Showing papers by "Mathias Basner published in 2004"

Nocturnal aircraft noise effects.

Abstract: Noise protection associated with the construction and extension of airports in the Federal Republic of Germany has been regulated by the law for protection against aircraft noise since 1971. This legislation is due for revision because of different aspects. One aspect is the growth of air traffic which has led many airports to the limits of their capacity and in search of new ways of adaptation to the increasing demand for flight services. Another aspect is the increasing concern of the population about noise effects which has to be addressed by better protection against the effects of aircraft noise. The framework conditions of policy in terms of society as a whole, its health and economic environment need to be put into effect by political action. Science can contribute to this goal by performing noise effects research and by providing recommendations to the political body. However, it remains controversial, what measures are necessary or adequate to assure effective protection of the population against aircraft noise. This is particularly true for the protection of rest and sleep at night. The problem of finding a common basis for adequate recommendations is associated with (1) the low number of primary studies, which also exhibited highly variable results and assessments, (2) the handling of acoustic or psycho-acoustic dimensions for quantifying psychological or physiological reactions, and (3) the conception of how far preventive measures have to go to prove effective. With this in mind, the DLR Institute for Aerospace Medicine is conducting a large-scale, multi-stage study for investigating the acute effects of nocturnal aircraft noise on human sleep. This enterprise is implemented in the framework of the HGF/DLR project "Quiet Air Traffic" for developing sustainable assessment criteria for human-specific effects of aircraft noise at night.

Aircraft noise effects on sleep: Final results of DLR laboratory and field studies of 2240 polysomnographically recorded subject nights

Abstract: 500] OBJECTIVES Sleep is vital for the recovery of physical and mental capacities. Environmental noise is a potential disrupter of the sleep process. In order to develop scientifically sound criteria for the operation and restriction of nocturnal air traffic, the DLR-Institute of Aerospace Medicine investigated the influence of nocturnal aircraft noise on sleep, mood and behavior in four representative laboratory and two field studies between 1999 and 2003. METHODS In the lab, 128 subjects aged 18-65 were investigated during 13 consecutive nights (total: 1,664 nights). Between 4 and 128 aircraft noise events with LAS,max between 45 and 80 dB(A) were played back between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Results were compared to the findings of two field studies with 64 subjects and 576 nights in total. Here, sound pressure levels were simultaneously measured indoors and outdoors. Electrophysiological signals included polysomnography, EKG, plethysmography, respiration and actigraphy. Synchronous recording with acoustic data assured event related analysis. RESULTS Random effects logistic regression was used for the prediction of noise induced awakenings depending on LAS,max and the calculation of dose–response curves. A comparison of the awakening probability between lab and field revealed striking differences. Based on these results, new criteria for the restriction of nocturnal air traffic were developed and will be presented. CONCLUSIONS The combination of a huge database and new statistical procedures allows the precise prediction of the influence of nocturnal aircraft noise on sleep, which again can be used for the proposal of advanced rules for the protection of residents living near airports.