ADC40 Summer Meeting July 25-27, 2016
Introduction to Abu Dhabi International Airport Research Purpose Research Methodology Results Summary of Findings
Study Area: Abu Dhabi city is the capital of the UAE with a population of about 2.33 million in the year 2012 and predicted to increase to 3.1 million in 2030. The Emirates of Abu Dhabi has 3 international airport and 2 local airports. Abu Dhabi International Airport is located east of Abu Dhabi City.
Location:
Key Points: Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) opened on 1982 to spearhead the redevelopment of the Emirate s aviation infrastructure. Abu Dhabi Airports plays an important role in the Government of Abu Dhabi s Economic Vision 2030. Abu Dhabi International Airport has 3 passenger terminals, and is one of the fastest growing airport hubs in the world.
Key Points: Within the next few years, over 20 million passengers are expected to use Abu Dhabi International Airport as their origin, destination or transit point for international and domestic flights. More than 35 international airlines are operating regular flights between Abu Dhabi International Airport and more than 150 destinations worldwide.
Key Points: Traffic 2015 2014 % Change Total Passengers 23,286,632 19,865,127 17.2% Total Aircraft Movements Cargo (metric tons) 172,819 154,821 11.6% 827,456 797,069 3.8%
Key Points: A large proportion of the increase in traffic can be attributed to the strong performance of Etihad Airways, which serves 116 passenger and cargo destinations around the world. The national airline of the UAE carried 17.4 million passengers in 2015, 18.4% more than in 2014.
Purpose of the study To evaluate the association between aircraft noise pollution exposure and the prevalence of headache, hypertension, insomnia, stress, hearing problems, and colitis in working place near Abu Dhabi International Airport The impact of aircraft noise on the health of the employees who are working in areas adjacent to the airports is not addressed
A revealed preference (RP) face-to-face interview survey was conducted during the months of February and March, 2015 to collect primary data on the impact of aircraft noise pollution on the health of the employees working adjacent to Abu Dhabi Airport. Collect data on the potential negative effects that aircraft noise can have on the health of workers Explore coping strategies to mitigate this impact. Includes different socio-demographic questions to provide data for a series of statistical tests. A total of 1,995 workers in both areas (995 near the airport and 1,000 far from the airport) were interviewed and completed the questionnaire.
Study Area: Near the airport: within a 25-km radius of Abu Dhabi Airport Far from the airport: outside a 25-km radius of Abu Dhabi Airport
Theoretical model of the effects of aircraft noise exposure on employees health Noise exposure Aircraft noise Other noise Annoyance Speech and communication Disturbance of Activities Daily activities Work disturbance Health indicators Physiological stress reactions General disturbance Hypertension Stress Hearing problems Headache Colitis Coping strategies Impact on health Nationality Gender Age Income Occupation number of years working near the airport Working day time or night time
40% 70% Percentage of respondents 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-10 years more than 10 years Exposed Control Percentage of respondents 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Day time Night time Exposed Control Number of years working at the same place Time of the day 56% 53% 54% 52% Percentage of respondents 52% 50% 48% 46% 44% 42% Exposed Control Percentage of respondents 51% 50% 49% 48% 47% 46% Exposed Control 40% 1-5 days more than 5 days 45% 1-8 hours more than 8 hours Number of working days Number of working hours
40% 70% 100% Percentage of respondents 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Exposed Control Percentage of respondents 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% Exposed Control Percentage of respondents 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% Exposed Control 0% 18-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45 or older 10% 0% Male Female Nationality Age Gender 40% 40% 60% Percentage of respondents 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Exposed Control Percentage of respondents 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Exposed Control Percentage of respondents 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% Exposed Control less than 5000 5000-9999 10000-14999 15000-19999 20000-24999 25000-29999 30000-34999 35000 or more 0% 1-3 persons 4-6 persons 7 or more persons Average monthly income (AED) Occupation Number of persons in household
Comparing the socio-economic characteristics between the two samples No significant differences between the two samples X 2 -value P-value Gender 4.835 0.305 Nationality 89.935 0.482 Age 23.216 0.806 Income 72.278 0.198 Occupation 58.326 0.599 Number of persons in household 285.561 0.793 Number of children under 12 years old 37.671 0.661
To examine the impact of aircraft noise on the health of the exposed group, a chi-square test was conducted to determine if there is any statistical significant difference between the exposed and the control groups. No impact on workers health as a result of aircraft noise pollution X 2 -value P-value No disturbance (can tolerate) 706. 12 176. 0 General disturbance (irritation) 234. 11 509. 0 Headache 944. 7 789. 0 Hypertension 754. 5 928. 0 Loss of sleep/insomnia 763. 9 637. 0 Stress 608. 15 111. 0 Hearing problems 9.998 0.867 Colitis 29.194 0.183
Binomial logit models for predicting the impact of aircraft noise pollution on employees health based on employees socioeconomic characteristics β Std. Error Wald df Sig. Exp(β) Intercept -.345.559.381 1.537.709 Nationality.140.037 14.307 1.000 1.150 Age.179.099 3.259 1.071 1.196 Gender -.127.219.336 1.562.881 Income.088.050 3.119 1.077 1.092 Occupation.116.045 6.605 1.010 1.123 Number of persons in -.074.028 7.065 1.008.929 household Number of children less.007.049.023 1.878 1.008 than 12 years old Time worked adjacent to the airport -.125.083 2.254 1.133.883
The results showed no association between aircraft noise pollution exposure and the prevalence of headache, hypertension, insomnia, stress, hearing problems, and colitis. There are no significant differences in the health between employees working in areas adjacent to the airport and other employees working far from the airport.
Many occupational places in Abu Dhabi are designed and built based on specifications to minimize the impact of external noise on the employees. Many factories in Abu Dhabi use soundproof materials to minimize the noise hazardous on the surrounding areas and to reduce complaints from neighboring buildings as well as to improve their work environment for their employees.