NOISE POLLUTION

Contents
• Noise: Concept and Characteristics
• Noise Pollution
• Characteristics of Noise
• Kinds of Noise
• Sources of Noise Pollution
• Effects of Noise Pollution
• Control of Noise Pollution
Sound
Sound is a vibration that propagates as a mechanical wave
of pressure and displacement, through some medium (i.e.
air or water).
Audible Range
 What is Noise Pollution?
• “Noise” is defined as an unwanted sound or sound disrupts one’s
quality of life.
• When the noise is beyond tolerance in the environment, it is
termed as noise pollution.
• Sound becomes undesirable when it disturbs the normal activities
such as working, sleeping, and during conversations.
• It is an underrated environmental problem because of the fact
that we can’t see, smell, or taste it.
• World Health Organization stated that:
“Noise must be recognized as a major threat to human well-being”
Characteristics of Noise
• Sound pressure
• Frequency
• Duration
• Time of the day
• Location
• Intermittency
 Kinds of Noise

Impulse or Impact Variable or Intermittent

Continuous
Sources of Noise Pollution
• Residential Sources
• Transportation Sources
• Commercial and Industrial activities
• Natural sources
 Residential Sources
Food Mixer

TV

Cake Mixer

Vacuum Cleaner
Washing machine
and Dryer

Air Conditioner

Cooler
 Transportation Sources

Road Traffic Noise

Aircraft Noise

Noise from Rail Roads

Commercial and Industrial Activities
• Construction Sites
• Printing Presses
• Manufacturing Industries
Sources of Construction Noise
• Pneumatic Hammers
• Air Compressors
• Bulldozers
• Loaders
• Dump Trucks
• Pavement breakers
 Sources of Industry Noise
• Machinery or machine tools,
• Duct
• Blower systems

Fans

Motors
High-speed rotating Pneumatic Equipment
or stamping
operations
Impacts of Noise Pollution
• Long Term
• Short Term
• Reversible Impacts
• Irreversible Impacts
• Direct Impacts
• Indirect Impacts
Effects of Noise Pollution
• Annoyance
• Physiological Effects
• Loss of Hearing
• Human Performance
• Nervous System
• Sleeplessness
• Damage to Material
Guidelines Suggested by OSHA for Industrial
Noise Exposure
Level Exposure Maximum Allowable
Duration (Hrs.) Level dB (A)
8 90
6 92
4 95
3 97
2 100
1.5 102
1 105
0.5 110
< 0.25 115
Engineering measures
• Noise transmission control:
• Use barriers to reflect noise
• Use sound absorbing materials
• Enclosure sources or receivers

• Receiver control:
• Use remote control to operate noisy equipment
• Land use: locate noisy equipment far from populated areas
• Use ear protective devices
• Run noisy operations when not many people around

• Source emission control

Sound transmission loss
Wall
Barriers along the highways
Examples of Source Emission Control
• Use quieter work processes e.g. use pliers instead of
hammer when possible

• Isolate vibrating parts/equipment from surfaces by using

flexible connections or absorbing materials

• Reduce the fall height of materials

• Modify frequency of sound generated by equipment

Why Frequency Modification
• High frequency sound is more harmful but strongly directional
and easily reflected from a hard surface … easy to insulate or
shield and hence reduce with distance faster than low
frequency sounds
• Low frequency sound travels far and in all directions shielding
is not effective … difficult to control
• When noise can’t be controlled, reduce it at source by
changing frequency
• For sources at distance, change to higher frequency sound which
can’t travel far hence less disturbing
• For sources in vicinity, change equipment to generate low frequency
and hence less harmful
• When source control is applied, better change to high
frequency sound as it is easier to shield
Basic Concepts and Terms
Nature of Sound

 Sound is a sequence of physical vibrations (sound

waves) in gases, liquids and solids
 Sound in atmosphere produced when a sound source
sets the air particles nearest to it in wave motion. The
motion spreads to air particles far from the sound
source.
 Sound propagation velocity at room temperature is 340
m/s in air, 1500 m/s in water and 5000 m/s in steel
Basic Aspects of Acoustical Measurement
• Sound Pressure Level (dB)
• Frequency and frequency weighting
• Continous sound: measured by LAeq,T
• LAeq,T: equivalent noise level, A-weighted, (equivalent in
energy to a steady sound) for continuous exposure period T
• LAmax: peak level (averaged for 0.05ms), A or C weighted
• Sound exposure level (SEL): total energy in an event, A or C
weighted
Sound Pressure level: Decibel (dB)
• Sound level (L) measures air vibrations that make up the soun
hearing threshold, in decibels
𝐼 𝑃
L =10 log = 20 log
𝐼𝑜 𝑃𝑜

Where,
L = Sound level (dB)
I, Io = sound intensity (W/m2)
P, Po = sound pressure in Pascal
Io and Po are lowest audible sound
Io = 10-12 W/m2 and Po = 20 x 10-6 N/m2

 L is raised or lowered by 10 dB is considered to

correspond to doubling or halving, respectively, of
the perceived noise level (recent research indicates
that human perceives a sound level as double or
halved at smaller differences in dB)
Loudness Level
• Threshold of hearing is frequency dependent

• Loudness: “The attribute of auditory sensation in terms of

which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet
to loud” OR a psychological quantity used to characterize
sound by its subjective effect on the characteristics of ears

• Loudness level of a sound is determined by comparing it to a

reference sound at 1000 Hz and expressed in “phon”

• Human ear is most sensitive to the sound at 4000 Hz

Adding Noise Levels
• Decibel levels for two or more sounds cannot simply/
arithmetically be added
• When two identical sounds with the same level, frequency
and Phase are added, the sound level is increased by 6 dB
• When two sources consist of sounds with different phases &
frequencies but the same sound level are added then
resulting sound level is increased by 3 dB
• Masking effects: If one source is very loud compared to
others then ears normally perceive only the louder sound e.g.
when difference > 10 dB(A)
Adding Noise Levels