Representation by Growing Health Together (Growing Health Together)
- Date submitted
- 17 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Non-statutory organisations
A substantial body of evidence demonstrates a deleterious impact of noise pollution on human health, including heart disease, as referenced in the government's own publication https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/29/noise-pollution-mapping-the-health-impacts-of-transportation-noise-in-england/ Permanently opening a second runway at Gatwick risks increasing noise pollution in the local area to levels approaching those of Heathrow Airport. The map referenced by the UK Health Security Agency above, clearly shows extremely high noise pollution associated with road and aircraft traffic around Heathrow Airport. The report states "Our research adds to the growing body of evidence showing that major sources of noise such as road traffic, rail and aircraft noise contribute to a burden of disease across the population". At a time with unprecedented demand on NHS services, it is important to prevent avoidable disease burden in our population. There are several other health risks which seem likely to follow any expansion of Gatwick Airport, and which concern us greatly. These include direct health impacts such as those associated with: 1. Air pollution. The government's own report states that lifelong exposure to air pollution reduces life expectancy due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including lung cancer. Increasing the number of flights to and from Gatwick airport, and the associated increased traffic in the local area, will increase air pollution and thereby negatively impact the health of our local population. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-air-pollution/health-matters-air-pollution 2. Increased artificial light exposure will also have deleterious health impacts, as described in a report by the House of Lords' Science & Technology Committee (see https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40937/documents/199438/default/) It is not only these direct health impacts we fear, but also indirect human health impacts of the proposed plans. For example, an expansion of Gatwick Airport will increase carbon emissions and therefore increase the impacts of climate change, which has been described as the greatest global health threat in the 21st century (https://www.thelancet.com/countdown-health-climate). We are already seeing the consequences of climate change in health-related impacts of extreme weather events, including flooding. We ask that this application is considered in light of the commitments associated with the Climate Change Act of 2008, and that the full extent of the environmental impacts of the proposals be carefully scrutinised, given the critical inter-dependence of human and planetary health.