A group of Montreal residents has been fighting for years to get transport and airport officials to help turn down the noise from airplanes.
Now they're calling on the city's director of public health for a study on how it's affecting their health.
Pierre LaChapelle, spokesman for Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau said there are several studies in Europe but few in Canada about the negative health impacts of long-term exposure to the noise of airplanes flying overhead day in and day out.
LaChapelle said their own noise monitoring stations show unbearable levels of aircraft noise that disrupt their sleep and other everyday things like being in their backyards and having their windows open.
"As far as Transport Canada and the (airport authority) Aéroports de Montreal are concerned, they deny any such problem occurring in Montreal," said LaChapelle.
LaChapelle said a scientific health impact study could help. He cites a World Health Organization study showing that long-term average exposure to noise levels similar to that from a busy street can trigger elevated blood pressure and heart attacks.
"What proportion of the population of Montreal is touched, affected by the air noise pollution? What is the level of the impact? Is it a low level or is it a huge impact on the population?" said LaChapelle.
"We can't discuss the problem of aircraft noise pollution in Canada with data coming from Europe," said LaChapelle in an interview with CJAD 800 News.
LaChapelle said they sent off letters from 70 residents asking for a study and that while they are mostly those living in areas such as Parc Ex, TMR and Ahuntsic-Cartierville, they encourage residents affected by airplane noise living in the western half of the city to also send letters or to contact the group.
LaChapelle said they also want to raise public awareness and that they'll be bringing up this issue with elected officials.