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Dr Yvon Le Flohic, general practitioner
Medical validation:
May 11, 2023
Yesterday, two associations protested in front of the Ministry of Transport against noise pollution caused by air traffic. Their objective ? Oblige the government to “cap” the annual number of flights.
Could flights soon be “capped”? Yes, if we are to believe the world which swarmed this Tuesday in front of the Ministry of Transport in Paris. A mobilization, which aimed to denounce the effects of aviation on the health of populations, but also on the climate.
An environment that “respects the health” of local residents
It was around 6 p.m. that the participants gathered in front of the Ministry of Transport “to demand the establishment of a night curfew for the three Parisian airports and a cap on the number of annual flights“, relates BFMTV.
Roissy, Orly and Le Bourget would thus be concerned.
More specifically, the demonstrators demand the establishment of a night curfew in Roissy and the extension by one hour of the one in place from 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. in Orly.
They are also asking to reduce the number of annual flights to 440,000 at Roissy, 200,000 at Orly and 50,000 at Le Bourget.
“We expect, finally, a limitation that allows both this mode of transport to play its role in the country but also the inhabitants to live in an environment that respects their health.“, explained Françoise Brochot, member of the association of residents of Roissy and Le Bourget, at the microphone of BFM Paris-Île-de-France.
On the other hand, Catherine Bouvier, administrator of the second association, wants France to follow the example of the Netherlands, which has already announced the forthcoming ban on their night flights and private jets.
Intense stress, myocardial infarction and increased mortality
According to her, it “is no longer tenable” for 1.4 million Ile-de-France residents to be exposed to sound disturbances that exceed the values established by the World Health Organization.
The impact would be major, since people living near the Roissy air corridors would lose up to “three years of their life“.
A previous study conducted by the University of Southern Denmark in Copenhagen had already revealed that people who experience significant noise pollution “were almost three times more likely (x 2.78) to suffer from intense stress compared to those who were not victims of nuisance“.
Another worrying finding: according to the survey “Discussion of the health effects of aircraft noise“ (Debates), overexposure to aircraft noise would increase cardiovascular disease with, for each increase of 10 decibels, an increase in mortality estimated at 18% and up to 28% for myocardial infarction.
Asked about the subject, Dr Yvon Le Flohic, general practitioner, encourages people to get away from air traffic as much as possible.
“Living next to an airport is a real noise nuisance. Avoid living in this area. But should we therefore call into question the theft of tourist attractions? There is a real question to be asked. The environmental pollution caused by airplanes seems to me to be more worrying than the health aspect.“, he concludes.