Can The Choppers Over Brooklyn Cause Brain Damage?

Park Slopers had their chance to complain about plane noise over their neighborhood, and now Brooklyn Heights locals are expressing their concerns about that incessant helicopter noise overhead. The tourist choppers that are sonically torturing them are all coming from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, and the Brooklyn Paper is fueling the fire by reporting that the noise could cause brain damage.

A noise expert told them that chopper sounds, or any constant white noise, can cause brain damage and heart attacks; he noted, “It doesn’t matter if you feel like, ‘I can tough this out’—your body doesn’t know that.”

One resident told them, “You can often see four or five helicopters in the air, and another five or six idling on the [Manhattan] pad. The helicopters zoom right overhead like a scene out of Apocalypse Now.” Now the locals, along with Councilman Steve Levin (D-Williamsburg) and state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn Heights), are rallying and urging the city to institute quiet hours.

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By Jen Carlson in News on April 12, 2010 6:07 PM

Comments [rss]

ProcedureTurn

so does that mean pilots and other airport workers are subject to brain damage and heart attacks?

Sinchy

Tourist choppers might be fun for a few norweigans and very profitable for some chopper companies but they are absolutely unnecessary so if a number of ny residents say they detract from their quality of life then they should cease operations or change locations / flight paths, The sound of a helicopter is IMHO one of the most annoying, distracting and nerve shattering forms of noise pollution out there. The only helicopters that should be allowed to hover over the city are police. Why the hell does NBC need to fly a chopper?

I remember one beautiful summer afternoon when I decided to lay out at the great lawn in central park. Then a helicopter hovered for about 20 minutes and took away any peace I may have enjoyed.

Papercutninja

Yesterday on PIX11 (yes, the premier news source for NYC) had a guy on there who was claiming that loud noises caused autism, and that for the safety of children the heliport should be moved. I wanted to throw a brick at my television.

NYCstressbunny

Oh, please. I live next to Union Square and listen to traffic helicopters hovering overhead every day (not to mention police helicopters that circle the park and rattle my windows every time some group has a rally). It's NYC - not Montana. Buy a set of noise canceling headphones and suck it up.

jza1218

These friggin complainers should have thought about that before they moved there.

Qraymond

Brooklyn Heights has been around a lot longer than helicopters have existed.

Also, the recent helicopter noise has increased dramatically on the East River because they can't fly on the Hudson anymore after that accident a year or two ago.

So, stop complaining about the complainers, complainer.

jza1218

Sure it's been there a lot longer than the helicopters existed but I really doubt that all of these people have been living there that long.

They don't like it, move.

Next thing you know, the people living by Kennedy and Laguardia are gonna tell them to stop with the planes because they're trying to take a nap at 2PM.

ed_Extinct

I know it's NYC and noise is a part of life, but the constant sounds of helicopters, ice cream trucks etc are annoying and will make you go crazy! it's 2010, how can they not have silent helicopters by now?

Darrell

This just in, eye's are damaged by the act of viewing. More at 11.

Guest

don't know if it could cause brain damage...

...but it'll piss the fuck out of me for sure.

longacre

It's official: Local newspapers are run by crazy people.

BiddyMarple

I went to the new brooklyn Bridge Park last weekend and it was beautiful and well-designed, but the constant loud noise of those helicopters will prevent me from ever going back. I sat on that nice new park bench and kept fantasizing that one of those helicopters would fall into the east river.

butterbutter

I agree. I was there too and I thought about them crashing as well. Not wishing for it to happen, but it seems like a accident waiting to happen.

Do the tourists really need swarms of helicopters flying over the city? It's weird.

Speaking of regulating noise. How about those darn Harley motorcycles that usually creep up the street in groups setting off alarms.

F1Mikal

When I was little my grandmother always used to tell me, 'There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers'.

Your comment might qualify for that classification.

yawn.