Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Air and Noise Pollution Exam
Air and Noise Pollution Exam
Introductory lecture:
1. The seven criteria pollutants
2. How tropospheric ozone is formed and the difference between tropospheric and
stratospheric ozone
3. Pollutants that are associated with the formation of acid rain
4. What a temperature inversion is and how it affects the dispersion of pollutants
Air monitoring lecture:
Noise Pollution
Exam Questions
Section A
AIR POLLUTION
(50 marks)
Question A1 (5 marks):
The NEPM sets maximum air pollutant concentrations. What is the maximum concentration for lead?
Lead levels are now usually 10% of the limit value ≈ 50 ng/m3 (limit value is 500
ng/m3)
Question A2 (5 marks):
Name a common method of measuring Tropospheric Ozone.
Question A3 (5 marks):
What is legislative framework underpinning the NPI and what does it set out?
Industries that exceed given threshold levels (normally related to production amounts)
are required to estimate emissions and submit a report annually
Government estimates emissions from other sources and all data is collected in a
national database
At present NPI includes emissions for 93 substances. It is hoped that in the future
greenhouse gases and ozone depleting substances will be included
Question A4 (5 marks):
Name the seven (7) most significant air pollutants affecting public health and the environment.
Question A5 (5 marks):
Describe why Meteorology is so important for the air pollution engineer.
Question A6 (5 marks):
In the textbook ‘The Weather Makers’ Tim Flannery states that the ‘planet earth is being run in deficit’.
State the year and population when this first occurred
Question A7 (5 marks):
How many tonnes of CO2equivalent are emitted into the atmosphere if 1 million tonnes to coal and 2
million tonnes of methane are combusted (assume that all the coal and methane are converted to CO 2
and water).
Question A8 (5 marks):
Describe the atmospheric condition that is necessary to allow temperature inversion to occur.
Question A9 (5 marks):
Name the three basic strategies for air pollution control and give an example of each.
Question B1 (3 marks):
Noise pollution can be divided into three main areas. Name the three areas and the relevant
Policing body for each.
-Reducing impact forces, speeds, pressures, radiating area and noise leakage and
friction
Question B2 (4 marks):
Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 states that a place of work is unsafe and a risk to health if
any person is exposed to what noise levels?
Meaning of exposure standard for noise
In this regulation:
exposure standard for noise, in relation to a person, means—
(a) LAeq,8h of 85 dB(A); or
(b) LC,peak of 140 dB(C).
In this section:
LAeq,8h means the eight-hour equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level in decibels (dB(A))
referenced to 20 micropascals, determined in accordance with AS/NZS 1269.1:2005 (Occupational noise
management— Measurement and assessment of noise immission and exposure).
LC,peak means the C-weighted peak sound pressure level in decibels (dB(C)) referenced to
20micropascals, determined in accordance with AS/NZS 1269.1:2005 (Occupational noise
management—Measurement and assessment of noise immission and exposure).
Question B3 (5 marks):
If you had four noise sources that individually measured sound pressure levels of 84 dB, 71 dB,
82 dB and 90 dB. What sound pressure level would you measure if all four sources operated
simultaneously? Show all working.
Question B4 (4 marks):
Qualitatively and quantitatively describe the term p o?
Question B5 (4 marks):
The assessment procedure for industrial noise sources under the NSW Industrial Noise Policy
sets two separate noise criteria to meet the environmental noise objectives. Name and describe
the two assessment criteria
Two criteria
The policy sets two separate noise criteria to meet environmental noise objectives: one to
account for intrusive noise and the other to protect the amenity of particular land uses.
1. Assessing intrusiveness
For assessing intrusiveness, the background noise needs to be measured. An objective
procedure is outlined in Section 3.1.
The intrusiveness criterion essentially means that the equivalent continuous (energy-
average) noise level of the source should not be more than 5 deci- bels (dB) above the
measured background level.
2. Assessing amenity
The amenity assessment is based on noise criteria specific to land use and associated
activities. (SeeTable 2.1.) The criteria relate only to industrial-type noise and do not
include road, rail or community noise. The existing noise level from industry is measured.
(See Section 3.2.) If it approaches the criterion value, then noise levels from new indus-
tries need to be designed so that the cumulative effect does not produce noise levels that
would significantly exceed the criterion. (See Table 2.2.) For high-traffic areas there is a
separate amenity crite- rion (Section 2.2.3). The cumulative effect of noise from industrial
sources needs to be considered in assessing impact (Section 2.2.4).
Question B6 (3 marks):
Define the term Leqand give 2 examples of where it is commonly used.
Question B7 (2 marks):
Which authority could you contact if an offensive noise source was from:
a. Jet Ski? EPA environment line? Police Assistant line
b. Domestic air conditioner? Local council
Question B8 (5 marks):
The sound pressure level from a busy road on a flat open surface (assume line source) is
measured at 100 dB(A) at a distance of 10m. Assume free field conditions. Calculate the sound
pressure level at a distance of 160m.
The following strategies are effective noise control strategies at the source
-Reducing impact forces
The following strategies are effective noise control strategies at the source
-Reducing impact forces