection in downtown Seattle, said Bill Dolan, deputy airport director.

Smith is an 18-year veteran of the Lynnwood City Council and is running for mayor in this fall’s election against incumbent Mike McKinnon, City Council member Don Gough and resident Bill Vance.

Smith also flies a small plane and is president of the Washington Pilots Association.

Smith voted with the rest of the Lynnwood council last month to approve a resolution opposing Paine Field expansion. He said his request for the noise information has nothing to do with his campaign for mayor.

“It’s totally part of my responsibility as chairman of the board of health,” he said. “I promise you, I will not bring it up in the campaign.”

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