Adverse Effects on Mental Health due to Aircraft Noise

—A Questionnaire Study Conducted around the New Runway of Narita International Airport—

Abstract

A questionnaire study was conducted around Narita International Airport in 2003, 18 months after the opening of its second runway. The questionnaire included the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Weinstein’s noise sensitivity scale, and questions on disturbances of daily life due to aircraft noise. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied in order to investigate the mental health effects of aircraft noise taking noise sensitivity into account. A significant dose-response relationship between the neurosis identified by the GHQ-28 and the aircraft noise was found in the sensitive group, and was not in the insensitive group. This result suggests that the adverse effects on mental health may be caused mainly in sensitive subgroups. The investigation on the relationships with the disturbances of daily life revealed a significantly high correlation between the neurosis and the disturbances during evening time (1800–2300 hours). Reduction of the evening time noise would effectively mitigate the mental health effects observed in this area.