Childrens' mental development may be impaired by aircraft noise

A new study is suggesting that exposure to aircraft noise at schools located near major airports may affect the development of children's mental skills in an adverse way, and this applies especially to reading comprehension.

According to the report while the effects of air pollution, lead, and chemicals on childhood development have been well documented, far less attention has been paid to the impact of noise.

In their investigations, Dr. Stephen A. Stansfeld, from the University of London, and colleagues assessed the cognitive abilities of 2844 children who attended 89 primary schools located near three major airports in Europe.

Noise contour maps, modeling, and on-site measurements were used to determine the degree of aircraft and road traffic noise exposure and cognitive performance was assessed with standard tests.

The researchers saw that as exposure to aircraft noise increased, impairments in reading comprehension and recognition memory also rose significantly and this held true after factoring in the mothers' education level, socioeconomic status, long-standing illness, and the extent of classroom insulation against noise.

Exposure to road traffic noise was unexpectedly but significantly associated with improvements in episodic memory.

The investigators say the reason for this finding is unclear and warrants further study.

They note that neither type of noise had an effect on sustained attention, self-reported health, or overall mental health.

Dr. Peter M. Rabinowitz, from Yale University School of Medicine says that the new findings add to growing evidence "about the negative effect of noise on learning", and the results might have important implications for health care, he adds there may possibly be links to noise in attention-deficit disorders, sleep problems, and cardiovascular diseases.

The report is published in the current edition of the Lancet medical journal.

http://www.thelancet.com/