Unit 5.

Noise pollution and control

Air Pollution and Control
7th Sem
Dr. Raghava Aditya
 Introduction
 What is noise ?
 Noise is an unpleasant and unwanted sound. It is a result of modern
industrialized urban life.
 Loudness and duration are important factors which convert sound
into noise.
 Noise can be very annoying and effects the peaceful living of
humans and animals.
Noise Pollution

 The importance of noise pollution as an environmental

problem is being recognized.
 Although it is not fatal to human life, it can indirectly cause a
lot of physical and mental problems.
Major sources of noise pollution

 Industrial sources: In many cities, the industrial such as paper

mills, textile mills, pharmaceutical industries etc are located
close to residential locations.
 As a result, people are exposed to a lot of noise from
industries.
 Transportation systems: Increase in traffic and congestion has
led to a lot of noise pollution. Sources include vehicle horns,
engines.
 Vehicular noise can arise from automobiles, two-wheelers,
aircrafts, trucks, trains etc.
 Major sources of noise pollution

 Construction activity: It is a major source of noise pollution

nowadays. With the ever increasing construction activity,
equipment like drilling equipment, rock crushers, excavators, cranes
etc have become a major sources of noise pollution.
 Many of these equipment are used day and night.
 Major sources of noise pollution
 Household: different sources of household noise pollution include
mixer-grinders, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, Loud
television, crying infants etc.
 Public address systems: In a country like India, public address
systems like mikes and loudspeakers are used extensively. They are
used for marriages, religious festivals, advertising, political rallies,
elections etc.
 The noise from these systems can be for a long duration and
annoying.
 Agricultural equipment like tractors, tube wells, harvesters etc.
 Defence equipment : include military airplanes, tanks, shooting
practices etc.
Effects of Noise
 Noise can be a serious heath hazard.
 It has many long term consequences on humans and animals.
 Hearing loss: Depending on the duration of exposure, excessive noise can
lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss in humans.
 The ear drum in humans can undergo damage if it is exposed to repetitive
noises such as excavations and blasting.
 Physical effects:
 The different physical effects of noise on human body can include:
 Headache, fluctuations in blood flow, increased heart-rate, eye strain,
impairment of night vision, digestive problems etc.
Effects of Noise

 Psychological effects:
 Exposure to continuous noise can lead to several psychological
effects such as:
 Insomnia ( lack of sleep or reduction of sleep)
 Depression and fatigue
 Emotional disturbance and irritation
 Straining of senses due to persistent noises such as phones, vehicles,
machines etc.
Measurement of sound

 Sound is a form of energy that travels through different media in the form of
waves.
 It traves through the air in the form of compressional waves at the speed of 331
m/s.
 Intensity and frequency are two parameters that characterize sound.
 Intensity is Energy / (unit area x time) . The louder the sound, the more
the intensity.
 Intensity (I) = power / area and is measured as W/m2
Measurement of sound

 The intensity of sound is generally measured on a scale known as Decibel

(db)
 Intensity (db) = 10 log 10 (I/Io)
 Here I o is called the ‘reference intensity’. It is the lowest intensity of sound a
normal human ear can hear.
 The reference intensity (Io ) is generally taken as 1x10-12 W / m2
 The decibel scale begins with zero.
 A sound that is 10 times more intense than Io is 10 db.
Measurement of sound

 Example 1. The sound intensity in a garden is 3x 10-10 W/m2. What is the

sound in decibels (db) ?

Given, I = 3x 10-10 W/m2

db = 10 log 10 (I/Io)
= 10 log (3x10-10 / 1 x 10-12)
= 10 log (300) = 24.7 db
Measurement of sound

 Frequency effects the pitch of the sound. Lower frequency sound is

deeper and high frequency sound is shrill.

 The human ear is sensitive to frequencies in the range of 20 Hz to

20,000 Hz. However it is more sensitive to frequencies around 100 Hz.

 Animals like dogs can sense frequencies beyond 40,000 Hz.

Levels of noise for various sources of sound

Source of sound Sound level in db

Lowest audible sound to human ear 0

Normal breathing 20

Conversation between two persons 40

Small restaurant 60

Traffic on a busy road 70

Jet aircraft 300 m above ground 100

Front of a music concert 110

Jet aircraft at takeoff 130

Levels of noise for various sources of sound

 The human ear should not be exposed o continuous noise above 115 db.
 It should not be subjected to sudden or impact noise of more than 140 db.
Levels of noise for various sources of sound

 Example 2. Two persons are talking on a railway platform at 55 db. The

sound of a nearby train engine is 75 db. How many times is the sound of the
engine higher than the two persons talking ?

 Let intensity of the people talking = I p

 Let intensity of the engine sound = Ie
 55 = 10 log (I p/Io) ……. (Eq. 1)
 75 = 10 log (Ie/Io) ……… (Eq. II)
 By subtracting Eq.1 from Eq II, we get:
 20 = 10 log (Ie/Io) - 10 log (Ip/Io) = 10 log (Ie/Ip)
 2 = log (Ie/Ip)
 Ie/Ip = 102 = 100 Therefore sound of engine is 100 times higher
Safety standards

 Permissible noise exposure to industrial workers

Noise level (db) Duration

90 Up to 8 hours
96 Up to 4 hours
102 30 minutes
111 3-4 minutes
114 Less than 2 minutes
Safety standards

 The following are the noise pollution safety standards established by the
pollution control board
 However, the noise levels in many cities in India are much higher than these
standards

Area Noise (day time) db Noise (night time) db

Industrial area 75 70
Commercial area 65 55
Residential area 55 45
Silence zone 50 40
Measurement of noise

 Sound level meters or Decibel meters are commonly used for measuring
the level of noise pollution.
 These are commonly used at construction sites, roads, industrial areas,
airports etc for monitoring the sound pollution levels.
Measurement of noise

 Sound level meters are small hand-held devices that are used for
measuring sound levels.
 These devices have a microphone which picks up the sound.
 The variation in air pressure due to the sound oscillates a diaphragm inside
the microphone.
 This movement is converted into an electric signal and the corresponding
sound level is displayed on the LCD screen in db.
Control of Noise Pollution
 Noise pollution can be effectively controlled by taking the following
measures:
 1. Control at receiver’s end: For people working in noisy environments and
industries, ear-protection equipment like ear-plugs, ear-muffs etc must be
provided to reduce their exposure to high levels of noise.
Control of Noise Pollution

 2. Reduction of noise at source: Noise can be reduced at the source by

using some of the following means:
 Maintaining old machinery and prevent them from getting noisy
 Using sound-proof chambers for operating loud machinery
 Using vibration damping material like rubber, plastic or cork to reduce the
noise from vibrating machines
 Using silencers to control the noise from automobiles, exhausts etc.
 Control of Noise Pollution

 Acoustic zoning
 This means, classification of a city into different zones based on the amount
of noise generated.
 proper planning and division of a city should be done based on the noise
levels.
 Right amount of distance between residential areas and noisy areas like
industries, airports, railway stations etc should be maintained.
 Proper silence zones have to be maintained near hospitals, educational
institutes etc.
 Control of Noise Pollution
 Sound insulation in buildings:
 Material like plywood, acoustic tiles, thermocole, carpet etc can be used
on walls, and ceilings of buildings to reduce noise.
 Filling the gaps near windows and doors with sound-insulating material.
 Repairing and maintenance of building components to prevent cracks.
Sound propagates easily through cracks.
Control of Noise Pollution

 Planting of trees near schools, hospitals, educational institutes etc helps in

reducing noise pollution significantly.

 Legislative measures: Strict legislative measures should be taken to curtail

noise pollution. These can include:
 Implementing fines/penalty for using loudspeakers near silence zones.
 Using no-horn zones on traffic in specific locations.
 Taking strict action against people violating the noise level standards.
Status of air pollution in India and future
Air pollution in India
 According to a 2019 study, 21 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in
India.
 India is the 5th highest polluting country in the world.
 A vast majority of Indian population is experiencing health hazards due to
the high levels of air pollution.
 Most of the air pollution is caused by:
 Industries (around 50%)
 Transportation (around 27%)
 Crop burning (around 16%)
 Domestic cooking (7%)
Air pollution trends in India
 India is the third highest producer of greenhouse gases behind USA and
China.
 The Air (Prevention and control of pollution) act was started in 1981, but it
has failed to reduce the air pollution levels in India.
 While industries, transportation and construction are the major causes of
pollution in Cities, cooking and burning of firewood/ bio-waste in the major
source of air pollution on rural areas.
 Delhi is the most polluted city in India and also one of the most polluted
cities in the world.
 Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Patna and Chennai are some of the other
highest polluted cities in India.
Air pollution trends in India

 India has one of the highest concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in the
world.
 The concentrations of PM are 5-10 times higher than the safety standards
recommended by world health organization (WHO)
 The pollution levels have been increasing over the last one decade in India.
 Asthma and lung infections have become the leading health issues caused
by air pollution.
 Pollution levels are higher in Winter months and slightly lower in the
Monsoon season due to the cleansing action of precipitation.
 National Clean Air Program
 To address these issues of air pollution, the Govt. of India inaugurated the National
Clean Air Program (NCAP) in 2019.
 The NCAP regularly monitors four pollutants SOx, NOx, PM10 and PM2.5
 Air pollution readings are taken twice a week across 115 cities and several towns in
India. Meteorological data like wind speed, temperature etc is also collected.
 The NCAP has a target of reducing the PM concentration by 25-30% by the year
2024.
Future trends and improvements
 Sulphur Dioxide levels are decreasing in residential areas of Delhi.
Mumbai, Lucknow and Bhopal in recent years. This has been attributed to
the introduction of cleaner fuels and the increased availability and usage
of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG).
 The government in New Delhi introduced the “odd/even” rule in late 2017.
This simply means that cars with a registration plate ending in an even
number are excluded from the city center on certain days of the week.
Future trends and improvements

 In rural areas, farmers are being encouraged to hire a machine which converts
organic waste to fertilizer thus eliminating the need to burn the straw at the end of
each harvest.
 India’s goals over the next few years to reduce air pollution include the introduction
of over 1,000 electrically powered buses and the upgrading of engines using fossil
fuels to meet the stringent BS6 standards.
 Increase in education and communication is increasing the awareness of people
about the dangers of air pollution.
Future trends and improvements

 One of the initiatives being considered is the creation of a 1,600 kilometre

long and 5 meter wide “green” corridor from Gujarat to Delhi with the
planting of 1.35 billion native trees over the next ten years in order to
naturally clean the air.
 The reduction of carbon emissions is hoped to reduce CO2 gases by 20
per cent by 2030 and to reach zero by 2075.
 Delhi is almost free from the use of kerosene as a fuel and almost 90 per
cent of the residents now use LPG (NPG) for cooking.
End