GROWLER HEALTH IMPACT PROJECT
University of Washington Study findings suggest an urgent public health crisis caused by Navy Growler jet training impacts!
Lack of federal environmental noise legislation has led to inadequate research on the health consequences of noise, and limited data to guide evaluation and mitigation. Now, based on the Navy’s own data, researchers from the University of Washington have published the first comprehensive evaluation (st.news/growler) of the public health implications of military noise pollution in the region. The results are striking, suggesting that Growler noise poses a substantial risk to the health and well-being of more than 74,000 people.
This project follows up previous noise monitoring work on the Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island to evaluate population health impacts of aircraft noise, using existing datasets. This project (funded by UW Population Health Initiative) is a collaboration between Sound Defense Alliance, Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, and the University of Washington. The Tier 2 study is wrapping up (publication arriving soon), and Tier 3 has started. Publications from this work include: population health monitoring, technology-noise policy and analysis of noise complaint data (in progress!
The Research:
“Population health implications of exposure to pervasive military aircraft noise pollution”
Giordano Jacuzzi, Lauren M. Kuehne, Anne Harvey, Christine Hurley, Robert Wilbur, Edmund Seto & Julian D. Olden
Published May 9, 2024 to the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
Thank you, UW Researchers!
This study advanced Sound Defense Alliance, Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, and our communities toward a fuller understanding of the impacts on health and well-being associated with living in the Growler jet zone based on current and best-available science, supporting longstanding efforts to advocate for changes in policy.
The project team convened three community webinars during the study year to introduce the project, review interim products and communicate final results and project outcomes.
For further questions about the study, contact Chris Hurley.
Background
The Growler Health Impact Project, funded by the University of Washington’s Population Health Initiative, analyzed the troves of raw Growler jet noise data collected over the past decade.
The project was co-led by SDA president Anne Harvey and COER president Bob Wilbur, who submitted the project in collaboration with University of Washington researchers, Dr. Edmund Seto, an environmental health scientist in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Dr. Julian Olden, an ecologist in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. The project was designed and developed over several years, as a follow up to noise monitoring work that SDA and COER have promoted or led in the past.
The project received funding for one year to take a deep dive into the thousands of hours of raw noise data that has been collected by COER and SDA and public agencies including the Washington’s Bureau of Land Management, the US National Park Service as well as the Navy. These data cover Whidbey Island and surrounding areas, including parts of the San Juan Islands and the Olympic Peninsula.
Tier 2 - Major Study Objectives:
Provide a robust assessment of Growler noise levels, lengths of noise exposure, and frequency of noise events across the region;
Estimate the health risks to the population, including potential hearing loss, increased blood pressure, sleep disturbance, stress and annoyance, and childhood learning interference, and;
Map estimated noise levels and related noise health risks to inform affected communities about how to protect and advocate for their health.
The Navy’s Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the expansion of the Growler program on Whidbey was finalized in 2019 despite its failure to comply fully with the mandates of the National Environmental Protection Act. The Navy’s assessment of potential human health impacts was determined to be deficient by the Washington State Department of Health among assessments by many others.
Researchers held 3 community webinars in 2023 to inform the public about the study:
What’s Next?
The Military Aviation Noise Study -- "Evaluating the impacts of military aircraft noise pollution on human health and well-being: a community-based inquiry" -- is an ongoing research study funded by the University of Washington’s Population Health Initiative, which aims to:
Leverage long-term noise complaint data to characterize reported noise and health impacts by communities
Use systematic community surveys to assess health and quality of life outcomes in communities
Create a framework for noise assessment that can be shared with other communities around the country
This study is particularly interested in the health impacts of military aviation noise, which is understudied compared to the noise impacts of civil aviation.
New Tier 3 Study
The Tier 3 Population Health Initiative Study builds off of the previous Tier 2 study, which analyzed large volumes of noise measurements collected by the US Navy, Washington’s Bureau of Land Management, the US National Park Service, as well as by community organizations, such as Citizens of Ebey's Reserve and the Sound Defense Alliance. The previous Tier 2 study compiled these data to create maps of noise exposures across Whidbey Island and surrounding areas, including parts of the San Juan Islands and the Olympic Peninsula that are impacted by flight activities of the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI). The previous study also utilized existing Exposure Response Functions (ERFs) to estimate the impacts of noise exposures on a variety of population health outcomes, including annoyance, sleep disruption, and children's learning.
You may receive a postcard in the mail inviting you to take part in a survey
For the new Tier 3 study, the research team will be conducting a survey of the population living in the areas surrounding NASWI during the Spring-Autumn of 2024. A population-representative sample of individuals will receive a postcard in the mail from the UW researchers, inviting them to complete a questionnaire related to their noise exposures generally, exposures to military aviation noise, and various potential noise-related health impacts. Results from this survey will address current gaps in scientific knowledge relating military-specific aviation noise and health.
Analyzing Noise Complaint Data
The Tier 3 study will also analyze thousands of noise complaints collected over several years using natural language processing methods to identify patterns and themes that relate to specific population health impacts.
Together, the mapped noise exposure data from Tier 2 and the population survey and noise complaint analyses from Tier 3 will inform a broader framework for collecting data that documents and improves understanding of military aviation noise impacts.
Research Team
The study involves researchers from the University of Washington, Dr. Edmund Seto, an environmental health scientist in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Dr. Julian Olden, an ecologist in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, as well as collaborators from Omfishient Consulting, COER, SDA, and Quiet Skies over San Juan County, as well as other interested groups.
The research team has convened community webinars over the course of the Tier 2 study as the project has progressed and interim findings have emerged. Tier 3 findings will be presented similarly in community webinars.
Related information:
Quiet Communities June 16, 2022 Webinar:
Aviation Noise, Pollution, and Health: Connecting the Dots.
Conference recording