Noise Pollution

ABSTRACT

The study examines the problem of noise pollution in the wake of its ill effect on the
life of the people. A crosssection survey of the population in Delhi State points out
that main sources of noise pollution are loudspeakers and automobiles. However,
female population is affected by religious noise a little more than male population.
Major effects of noise pollution include interference with communication,
sleeplessness, and reduced efficiency. The extreme effects e.g. deafness and mental
breakdown neither is ruled out. Generally, a request to reduce or stop the noise is
made out by the aggrieved party. However, complaints to the administration and
police have also been accepted as a way of solving this menace. Public education
appears to be the best method as suggested by the respondents. However,
government and NGOs can play a significant role in this process.

Noise is derived from the Latin word nausea implying unwanted sound or sound
that is loud, unpleasant or unexpected. The noise originates from human activities,
especially the urbanization and the development of transport and industry. Though,
the urban population is much more affected by such pollution, however, small
town/villages along side roads or industries are also victim of this problem.

3 Objective

2.Topic

4.Aim

5.Area

6.Importance

Related info

Problems

Reasons

Conclusion

Refrences
1 introduction

What is Pollution?

According to the EPA, the presence of substance in

the environment that, because of its chemical
composition or quantity, prevents the functioning of
natural processes and produces undesirable
environmental and health effects is called noise.

Meaning of Noise Pollution:

Sound, a normal feature of our life, is the means of communication
and entertainment in most animals, including human beings. It is also
a very effective alarm system. A low sound is pleasant whereas a loud
sound is unpleasant and is commonly referred to as noise. Noise can
be defined as an unpleasant and unwanted sound at a wrong time and
at a wrong place.

Noise is a physical form of pollution and is not directly harmful to the

life supporting systems namely air, soil and water. Its effects are more
directly on the receiver i.e., man. Noise pollution is the result of
modern industrialised urban life and congestion due to over
population.

Even though noise pollution is not fatal to human life, yet its
importance cannot be overlooked because repeated exposure to noise
reduces the sleeping hours and productivity or efficiency of human
beings. It affects the peace of mind and invades the privacy of a human
beings.


Noise Pollution:

Noise can be defined as an unwanted or undesired

sound.Human beings are the judges of sound that which sound
is tolerable and which is not. The intolerable
sound is known as noise.
Definition of noise:The proper definition of noise pollution
cannot be defined in one sentence. There are
several peoplehad defined noise in different language:1.

Harvell:

Noise is an unwante
d sound which increases fatigue and under some industrial
conditions it causes deafness.

2.

Blum:
A distracter and therefore interferes with the efficiency.

3.

J. Tiffin:
Noise is a sound which is disagreeable for the individual and
which disturbs the normal

way of an individual

Sources of Noise Pollution:

Major sources of noise pollution are:

i. Industrial Sources:

Progress in technology (industrialisation) has resulted in creating

noise pollution. Textile mills, printing presses, engineering
establishments and metal works etc. contribute heavily towards noise
pollution.

ii. Transport Vehicles:

Automobile revolution in urban centres has proved to be a big source

of noise pollution. Increasing traffic has given rise to traffic jams in
congested areas where the repeated hooting of horns by impatient
drivers pierce the ears of all road users. Noise from airplanes consti-
tutes an increasing serious problem in big cities like Delhi and
Mumbai.
Airport situated in the vicinity of population centres and the airplanes
pass over residential areas. Heavy trucks, buses, trains, jet-planes,
motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, jeeps the list of vehicles is endless but
the outcome is same-noise pollution.

iii. Household:

The household is an industry in itself and is a source of many indoor

noises such as the banging of doors, noise of playing children, crying
of infants, moving of furniture, loud conversation of the inhabitants
etc.

Besides these are the entertainment equipments in the house, namely

the radio, record-players and television sets. Domestic gadgets like the
mixer grinders, pressure cookers, desert coolers, air-conditioners,
exhaust fans, vacuum cleaners, sewing and washing machines are all
indoor sources of noise pollution.

iv. Public Address System:

In India people need only the slightest of an excuse for using loud
speakers. The reason may be religious function, birth, death, marriage,
elections, demonstration, or just commercial advertising. Public
system, therefore, contributes in its own way towards noise pollution.

v. Road Traffic Noise:

Vehicles on road produce irritation for more people than any other
noise source. Traffic noise has been increasing over the years
continuously. This is because of steady increase of the number of road
vehicles and consequently increase of road traffic density.

Traffic speed is one of the major causes of noise. The noise volume
increases with increase in traffic speed. Modern highway and traffic
systems encourage higher speeds.

Road traffic noise varies depending on a number of operating factors

of vehicle and also on traffic density and the hour of day in general, on
Urban roads there are distinct traffic peaks in the morning and
evening as people travel to and from work (e.g., 10: hrs. and 18:00hrs).
Heavy diesel-engine trucks are the noisiest vehicles on roads now.

Traffic noise is accurately measured in dB and noise levels given on

the L (18 hr) index.

This situation is in UK. The actual noise limits in force in residential

areas are obviously different in different countries. Thus, the limits for
diesel or petrol engine cars are 70 dB in U.K. 83 dB in France, 70 dB in
Switzerland and 80 dB in India.

The central pollution board (India) has prescribed permissible sound

levels for cities, divided into four zones.
Miscellaneous Sources:

The automobile repair shops, construction works, blasting,

bulldozing, stone crushing etc. are other sources of noise pollution.

4. Effects of Noise Pollution:

Noise is generally harmful and a serious health hazard. It has far

reaching consequences and has many physical, physiological as well as
psychological effects on human beings.

i. Physical Effects:

The physical manifestation of noise pollution is the effects on hearing

ability. Repeated exposure to noise may result in temporary or
permanent shifting of the hearing threshold of a person depending
upon the level during the exposure.

The immediate and acute effect of noise pollution is impairment of

hearing (i.e., total deafness). Human ears have sensory cells for
hearing, if these cells are subjected to repeated sound of high intensity
before they have an opportunity to recover fully can become
permanently damage leading to impairment of hearing.
ii. Physiological Effects:

The physiological manifestation of noise pollution are as

mentioned below:

(a) Headache by dilating blood vessels of the brains.

(b) Increase in the rate of heart beat.

(c) Narrowing of arteries.

(d) Fluctuations in the arterial blood pressure by increasing the level

of cholesterol in the blood.

(e) Decrease in heart output.

(f) Pain in the heart.

(g) Digestive spasms through anxiety and dilution of the pupil of the
eye, thereby causing eye-strain.

(h) Impairment of night vision.

(i) Decrease in the rate of colour perception.

(j) Lowering of concentration and effect on memory.

(k) Muscular strain and nervous breakdown.

iii. Psychological Effects:

The psychological manifestation of noise pollution are:

(a) Depression and fatigue which considerably reduce the efficiency of
a person.

(b) Insomnia as a result of lack of undisturbed and refreshing sleep.

(c) Straining of senses and annoyance as a result of slow but persistent

noise from motorcycle alarm clocks, call bells, telephone rings etc.

(d) Affecting of psychomotor performance of a sudden loud sound.

(e) Emotional disturbance.

Table gives the acceptable noise level for buildings and human health.
5. Control of Noise Pollution:

It is evident that noise is not merely a nuisance but is a serious

environmental problem and a health hazard. Like all other pollutions,
noise pollution needs to controlled by measures which will maintain
the acceptable levels of noise pollution for human beings and
buildings.

Noise pollution can be effectively controlled by taking the

following measures:

i. Control at Receivers End:

For people working in noisy installations ear-protection aids like

earplugs, ear-muffs, noise helmets, headphones etc. must be provided
to reduce occupational exposure.
Ear plugs are simple to use, inexpensive and can be relatively
comfortable.

Ear Muffs provides a complete cushion entirely surrounding and

isolating each ear.

Helmets normally consists of a shells of reinforced and glass fibre

lined with sound proofing material formed into a close filling seal
around the face and neck together with fitted ear pad or ear proofs.

ii. Suppression of Noise at Source:

This is possible if working methods are improved by:

(a) Designing, fabricating and using quiet machines to replace the

noisy ones.

(b) Proper lubrication and better maintenance of machines.

(c) Installing noise 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 machines.

(f) Using mufflers silencers to control noise from automobiles, ducts,

exhausts etc. and convey system with ends opening into the
atmosphere.

(g) Using glass wool or mineral wool covered with a sheet of

perforated metal for the purpose of mechanical protection.

iii. Acoustic Zoning:

Increased distance between source and receiver by zoning of noisy
industrial areas. Bus terminals and railway stations, aerodromes etc.
away from the residential areas would go a long way in minimising
noise pollution. There should be silence zones near the residential
area, educational instatements and above all, near hospitals.

iv. Sound Insulation at Construction Stages:

(a) Sound travels through the cracks that get left between the door and
the wall. For reducing noise, this space (jamb frame gap) 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.)

v. Planting of Trees:

Planting green trees and shrubs along roads, hospitals, educational

institutions etc., help in noise reduction to a considerable extent.

vi. Legislative Measures:

Strict legislative measures need to be enforced to curb the menace of

noise pollution.

Some of these measures could be:

(a) Minimum use of loud speakers and amplifiers especially near

silence zones.

(b) Banning pressure horns in automobiles.

(c) Framing a separate Noise Pollution Act.

6. Automobile Noise Pollution:

Automobile noise pollution is assuming increasing dimensions with

increase in the number of vehicles and urbanisation. The explosion of
gases inside the engine cylinder puts a forces on the bearings, causing
the outside of the engine to vibrate and produce noise. Wheeling buses
and racing cars and trucks are yet another source of noise produced
due to the friction of tyres on road.

Most annoying source, however, is horn honking and driving silencer-

less vehicles. Diesel engine trucks are generally 10 dB nosier than
petrol engine trucks and 12 to 18 dB nosier than cars. Technologies for
noise emissions control and legislative measures regarding the use of
horn and silencers have been discussed.

i. Motor Vehicle Noise:

Motor cycles and scooters to produce noise for fun. Horn honking is a
major source of noise in our areas. Drivers have long been notorious
for their horn honking, they honk not only at other vehicles but also at
people walking along the road, especially pretty girls.

The surface transportation threshold noise levels recommended by

MCGB are based on landscape categories e.g., residential, business,
commercial, industrial etc. Highway noise in the collective
contribution of noise produced by individual motor vehicles. Today,
highway vehicles continue to have a tremendous noise impact.

ii. Rail Transport Noise 90-110 dB:

Rail transport noise results from operations of railcars, locomotives

and warning signals. The major source of noise are railway wheel
noise and population system noise. Fast trains produce more noise
due to friction of wheels on the railway tracks. Noise levels in subways
are harsh. Many commuters spend considerable period daily on
subways, where the sound levels are very close to 90 dB or even
higher.

iii. Aircraft Noise 100-110 dB:

The take-off and landing of an aircraft produce noise. The higher the
speed of an aircraft, the greater is the noise pollution. Another source
of noise pollution connected with aircrafts is scaring of birds. One
method of moving birds from air field is to scare them with strong
noise stimuli.

Various types of devices for noise making have been used for this
purpose. Air craft noise has become a problem now-a-days. It has
become an increasing sources of annoyance to the large number of
people who live in the vicinity of air ports.

Project Report # 7. Noise Pollution Control in Automobiles:

For noise emission control, the only alternative is to reduce noise at

sources.

This could be done by:

(a) Avoiding the engine enclosure as far as possible.

(b) Alternating the timings of fuel injection and the control of airflow
to the cylinder.

(c) Reduce the coupling between the engine block and the engine
head.

(d) By reducing the engine revolution per minute.

(e) By increasing the size of silencer.