Tag: air travel

Categories : Environmental EffectsTags :

People Near Airports Likely to Suffer from Shorter Sleep

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Daniel Eledut on Unsplash

A new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives has found that people who were exposed to even moderate levels of aircraft noise were less likely to receive the minimum recommended amount of sleep each night, and this risk increased among people living near a major cargo airport, or near a large water body, and among people with no hearing loss.

A new analysis by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and Oregon State University has found that exposure to even moderate levels of airplane noise may disrupt sleep, building upon a growing body of research on the adverse health effects of environmental noise.

The study found that people who were exposed to airplane noise at levels as low as 45dB were more likely to sleep less than 7 hours per night. For comparison, the sound of a whisper is 30dB, a library setting is 40dB, and a typical conversation at home is 50dB.

Sleep is essential to overall health and well-being, including daily physical and mental functioning, and a lack of adequate sleep can lead to increased risks of cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, cancer, and numerous other health conditions. Health experts state that most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night for healthy functioning.

This study is the first large-scale analysis of aircraft noise and sleep duration that accounts for the disruptive effects of multiple environmental exposures in communities, such as greenery and light at night (LAN).

Despite how common exposure to noise from aircraft is for many people, little is known about the health effects of aircraft noise, particularly in the U.S., according to study lead author Matthew Bozigar, assistant professor of epidemiology at OSU, and study senior author Junenette Peters, associate professor of environmental health at BUSPH.

“This study helps us understand the potential health pathways by which aircraft noise may act, such as through disrupted sleep,” Peters says.

For the study, Dr. Peters, Dr. Bozigar and colleagues from BUSPH, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health examined airplane noise exposure and self-reported sleep disturbance among more than 35 000 participants living around 90 of the major US airports. The participants were selected from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), an ongoing, prospective study of US female nurses who have completed biennial questionnaires since 1976.

The team examined aircraft noise levels every five years from 1995 to 2015, focusing on two measurements: a nighttime estimate (Lnight) that captures airplane noise occurring when people sleep, and a day-night estimate (DNL) that captures the average noise level over a 24-hour period and applies a 10 dB adjustment for aircraft noise occurring at night, when background noise is low. The DNL is also the primary metric that the FAA uses for aircraft noise policies, and the threshold for significant noise impacts is above DNL 65 dB. The team linked these measures at multiple thresholds with the nurses’ geocoded residential addresses.

After accounting for a range of factors, including demographics, health behaviors, comorbidities, and environmental exposures such as greenery and light at night (LAN), the results showed that the odds of sleeping less than seven hours rose as airplane noise exposure increased.

Short sleep duration was also more likely among nurses who lived on the West Coast, near a major cargo airport or a large body of water, as well as among nurses who reported no hearing loss.

“We found surprisingly strong relationships for particular subgroups that we are still trying to understand,” Bozigar says. “For instance, there was a relatively strong signal between aircraft noise and both dimensions of disrupted sleep, short sleep duration and poor sleep quality, near major cargo airports. There is likely more going on to this story, as cargo operations tend to use larger, older, heavily laden, and therefore noisier aircraft that often fly through the nighttime hours. And the quantity of cargo shipped by air has been steadily increasing over the last couple of decades, possibly linked to more e-commerce. If the trends continue, it could mean more aircraft noise impacts to more groups of people.”

While the results suggested a clear link between airplane noise and sleep duration, the researchers observed no consistent association between aircraft noise and quality of sleep.

Source: Boston University School of Public Health

Categories : General Interest Medical IndustryTags :

Many Pilots Dodge Doctors to Keep Flying

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Daniel Eledut on Unsplash

A survey of military and paid civilian pilots has revealed that they may avoid seeking medical advice out of fear of losing certification to fly. Two-thirds of military and paid civilian pilots answered “yes” to at least one of four survey questions on reluctance to seek formal medical advice about health problems, reported William R. Hoffman, MD, who presented a poster at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting.

Hoffman, a US Air Force employee, noted that both civilian and military pilots can be grounded if they have certain medical symptoms or diagnoses, with a range of negative repercussions for the pilot. As a result, pilots are disinclined to be truthful about their health if their employers or officials might find out.

In a previous survey of pilots led by Hoffman, more than three-quarters reported that they “felt worried about seeking medical care due to concern for their career or hobby.” The new survey probed this reluctance, with respondents asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the following:

  • Sought informal medical advice for fear of certificate loss
  • Flew despite experiencing a new symptom (physical or psychological) that warranted evaluation
  • Did not disclose prescription medication use
  • Misrepresented or withheld information on a written healthcare questionnaire for fear of certificate loss

Respondents to the web-based survey included 2383 nonprofessional civilian pilots, 1097 paid civilian pilots, and 261 military pilots.

Just over half of the unpaid civilian pilots denied ever hiding any of the four types of information. But that was true for only 33.6% of the paid civilian pilots and 32.2% of the military pilots.

Fortunately, among all respondents, only 6.8% said they had not disclosed prescription drug use as required, and just 16.8% acknowledged that they had kept new symptoms secret. But 45.7% acknowledged seeking informal advice in place of seeing a professional, and 26.8% said they had withheld or overtly misrepresented information on written forms. A few (2.2%) admitted to all four types of avoidance.

Female pilots reported slightly more avoidance of disclosure (62.0% of all female respondents vs 55.4% of men; P not reported). Younger pilots were also less open, especially those aged 25–40 (69.1% vs 40.7% in those older than 60). Union membership and active-duty military status were linked to high rates of avoidance (70.1% and 75.8%, respectively, vs 51.8% among non-unionised civilian and military reservist pilots).

Hoffman suggested that neurologists recognise that pilots may be shy about revealing their true health condition. “This might be mitigated through developing rapport with the pilot, asking questions about concerns related to their flying status, and clear communication about documentation and clinic course.”

Additionally, he recommended, “it is good technique to order only the necessary tests for all patients, to include pilots to avoid false positives.”

Despite this, medical professionals have an obligation to communicate a pilot’s health concerns to those responsible for evaluating fitness to fly.

Source: MedPage Today

Categories : COVIDTags :

WHO Urges Equitable Travel Requirements

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

The WHO has urged that as air travel is restored, vaccinations should not be a prerequisite for travellers, potentially locking out those in poorer regions, especially Africa.

In a virtual press briefing on Thursday, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa said that the WHO believes that schemes to remove quarantine and entry restrictions for travellers that have been vaccinated, are discriminatory and could deepen already existing inequalities even further.

Meanwhile, she warned that Africa’s third wave, already underway in 12 countries, with cases rising in another 14, threatens to be the worst yet with 5.3 million cases across the continent. It is projected that in three weeks the third wave will surpass the previous wave’s peak.

Public fatigue and new variants are driving this surge across Africa, with Delta the variant  detected in 14 countries. She stated that Africa can “blunt this third wave” but “the window of opportunity is closing”.

The WHO aims to strengthen variant surveillance in Africa by reinforcing the regional laboratory hub have a 8 to 10 fold increase in next 6 months for genome sequencing

Though vaccination rates remain low in Africa, there is nevertheless a great demand for vaccines, with 18 countries having used over 80% of the vaccines received through COVAX. Fortunately only mild side effects from the vaccines have been seen in African communities, she said.

Mr Kamil Alawadi, Regional Vice President for Africa and Middle East, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that inconsistent requirements added additional complications in travel, increasing cost for the passenger and the airline. For travellers, PCR testing can range from $100 up to $400 for a single, one direction trip.

The key requirement for the recovery of the airline industry is the lifting of restrictions, said Alwadi, citing a survey that showed that 84% of passengers will not fly if there were quarantines in place. However, demand still existed for air travel, as evidenced by travel bookings spiking as soon as governments relaxed their border restrictions.

Alawadi said that the IATA agreed with the WHO that only lifting quarantine requirements for vaccine individuals was inequitable, and that “a robust and flexible testing system” was needed in place of quarantine, using systematic testing at the point of departure such as rapid antigen tests which are cheaper, faster and more accessible.

Graphic from Skyscanner.net showing countries with major travel restrictions from South Africa (red, 83 countries), moderate (orange, 29) and low restrictions (green, 42)

The situation was urgent for the African aviation industry as it had lost USD7.8 billion in 2020, with eight airlines filing for bankruptcy, he noted. This was against a background of USD430 billion global loss for the industry, though he noted that some countries are seeing a rebound to 2019 numbers for domestic travel. However, it is projected that losses will only stop by 2023 and return to profit by 2024.

The IATA has developed protocols in concert with the  International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and WHO that will be non-discriminatory not require vaccinations, said Alwadi. However the aviation industry is sinking very rapidly without governmental support.