Thesis (B.S.) -- Cagayan State University, 2025.

Living near an airport can offer convenience, but for many residents around Tuguegarao Domestic Airport, it also means coping with constant noise from aircraft operations. With takeoffs and landings close to residential zones, concerns have grown about how this noise affects daily life and well-being. Using the Benetech GM1358 sound level meter, noise levels were measured during peak airport activity and analyzed through QGIS to create spatial noise maps. Affected areas were categorized into Safe, Borderline, Unsafe, and Highly Unsafe zones based on international health standards, providing a clearer picture of which communities are most exposed. To complement the technical findings, a survey was conducted to gather residents' self-reported health experiences, revealing hearing issues, stress, headaches, and difficulty concentrating. However, results indicated no significant difference in reported health impacts between residents in "unsafe" and "highly unsafe" zones, despite the expected gradation in risk. This suggests that residents within these zones experienced almost the same level of health impacts due to noise exposure. It is clear that as the noise gets louder, or as the respondents lives nearer to the airport, the health impacts are getting worse. The findings challenge the sensitivity and practical application of existing noise zoning frameworks, highlighting the need for improved classification methods that better reflect human experiences. Ultimately, this research contributes not only to the technical field of noise modeling but also highlights the importance of integrating human perspectives into environmental planning to better protect public health.

Keywords: Airport Noise, Public Health, Noise Mapping