Spatial Distribution of Aircraft Noise Around Abu Dhabi International Airport, UAE and its Effects on Community and Workers Health : An Analytic Tool for Evaluating the Health Impacts of Urban Planning Decisions

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of aircraft noise pollution on community and workers’ health near Abu Dhabi International Airport. This study was conducted in residential neighborhoods and employment areas living and working within a 25-km radius of the airport with high exposure to aircraft noise and in matched control areas far from the airport (outside the 25-km radius) and are unaffected by aircraft noise. Binomial Logit Regression Model was used to determine the impact of aircraft noise on community and workers’ health. After controlling for confounders, the health of the residents adjacent to the airport who have been chronically exposed to high aircraft noise level are found to be worse than the control group. The results show that residents from the noise exposure area have a high level of noise stress, hypertension, headache, general disturbance, loss of sleep/insomnia, and hearing problems than the matched control area. On the other hand, aircraft noise pollution near Abu Dhabi Airport has no negative impact on workers adjacent to the airport.