Reply to Guski, Schreckenberg, Schuemer, Brink and Stansfeld: Comment on Gjestland, T. A Systematic Review of the Basis for WHO's New Recommendation for Limiting Aircraft Noise Annoyance. Int. J. Env. Res. Pub. Health 2018, 15, 2717.

Truls Gjestland

doi:10.3390/ijerph16071105

Abstract

The European Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO, 2018) recently dramatically lowered its former (WHO, 2000) recommendations for cumulative aircraft noise exposure levels associated with risks of adverse public health effects. WHO’s recommendations, although lacking the force of law, are nonetheless of interest to aviation regulatory bodies and to the public at large. It is therefore important that WHO’s recent recommendations receive and withstand careful scrutiny. WHO’s (2018) recommendations are based on controversial assumptions, analyses and interpretations prepared by Guski et al. (2017). Gjestland (2018) identified a number of limitations of the opinions expressed by Guski et al. (2017). Guski et al. (2019) subsequently challenged some of Gjestland’s (2018) observations. This paper responds to the defenses offered by Guski et al. (2019) of the opinions expressed in their prior (2017) publication.

Highlights

The European Regional Office of the World Health Organization [1] recently dramatically lowered its former [2] recommendations for cumulative aircraft noise exposure levels associated with risks of adverse public health effects
To avoid health effects mediated by serious annoyance
Gjestland [3] concluded that WHO’s 2018 recommendations for aircraft noise exposure limits were not based on fully reliable information

Summary

Introduction

The European Regional Office of the World Health Organization [1] recently dramatically lowered its former [2] recommendations for cumulative aircraft noise exposure levels associated with risks of adverse public health effects. WHO [1] strongly recommends decreasing permissible noise exposure levels produced by aircraft to Lden = 45 dB to prevent adverse public health consequences. LpA,16h = 55 dB) represents “half as much noise” as WHO’s prior recommendation This is a dramatic shift in the recommended “safe” limit on aircraft noise exposure, for which strong and reliable evidence is essential. Gjestland [3] concluded that WHO’s 2018 recommendations for aircraft noise exposure limits were not based on fully reliable information

On the Selection of Studies

On Non-Acoustic Factors

On Age Effects on Annoyance

Findings

Additional Reasons for Excluding Results from the HYENA Study