Noisy Flights Pose Health Risks For Northeast Queens: Study

BAYSIDE, QUEENS -- The deafening roar of a plane overhead that's become a familiar annoyance in northeast Queens could also be a serious health risk, according to a new study that found "extreme noise" from flight path changes could shave up to a year off residents' lives.

The Federal Aviation Administration years ago rolled out the more direct, precise flight route into LaGuardia Airport to increase efficiency, but it quickly grew unpopular with residents in Bayside and other Queens neighborhoods it passed over. Now, research shows health risks from the noisy route far outweighs its benefits, according to a Columbia University study published earlier this month.

In the study, "Trade-Off between Optimizing Flight Patterns and Human Health," Columbia School of Health professor Peter Muenning compared the estimated monetary benefits and health impacts of the FAA's decision to change its "TNNIS Climb" route to LaGuardia from a flight path only used during the U.S. Open to a year-round one in 2012.

The route increases airplane noise to more than 60 decibels when it passes over northeast Queens, according to the study. Switching it from limited to year-round use did little to save money, but it did impact residents' lives, which were shorted by a year under the change when adjusted for quality of life, the study found.

That wasn't news to Bayside Sen. Tony Avella and Assemblyman Ed Braunstein, who said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon that they have been inundated with complaints about the increase in airplane noise since the new flight pattern took effect in 2012.

"Not only have residents been bombarded with noise for years, this study confirms that their health may have been impacted, too," Avella said.

"With completion of this study, we can begin to see what the actual public health effects are due to these flight patterns."

The Senator called it "shocking" that the noise could cost residents up to a year of their life, and said the results merited further study to reveal any other negative impacts the flight pattern could have on human life.

He and Braunstein vowed to secure more state funding for Columbia's School of Public Health to expand on the report.

“This study confirms what we have believed all along, that year-round use of the TNNIS climb has a detrimental impact on the health of residents who live within its path," said Braunstein.

An FAA spokesman told Patch the agency planned to review Columbia University's report.

You can read the full report here.

Lead photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images