High Noise Exposure Levels Due to Military Attack Jets Could Be Posing Health Risks to Around 74,000 People in Washington State, Study Reveals

According to a new study, the rumbling noise of military aircraft is posing serious health risks to up to 74,000 people within Washington state.

High Noise Levels of Military Attack Jets

The study focused on the noise that the Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack craft emitted. This craft flies all the way from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and appears to impact the entire area's population.

The results show that, in addition to being annoying, the high noise levels could actually be posing grave public health risks.

Giordano Jacuzzi, the study's lead author and a graduate student from the UW College of the Environment, explains that the noise of military aircraft is gravely more disturbing and intense than the noise produced by commercial jet planes.

He explains that noise exposure has downstream effects that go beyond stress and annoyance. These include hearing impairments, high sleep disturbance levels, and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. These could yield real effects on quality of life and human health. Jacuzzi also adds that they discovered that several schools within the area have been exposed to noise levels that put children at a higher risk of delayed learning.

Jacuzzi specifically notes that it's the noise's intermittent nature, intensity, and low-frequency energy. He adds that these three things are quite different from what can be experienced during usual commercial flights, which are high-altitude and predictable. However, for Growlers, when they fly over a home, they release a rumbling sound that could shake walls and penetrate windows.

Findings were noted in the "Population health implications of exposure to pervasive military aircraft noise pollution" study.

Examining Military Aircraft Noise Levels

As part of the study, the researchers examined four weeks' worth of Navy data taken between 2020 and 2021 and examined the noise exposure within the area.

They estimate that roughly two-thirds of Island County's residents likely suffered due to these loud noises, including those who live in Coupeville and Oak Harbor. The researchers also discovered that up to 85% of the Swinomish Indian Reservation was exposed to such levels.

This figure totals 74,316 people. Of these, 41,089 were exposed to noise levels during nighttime, which impacted their sleep. Eight thousand fifty-nine lived close to the landing areas and had too much exposure to the point where they were at risk of hearing loss over time.

According to noise monitoring stations, the jet's noise exceeded 100 decibels while it was flying. In other instances, the noise levels were reported to be off the charts.

Edmund Seto, a co-author of the study and UW professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, explains that the human body produces many stress hormone responses to noise. While the type of noise does not matter, if such an acute noise is repeated, it could be expected that the stress hormone response could get exacerbated.

The Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft are known to be incredibly loud, with noise levels exceeding those of other planes. This issue has been occurring since 2013 when the Navy moved more jets to the location.

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