title: A systematic rationale for defining the significance of aircraft noise impacts.
abstract: Regulatory agencies often define strict, decibel-denominated thresholds of significance of noise impacts to protect some fraction of the residential population from exposure to highly annoying noise. Definitions of the "significance" of aircraft noise impacts and recommendations of land use "compatibility," however, typically lack detailed, systematic rationales. Instead, the definitions are justified by reference to decades-old policies that were adopted without benefit of modern understandings of noise-induced annoyance, by appeals to authority, and by generic citations of non-peer reviewed documents. Although regulatory policy decisions may properly take into consideration political and economic consequences, aspects of them are amenable to logical formalization. In particular, advances in understanding of community reaction to transportation noise now permit a systematic rationale for aircraft noise regulation. The current analyses show how regulatory policy positions can be derived from two parameters: (1) the minimal percentage of the population of a nominally average community to be protected from exposure to highly annoying noise; and (2) the percentage of all communities to which this degree of protection is intended to apply. Together with a reliable dosage-response relationship, these two parameters permit quantitatively justifiable definitions of significant noise impact.
authors.affiliation: Fidell Associates, Inc., 23139 Erwin Street, Woodland Hills, California 91367.
authors.forename: Sanford
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fidell
authors.affiliation: Mestre Greve Associates Division, Landrum and Brown, 19700 Fairchild Road, Irvine, California 92651.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mestre
authors.affiliation: Schomer and Associates, Inc., 2117 Robert Drive, Champaign, Illinois 61821.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schomer
authors.affiliation: Consultant in Acoustics and Noise Control, 81 Liberty Square Road #20-B, Boxborough, Massachusetts 01719.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Horonjeff
authors.affiliation: 27812 El Lazo Road, Laguna Niguel, California 92677.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000401:Aircraft; D001307:Auditory Perception; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007508:Irritable Mood; D009624:Noise, Transportation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011050:Policy Making; D011639:Public Opinion; D011640:Public Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D018570:Risk Assessment