Association between road traffic noise, aircraft noise and noise annoyance. Preliminary results of the HYENA study

Pooled analyses have shown clear exposure-response relationships between noise level and noise annoyance. The curves derived by Miedema et al. are used as a standard in the EU for the prediction of annoyed subjects within populations. In the EU-funded HYENA study noise level and noise annoyances due to aircraft and road traffic noise were assessed using the 11-point ICBEN scale. The study sample comprises 4,861 people aged between 45 and 70 years, who had lived for at least 5 years near any of the six major European airports. A distinction was made between the annoyance during the day and during the night. The dose-effect curve for road noise was very close to the EU curve. However, annoyance ratings due to aircraft noise were higher than expected. The data supports other findings suggesting that the people's attitude towards aircraft noise has changed over the years. The impact of potential modifiers of the annoyance including noise sensitivity, belief in authorities and coping style were assessed using multiple regression analyses.