Is Your Proximity To Michigan’s Airports Harming Your Health? Find Out Now

Michigan has 486 airports, including public and private airports, with some of the busiest ones being Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

If you live near one, you are most likely dealing with loud airplane noises and traffic on a daily.

Did you know that living near an airport could harm you and your family?

Distance To Michigan & Heath Risks

A new study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), breaks down its findings on the health risks associated with aircraft noise.

This is legit, with backing from the Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, and National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The study found that people living close to airports and exposed to high aircraft noise levels are at greater risk of poor heart health.

Why is that?

"They found that those who lived in areas with higher than recommended aircraft noise levels had stiffer and thicker heart muscles* that contracted and expanded less easily and were less efficient at pumping blood around the body."

However, the health risk worsens as it gets later in the night.

This is especially the case if you are "exposed to higher aircraft noise at night, potentially due to factors such as impaired sleep and the fact that people are more likely to be at home at night and therefore exposed to the noise."

Higher noise exposure was found to cause hearts to work less efficiently. Similar heart abnormalities were linked to 2 to 4 times higher risks of heart attacks, dangerous heart rhythms, or strokes.

So, the question is how close is too close to an airport?

In the study, the UK Civil Aviation Authority estimated the "aircraft noise level for every 1000 square metres," which is equivalent to 3.9 miles.

For more information and details, you can read the full publication here.