We must address the causes and not just the symptoms of noise. The study of Santé publique de Montréal is incomplete
says les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau
Montreal June 19, 2014 – Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau considers the noise study released today by the Agence de la santé et services sociaux de Montréal (ASSSM) to be incomplete.
« The study did not take into account the fact that noise associated with aircraft movements relocated two years ago towards the east, up to a distance of more than 10 kilometres from the airport, and it did not focus on areas such as Ahuntsic, Villeray and Mont-Royal, » noted Antoine Bécotte, chairman of the citizens’ committee.
Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau does not accept the principle of dealing with the effects of aircraft noise (by spoundproofing residential units), rather than by addressing the causes, by raising flight altitudes over Montreal and reestablishing a genuine nighttime curfew at Montreal-Trudeau Airport.
The research must be expanded, because, as ASSSM pointed out, aircraft noise causes health problems to humans, including sleep disturbance, and cardiovascular problems such as hypertension.
In this sense, the action taken by Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau to install ten measuring stations in the area east of Highway 15 and in St. Laurent is more relevant than ever, as these stations will show that thousands of Montrealers are daily subjected, with great frequency, to exterior aircraft noise exceeding 55 dB (A), both day and night, a threshold that the World Health Organization recommends should not be exceeded without exposing the population to health problems.