Cierra Brown is a long-time East Oakland resident who works from her local neighborhood welcoming center and coworking hub. She’s laser-focused working on her laptop. We’re meeting to talk about noise pollution in East Oakland. As I wait for her, a passing train blows its horn. Three long blows.
As we begin our conversation, an airplane passes by overhead, either arriving or departing from the nearby Oakland International Airport Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK).
Just like the train’s horns, Brown seems unfazed by the sound.
Planes, trains, and automobiles create a constant hum in East Oakland, particularly the neighborhoods of Columbia Gardens, Arroyo Viejo, Woodland, and Elmhurst Park. Freight and BART trains come and go all day. I live in East Oakland and I find these conditions tirelessly challenging and exhausting. It’s hard to focus. But I spend most of my day elsewhere since I work outside of our neighborhood. How do Brown and other residents deal with the constant barrage of noise pollution?
Over 600 flights fly in and out of Oakland Airport every day, according to figures from iflyoak.com. The noise generated from air traffic with loud engines with enormous fans creates buzzing and humming sounds throughout the day. In December, two environmental groups sued the Port of Oakland, which operates the airport, to halt its expansion project. The Stop OAK Expansion Coalition and Communities for a Better Environment said that East Oakland communities experience major noise impacts, in addition to pre-existing health conditions.
These communities’ noise exposure are in the range of 80 to 90 decibels for each plane. Sound is measured in decibels. Long exposure to loud sounds, as loud as a police siren or blender, can cause hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness. According to the World Health Organization noise exposure above 45 dB is associated with adverse health effects.
Airplane noise levels vary depending on the flight phase. The noise levels range from 60 decibels (dB) and can exceed 140 decibels (dB) during departure-off. The last flight to take off from Oakland Airport departs just minutes before midnight.
Noise pollution impacts our mental health
“Mental health is tied to so much but I think noise is definitely a key variable within the scope of it,” Jonathan D. Johnson, an Associate Clinical Social Worker – Case Manager with Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services said. He previously worked with the Port of Oakland on a noise abatement project. “You are being fed and surrounded by all this noise.”
Harvard Medicine said that noise pollution drives hearing loss, cardiovascular disease, sleep disturbances, stress, and contributes to attention deficits, childhood learning delays, and possibly dementia.
As a diabetic and East Oakland resident, I frequently wake up at night. My children grew up in this neighborhood and struggled academically, especially with focus and concentration.
Trains run through East Oakland all day
Planes aren’t the only noise in these neighborhoods. There are three types of trains operating in the neighborhood. The noise pollution from train services also contributes, with maximum train horn sounds at 110 decibels, almost as loud as the jets. Amtrak trains on the Capitol Corridor run along San Leandro Blvd. The Coliseum/Airport Station opened in 2005. In 2024, there were 12 trains running on weekdays and 15 on weekends. There are also freight trains running along the corridor too. The two Class 1 freight railroads are the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad and the BNSF Railway which has intermodal facilities in West Oakland. Both operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
BART also operates on elevated tracks along San Leandro Blvd. Trains run until midnight, starting at 4 am on weekdays, 6 am on Saturdays, and 8 am on Sundays and holidays. Thirty three trains pass by each weekend before 7 a.m. KALW reported that BART noise levels range between 113 decibels to find an average of less than 94 decibels.
All these sounds seem to blend for some residents. Brown, 21, lives in Arroyo Viejo near International Blvd. She’s used to the noise.
“I think the noise pollution correlates directly with the air pollution because vehicles and machinery that are causing all this noise, they are also polluting the environment at the same time,” Brown said. The constant noise seems normal for residents, and many may not realize the impact of these hazards.
“It’s not necessarily something you are going to see immediately,” Brown said of the noise pollution. “It’s a long term disease that is slowly killing us.”
Hi Marian! Great article as you know planes,trains, and automobiles has been in Oakland before you and I was born here in Oakland. I think it’s fair to say the early 1960’s. My opinion is the Trash in Oakland has become a bigger issue and reflects more concerning problems with Air pollution, sound etc. Have you noticed that the fire trucks don’t even have sirens anymore going to put out a fire. Again just my opinion on Pollution in Oakland. Again Great article.