115 decibels recorded for F-35 jet by BTV airport's own Williston noise monitor
Open letter to Director of Aviation Nic Longo: Public health and safety are at severe risk
Dear Director of Aviation Nic Longo,
Here is the F-35 noise data for the morning of Tuesday, October 4, 2022 as taken by the airport's own Williston noise monitor, and as displayed on the airport's own web portal using the access scheme described in your note below. Thank you for your email (below) helping me use the airport’s noise monitor system to retrieve this data:
Date: October 4, 2022
F-35 takeoff time ……… Measured Noise level
(Hour:Minute:Second) …………. (Lmax)
9:22:42 am ……………………………. 114 decibels
9:23:01 am ……………………………. 110 decibels
9:24:09 am ……………………………. 115 decibels
9:24:33 am ……………………………. 114 decibels
9:25:50 am ……………………………. 110 decibels
9:26:12 am ……………………………. 112 decibels
9:27:36 am ……………………………. 108 decibels
9:28:00 am ……………………………. 111 decibels
The airport's Williston noise monitor is located at Williston Road and Chad Lane in Williston, which is 1 mile from the end of the runway at Burlington International Airport (BTV). Similar airport noise monitors are located outside City Hall in Winooski and outside the Chamberlin School in South Burlington.
As you see, on the morning of October 4, eight F-35 jets took off. The noise reached a maximum level (Lmax) of 115 decibels for one of the F-35 jets and 114 decibels for 2 others. The lowest of the eight F-35 noise levels was measured at 108 decibels.
By contrast the next aircraft passing over that same monitor was a commercial airliner (N747YX, RPA 3412, E75L, KBTV/KIAD) that took off about 30 minutes later, at 9:57:57 am. This jet aircraft produced a maximum noise level of 84 decibels as it passed over the meter. That is 31 decibels quieter than the F-35.
According to the US Air Force, each 10 decibels quieter is heard by the human ear as half as loud. (US Air Force Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Volume II page C-2). That means that the commercial flight was more than 8 times quieter than the F-35.
The US Air Force itself cited a 1999 study showing that noise at the level of the F-35 posed danger for people who are repeatedly exposed:
Repeated exposure to military low-altitude flight noise with Lmax greater than 114 dB, especially if the noise level increases rapidly, may have the potential to cause noise induced hearing loss in humans. (EIS Volume II page C-25).
The F-35 takeoffs are repeated again in the afternoon. These morning and afternoon sets of flights are repeated 4 days a week. There are as many landings as takeoffs, and these landings come in at a flatter angle, so lower and much closer to civilians living, working, and going to school in populated areas. Thus, civilians are exposed to hundreds of the extreme noise F-35 takeoffs and landings each week. (up to 8 morning takeoffs + 8 morning landings + 8 afternoon takeoffs + 8 afternoon landings) x 4 days/week = 128 extreme-decibel exposures per week or up to 6,656 exposures per year.
The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) website says that the damage to hearing increases with loudness and duration. The CDC points out that the noise need not all be in one continuous session to cause that damage. Repeated exposures to a high noise level, each for a short duration produce damage equivalent to a single exposure to that same noise level of long duration:
Being around too much loud noise—like using a leaf blower or going to loud concerts—can cause permanent hearing loss. And once it’s gone, you can’t get it back! You can have hearing loss before you even notice you’re having problems. Noise is measured in what are called decibels (dB). Over time, listening to loud sounds at high dB levels can cause hearing loss—or other hearing problems like a ringing sound in your ear that won’t go away. The louder a sound is, and the longer you are exposed to it, the more likely it will damage your hearing. The more often you are exposed to loud sounds over time, the more damage occurs.
The CDC further says that some people are at higher risk for hearing loss, including those who:
are exposed to loud sounds at home and in the community.
work in noisy environments (especially noise of 85 dB or more for 8 hours or longer).
take medicines that increase their risk.
are male.
are age 40 or older.
Another CDC website says, “Hearing loss possible in less than 5 minutes” for 105-110 decibels. It further says “Hearing loss possible in less than 2 minutes” for 110 decibels.
In addition to hearing loss, the CDC website states, “Continual exposure to noise can cause stress, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, and many other health problems.”
A recent article by the AARP cites a study showing a 30% increase in severe stroke from living in a noisy area, while living in a quiet, green area can reduce it by up to 25 percent. The article also cites a study showing an elevated risk of cognitive decline, which the article says may be related to the loss of hearing acuity that leads to increased social isolation. Other studies confirm an elevated risk of dementia from high noise exposure.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration website states:
Exposure to high levels of noise can cause permanent hearing loss. Neither surgery nor a hearing aid can help correct this type of hearing loss. Short term exposure to loud noise can also cause a temporary change in hearing (your ears may feel stuffed up) or a ringing in your ears (tinnitus). These short-term problems may go away within a few minutes or hours after leaving the noise. However, repeated exposures to loud noise can lead to permanent tinnitus and/or hearing loss.
The article, “The Effects of Noise on Health,” in the Spring 2022 Harvard Medicine, the magazine of the Harvard Medical School, states:
Noise pollution not only drives hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypersensitivity to sound, but can cause or exacerbate cardiovascular disease; type 2 diabetes; sleep disturbances; stress; mental health and cognition problems, including memory impairment and attention deficits; childhood learning delays; and low birth weight. Scientists are investigating other possible links, including to dementia.
An article, “Noise as a Public Health Hazard,” on the website of the American Public Health Association, states, “Noise interferes with cognition and learning, contributes to behavior problems, and reduces achievement and productivity. The health of more than 100 million Americans is at risk, with children among the most vulnerable.”
This article further states:
Decades of scientific evidence show that noise causes or contributes to hearing loss (noise-induced hearing loss [NIHL]), annoyance, sleep disruption, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disturbances, and exacerbation of anxiety and depression. It also has adverse impacts on communication, activities, learning, productivity, and quality of life. The health of more than 100 million Americans is estimated to be at risk.
The Air Force EIS says that 6,663 people have their homes in the portion of the oval-shaped F-35 noise contour that the Air Force says is “unsuitable for residential use” because of the noise of the F-35. (EIS Volume I page BR4-30 and Volume II page C-12). The extreme 115 decibel F-35 noise level and the hundreds of exposures each week, every week, year after year, to Vermont cities full of civilians add up to the equivalent of a very long duration of exposure to a hearing-loss-producing-noise level and to a very high risk of other severe health impacts on thousands of Vermont adults and children–with no margin of safety.
Because the F-35 training is being conducted in densely populated Vermont cities instead of remote from populated areas, the F-35 is being used in Vermont as a weapon of mass assault on Vermonters.
Cities, towns and villages are delegated by the state with the primary responsible for protecting the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens. As airport director, and as an official of the City of Burlington, I believe that you, Nic Longo, are the person with the primary duty to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the people living, working, and going to school from aviation-related dangers at this airport. It is impermissible for you to hold this position and fail to provide strong leadership to abolish the ongoing danger indicated by the high noise-level measurement obtained from the airport’s own noise monitor in Williston.
The Air Force EIS provided numbers indicating that 1,300 children live in the oval-shaped area that the Air Force said was “unsuitable for residential use” because of the extreme F-35 noise that the Air Force anticipated back in 2013 (EIS Volume I pages BR4-30 and BR4-81). After 3 years of F-35 training in this densely populated area the undisputed facts show that it is time for you, as Director of Aviation, to speak out, to provide effective leadership, and to use every power you have running the airport to abolish the F-35 training from the city location.
The public may properly ask, what action are you, as Director of Aviation, taking to promptly eliminate this danger, particularly for adults and children who are outdoors when the F-35 takes off or lands?
I very much appreciate your taking the time to answer this question.
Best regards,
James Marc Leas
On 10/19/2022 10:34 AM, Nicolas Longo wrote:
Good morning Mr. Leas,
Please use this link to go directly to the Noise and flight tracking system:
https://publicportal.vector-us.com/?airportCode=KBTV
(additional information can also be located at btvsound.com)
On the left side of the screen, please select the “Replay” button. Once selected, click the calendar icon to select the date and time you would like additional information on, press play, and you’ll see a replay of the selected timeframe.
If you require additional information pertaining to the aircraft itself, you would need to reach out directly to the owner/operators.
Thank you for reaching out,
Nicolas Longo, C.M. | Director of Aviation
1200 Airport Drive, #1 South Burlington, VT 05403
nlongo@btv.aero | www.btv.aero
m: 802-503-7368
Write or call your public servants and demand an immediate halt to F-35 training in cities.
Governor Phil Scott 802-828-3333 Chief of Staff <Jason.Gibbs@vermont.gov>
Vermont National Guard's Complaint Line: 802-660-5379 (Note: the Vermont Guard told a reporter that it received over 1400 noise complaints. But the Guard won’t release what people said).
Submit your report & complaint to the active online F-35 Fall 2021-Summer 2022 Report & Complaint Form: https://tinyurl.com/5d89ckj9
See all the graphs and in-your-own words statements on the F-35 Spring-Summer 2021 Report & Complaint Form (513 responses): https://tinyurl.com/3svacfvx.
See links to the graphs and in-your-own words statements on all four versions of the F-35 Report & Complaint Form since Spring 2020, with a total of 1670 responses from 658 different people plus 77 more so far on the form that will remain active through summer 2022.
Senator Patrick Leahy 800-642-3193 Chief of Staff <john_tracy@leahy.senate.gov>
Senator Bernie Sanders 800-339-9834 <Senator@sanders.senate.gov>
Congressman Peter Welch 888-605-7270 Chief of Staff <patrick.satalin@mail.house.gov>
Burlington City Council <citycouncil@burlingtonvt.gov>
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger <mayor@burlingtonvt.gov>
Winooski Mayor Kristine Lott <klott@winooskivt.org>
S. Burlington City Council Chair Helen Riehle <hriehle@sburl.com>
Williston Selectboard Chair Terry Macaig <macaig@msn.com>
VT Senate President Becca Balint <bbalint@leg.state.vt.us>
VT House Speaker Jill Krowinski <jkrowinski@leg.state.vt.us>
States Attorney Sarah George <Sarah.fair.george@gmail.com>
Vermont’s Federal Prosecutor <usavt.contactus1@usdoj.gov>
Adjutant General Brig Gen Gregory C Knight <gregory.c.knight.mil@mail.mil>
Major J Scott Detweiler <john.s.detweiler.mil@mail.mil>
Wing Commander Col David Shevchik david.w.shevchik@mail.mil
Vermont National Guard Inspector General Lt. Col. Edward J Soychak <edward.soychak@us.af.mil>
US Air Force Inspector General Lt. Col. Pamela D. Koppelmann <pamela.d.koppelmann.mil@mail.mil>
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall <Frank.Kendall@us.af.mil>