This is junk science because…
The reported correlation (a 3.5% increase in heart disease risk per 10 decible increase higher aircraft noise — whatever that means) is too small to measure with any confidence whatsoever. Heart disease is naturally occurring and multifactorial, and incapable of being studied via weak association epidemiology.
The CBC reported:
Living in neighbourhoods with high levels of aircraft noise is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, U.S. and British research suggests.
Two studies published in Wednesday’s British Medical Journal offered “preliminary evidence that aircraft noise exposure is not just a cause of annoyance, sleep disturbance and reduced quality of life but may also increase morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease,” an accompanying editorial said.
In one study, Francesca Dominici’s team at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found a higher rate of admission to hospital with cardiovascular problems among people aged 65 and older living near 89 airports in the U.S. in 2009.
On average, zip codes with 10 decibel higher aircraft noise had a 3.5 per cent higher cardiovascular hospital admission rate. The association remained after taking socioeconomic status, demographic factors, air pollution proximity to roadways into account in the analysis.
Government.
Haven’t heard a sonic boom during the last 30 years. Wonder what happened to its sources.
I enjoy the sound of planes flying over.
I remember the excitement as a kid on the playground when a jet would fly over.
I remember SONIC BOOMS.
Did you have to look that up?
And even muted, still irritating because you know what he is saying.
This is junkscience because we lived close to a domestic and international airport for 30 years with my parents staying on for another 20 and no one in my family has cardiovascular disease.
My brother and his family are still living there and all are well.
I know for a fact that showing Obama’s face on my TV makes my blood pressure go up.
Hearing his voice only makes it worse, so I mute a lot during the news.
A 10 decibel increase means a 10-fold increase in power, or a 3-fold increase in amplitude.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_pressure#Sound_pressure_level
A 10 dB increase in noise is very noticeable if it is instantaneous, but is impossible to detect if it occurs gradually.
But aircraft noise is so cool! I’ll trade motorway noise for aircraft noise any day.