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Developing environmental health indicators for large airport systems in EuropeProject summary
Project resultsThe project resulted in a final report with a recommended set of indicators and reports of three case studies (Heathrow, Malpensa and Schiphol). Please click on the links below: Final reportCase studiesPartners
ContactgegevensPlease send any comments to:
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U kunt een e-mailbericht met vragen of opmerkingen over deze website verzenden aan wfpas@wxs.nl.
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Civil aviation represents a growing industry. It is
developing into a truly global industry, with a few conglomerates of airlines
serving a world-wide network of large 'hub' airports. Large airports in Europe
have several hundred thousands aircraft movements (landing and takeoffs) and at
least a few tens of million passengers (arriving, departing or transferring) per
year. The local and regional environment of the airport has to cope with the
impact of airport and airport-related activities. Even when airports are
originally located in remote areas, then over the years the airport region
becomes more and more urbanised. The impacts of all these activities on public
health are partly specific to the airport system. Aircraft noise, kerosene odour
and aircraft crash risk are specific factors. Air pollution, landscape changes
by transport infrastructure, road traffic and industrial noise are also
encountered in other urbanised and industrialised settings, be it that in the
vicinity of airports these factors manifest themselves in a specific way.
Aviation affects the environment both globally and locally in a negative sense
and consequently has also negative impacts on health. In the vicinity of
airports people are exposed to air and road traffic exhausts, noxious odours,
aircraft and road traffic noise and urbanisation. Serious accidents, such as
aircraft crashes and airport fires do happen and the perceived accident risk
does not leave people unaffected. The present project aims to develop
environmental health indicators to monitor trends in local health impacts
resulting from exposures to environmental risk factors related to the operations
of large airports in Europe. The monitoring data can be instrumental to guide
public health policy at the regional and national level. The health indicators
are also suitable for deciding between alternative options for developments
within an airport operations system. In addition this set of environmental
health indicators can be used for European Union-wide comparison of health
impacts of large airports.