Noise Pollutin Evrs

POLLUTION &CONTROL
NOISE POLLUTION:
What is noise?:
Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a
physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are
vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The differrence arises when the brain
receives and perceives a sound.
What is noise pollution?:
Noise pollution is described as any disturbing or unwanted sound that interferes with or
harms human health or wildlife. Noise pollution is an invisible danger. It is sounds or noises
that are either unnatural in volume or production. The loudness of sound is measured in
decibels (dB). A normal conversation is about 60 dB, but a lawnmower is about 90 dB and a
rock concert is about 120 dB. Repeated exposure to sounds of 85 dB or higher can harm a
person’s hearing. This hearing damage can sometimes be permanent. Sound levels between
120 dB and 140 dB can cause pain, and sound levels over 137 dB can cause an acoustic shock
(sudden hearing loss).
NOISE POLLUTION:
Normal sound Level

Normal conversations inside offices, residences 50 to 60 dB
Hotels and commercial areas 60 to 70 dB
City traffic 70 to 80 dB
Foundry unit 90 to 100 dB
Air craft 100 to 110 dB
Blowers and drilling operation Above to 100 dB
Hammer fall 120 dB
SOURCES OF POLLUTION
Basically there are two sources for any kind of pollution
Natural &
Man made
Natural sources: Sounds that often go up to 140 dB are produced by thunderstorms, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, flowing water bodies, animal sounds, etc.
Man made: These noises are created due to manmade activities, such as construction work, transportation, industries,
household noise, musical instruments. These sounds range from 30 to 140 dB and are extremely harmful.
NOISE POLLUTION:
What are the harmful effects and complications of noise pollution?
Noise is more than a mere nuisance, and continuous exposure to loud noise can cause the following harmful effects:
 Hearing problems: Loss of hearing, tinnitus, and damage to eardrums reduced sensitivity to sounds, or deafness.
 Physical problems: Severe headaches, raised blood pressure and pulse rates, respiratory agitation, gastritis, colitis, and there
are possibilities of heart attacks.
 Cardiovascular issues: High blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and increased heart rate because normal blood flow is
disrupted.
 Psychological problems: Constant stress, fatigue, depression, anxiety, aggressive behavior, and hysteria may happen.
 Sleeping deprivation: Excessively high levels of noise hamper sleeping patterns.
 Trouble communicating: High decibel noise affects free communication between people, leading to misunderstanding.
 Cognitive issues and behavioral changes: Noise pollution lowers brain response and causes impairments in memory and
attention span. This leads to low efficiency at work and disrupts children’s learning.
 Effect on wildlife: Reduces habitat quality, increases stress levels, affects migratory birds, leads to dwindling population, and
has a serious impact on marine animals, especially those that rely on echolocation.
NOISE POLLUTION:
Noise Control:
A number of provision are made in the factories. Act (for industrial noise), Motor Vehicle Act ( for
automobile) and Public Nuisance Act ( for using loudspeaker in residential area). People should rigidly
follow the rules and regulation so that sound levels do not exceed the prescribed limits. Some measures to
control the noise are given below:
 Control at receiver’s end: For people working in noisy installations, ear-protection aids like ear-plugs, ear-
muffs, noise helmets, headphones etc. must be provided to reduce occupational exposure.
 Suppression of noise at source: It can be achieved by following methods:
(a) Designing, fabricating and using quieter machines to replace the noisy ones.
(b) Proper lubrication and better maintenance of machines. (c) Installing noisy machines in sound proof chambers.
(d) Covering noise-producing machine parts with sound-absorbing materials to check noise production.
(e) Reducing the noise produced from a vibrating machine by vibration damping i.e. making a layer of damping
material (rubber, neoprene, cork or plastic) beneath the machine.
(f) Using silencers to control noise from automobiles, ducts, exhausts etc.
NOISE POLLUTION:
 Acoustic Zoning: There should be silence zones near the residential areas, educational institutions and above
all, near hospitals. Zoning of noisy industrial areas, bus terminals and railway stations, aerodromes etc. away
from the residential areas i.e. increasing the distance between source and receiver.
 Sound Insulation at Construction Stages: It reduces the chances of noise nuisance in future. Some of these
measures could be: a) The space/cracks that get left between the door and the wall should be packed with
sound absorbing material. (b) Sound insulation can be done by constructing windows with double or triple
panes of glass and filling the gaps with sound absorbing materials. (c) Acoustical tiles, perforated plywood etc.
can be fixed on walls, ceilings, floors etc. to reduce noise (especially for sound proof recording rooms etc.)
 Planting of Trees: Green muffler scheme involves planting green trees and shrubs along roads, hospitals,
educational institutions etc. to reduce noise to a considerable extent. Trees like Ashoka, Neem, Tamarind are
good for this purpose.
 White noise:- It is a special type of sound signal which is used to mask background sounds. White noise helps
to mask out sounds which might otherwise prevent one from either falling asleep or waking up whilst asleep.
 Legislative Measures: Strict legislative measures need to be enforced to curb the menace of noise pollution.
Noise standards (Table) should be strictly followed. Minimum use of loudspeakers and amplifiers especially
near silence zones. Banning pressure horns in automobiles. Albeit, noise has been considered as pollutant
under Air act and The noise pollution (regulation and control) rules(2000) have been framed under
Environment protection act. But still people need to be educated about harmful effects of noise.

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POLLUTION &CONTROL

Normal sound Level

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