NOISE POLLUTION AND ITS CONTROL

What is noise ?
In simple terms, noise is unwanted sound. Sound is a
form of energy which is emitted by a vibrating body
and on reaching the ear causes the sensation of
hearing through nerves.
Sounds produced by all vibrating bodies are not
audible. The frequency limits of audibility are from 20
HZ to 20,000 HZ.
A noise problem generally consists of three interrelated elements- the source, the receiver and the
transmission path. This transmission path is usually
Barri the
atmosphere through which the sound is propagated,
er
Path the structural materials of any building
but can include
Source the receiver
Receiver
containing
(See Fig.)
Sourc
e

Path

Receiv
er

Fig. : Inter-relationship between the elements of

Difference between Noise and Sound

Noise
Sound
Excessive / unwanted It is a form of energy which is
sound
emitted by a vibrating body
and on reaching the ear
causes
the
sensation
of
hearing through nerves
It is generally consists
of three inter-related
elements - the Source,
the Receiver and the
Transmission path
Noise
may
continuous
intermittent

It produced by all vibrating

bodies are not audible. The
frequency limits of audibility
are from 20 HZ to 20,000 HZ.

be Sounds of frequencies less

or than
20
HZ
are
called
infrasonics and greater than
20,000
HZ
are
called
ultrasonics

Noise may be continuous or

intermittent. Noise may be of high
frequency or of low frequency
Sounds of frequencies less than 20
HZ are called infrasonics and
greater than 20,000 HZ are called
ultrasonics. Since noise is also a
sound, the terms noise and sound
are synonymously used and are
followed in this module.

Noise and Sound

NoiseExcessive or unwanted sound
which potentially results in annoyance
and/or hearing loss (can be from
occupational and/or non-occupational
sources)
SoundA pressure variation (wave)
that travels through air and is detected
by the human ear
manifestation of noise is a pressure
wave
Caused by vibrating surfaces
We cant measure acoustic energy

Noise
Focus is on preventing hearing loss
associated with noise exposure
There are other physiologic effects of noise
hearing loss has been observed for centuries
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, few people
were exposed to high noise levels

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)

workers are employed in wide range of
industries
Agriculture, mining, construction,
manufacturing, transportation, military
NIOSH estimates that > 4 million production
workers are exposed to hazardous noise
This represents approximately 17% of all

The intensity of sound is measured in sound

pressure levels (SPL) and common unit of
measurement is decibel, dB. The community
(ambient) noise levels are measured in the A weighted SPL, abbreviated dB(A). This scale
resembles the audible response of human ear.
Sounds of frequencies from 800 to 3000 HZ are
covered by the A - weighted scale. If the sound
pressure level, L1 in dB is measured at r1 meters,
then the sound pressure level, L2 in dB at r2
meters is given by,
L2 = L1 - 20 log10 (r2/r1) ...... (1)
If the sound levels are measured in terms of
pressure, then, sound pressure level, LP is given

The sound pressure is the pressure exerted at a

point due to a sound producing source (see.
Fig.)

o ) ) ))) * SPL
The above Figure shows the definition of sound
pressure
Day-night equivalent noise levels (Ldn):
The day night equivalent noise levels of a
community can be expressed as
Ldn, dB(A) = 10 x log10 [15/24 (10 Ld/10 ) + 9/24
(10 (Ln + 10)/10) ]
.......... (3)
where, Ld = day-equivalent noise levels (from
6AM - 9 PM),

A sound level of 10 dB is added to Ln due to the

low ambient sound levels during night for
assessing the Ldn values.
Addition of sound levels:
The effective sound levels form two or more
sources cannot be simply added algebraically.
For example, the effective sound level from two
air conditioners 60 dB(A) each, say is not 60 +
60 = 120 dB (A) but 60 + 3 = 63 dB(A). (See
Table). Similarly, the effective sound level of 57
dB, 63 dB, 63 dB, 66 dB and 69 dB is 72 dB. The
computation is illustrated below.

57
63
66
63
69
72
66
72
69

L1 - L2, dB

Add to L1

0 or 1
2 or 3

3 dB
2 dB

4-8
9 or more

1 dB
0 dB

Physics of Sound
Theory
The vibration of a source causes pressure changes in air
which result in pressure waves Perceived sound is
comprised of numerous pressure waves of varying
characteristics
Pressure wave characteristics
Amplitude: The amount of sound pressure measured in
decibels (dB)
Frequency: The rate of vibration per unit time measured
in cycles per second, more commonly known as hertz
(Hz); range of normal perception for young person is 20
20,000 Hz
Octave Bands
Quantifies effective frequencies without looking at each frequency
one at a time
Standardized notation used to characterize the frequency
dependence of noise
Characterized by center frequency

Sound Pressure
Pressure is fundamental to acoustics
Definition
Pressure = force per unit area
Units : Newtons per square meter (N/m2) or Called a
Pascal (modern unit) or Dynes per square centimeter
(D/cm2)Not commonly used
Human hearing covers a wide range of sound
pressures
Threshold of hearing: 0.00002 Pa
Loud noise: 200 Pa
Decibel (dB) scale is a log-based scale developed to
quantify sound
Compresses range to 0140 dB
Scale starts at zero when sound pressure equals the
threshold of human hearing
A healthy human ear responds to a very wide range of
SPL from - the threshold of hearing at zero dB,

Sound Pressure Level (SPL) and

Sound Pressure (Pa)

Typical noise levels of some point sources

Source

Noise level
dB(A)

Source

Noise level,
dB(A)

Air compressors

95-104

Quiet garden

30

110 KVA diesel

generator

95

Ticking clock

30

Lathe Machine

87

Computer
rooms

55-60

Milling machine

112

Type institute

60

Oxy-acetylene cutting

96

Printing press

80

Pulveriser

92

Sports car

80-95

Riveting

95

Trains

96

Power operated
portable saw

108

Trucks

90-100

Steam turbine (12,500

kW)

91

Car horns

90-105

Pneumatic Chiseling

118

Jet takeoff

120

Leq (equivalent noise level) :

Steady sounds are easily measured using the "fast"
response and unsteady sounds using "slow"
response. When measuring long-term noise
exposure, the noise level is not always steady and
may vary considerably, in an irregular way over the
measurement period. This uncertainty can be
solved by measuring the continuous equivalent
level, which is defined as, the constant sound
pressure level which would have produced the same
total energy as the actual level over the given time.
Leq can also be calculated
Leq = L50 + (L10 - L90)2 / 60 ----------------(4)
Noise Climate (NC): It is the range over which the
sound levels are fluctuating in an interval of time
NC = L10 - L90
------------------------

Sound Pressure
Decibel scale
Energy / Reference
Decibel = 10 [Acoustic
Log
Energy]is the threshold of human
Reference energy
hearing
10 * Bel = decibel (dB)
Sound pressure level (SPL)

Decibel Scale
Acoustic energy cannot be readily
measured
Acoustic energy is proportional to the
square of the sound pressure
Therefore

Decibel Scale
Which is the same as

dB = 10 log10[ / 0 ]2 = 20 log10
[ /0 ]
Where p is the sound pressure, and
po is the reference which is equal to
the threshold of human hearing (i.e.,
0.00002 Pa or 20 Pa)

Challenges
Reducing noise exposure in
industry
is
difficult
since
guarding
and
sound-proofing
materials make machines harder
to clean or are hard to clean
themselves, noise reduction is
expensive, etc.
Hearing protection is not very

Aircraft Noise

The noise of aircraft is described in terms of Perceived

Noise Levels (PNL), a scale of noisiness, expressed in
pNdB. There is no simple relationship between the
dB(A) value and pNdB value for all noises. However, a
useful statement is that, the pNdB value for a noise is
approximately 13 units greater than the dB(A) value
for the noise.
A further refinement resulting from the study of
aircraft noise is the Effective Noise Level, a scale of
noisiness of a time-varying event, expressed in EPNdB.
It is used to describe the noise of a single aircraft
activity. In order to describe the noise exposure
associated with an airport, the EPNdB values are
supplemented with such information as the number of
flights of each aircraft type, the flight paths that the
aircraft use and the time of day at which the

Impacts of noise
Why bother about noise?
Often neglected, noise induces a severe impact on humans and on
living organisms. Some of the adverse effects are summarised
below.
Annoyance: It creates annoyance to the receptors due to sound
level fluctuations. The a periodic sound due to its irregular
occurrences causes displeasure to hearing and causes annoyance.
Physiological effects: The physiological features like breathing
amplitude, blood pressure, heart-beat rate, pulse rate, blood
cholesterol are effected.
Loss of hearing: Long exposure to high sound levels cause loss
of hearing. This is mostly unnoticed, but has an adverse impact on
hearing function.
Human performance: The working performance of
workers/human will be affected as they'll be losing their
concentration.
Nervous system: It causes pain, ringing in the ears, feeling of
tiredness, thereby effecting the functioning of human system.
Sleeplessness: It affects the sleeping there by inducing the

Indian Standards for ambient noise levels

Area

Noise Limits, Leq, dB (A)

Day Time

Silence zone

Night Time

50

45

Residential area

55

45

Commercial area

65

55

Industrial area

75

65

1. Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) Guidelines vide

Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 third amendment rules, dated
26/12/89
2. Day time from (06:00 hrs to 21:00 hrs, IST)
3. Night time from (21:00 hrs to 06:00 hrs IST)
4. Silence zone: Up to 100m around hospitals, educational institutions
and courts. The zones are to be declared by competent authority. Use
of vehicle horns, loud speakers and bursting of crackers shall be
banned in these zones.

Application in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies

The EIA study will be carried out to evaluate and assess the impacts of any
proposed (or existing) activity on the environment. Noise is one of the
environmental attributes. The sequential steps involved will be same for both
the activities.
The likely activities that generate noise from the proposed activity are to be
identified
The typical sound (noise) levels of the noise generating sources are to be
assessed either from
literature or from a similar source
The likely exposure time of a worker at a noise generating source is to be
assessed from the
plant / utility records
The workspace environment noise levels are to be checked with OSHA
(Occupational Safety &
Health Administration) standards. If the noise exposure levels are higher,
suitable noise control
measures like personal protective equipment, installation of barriers,
enclosures etc., need to
be suggested
The EIA will usually be carried out in an impact circle of radius 3 Km to 25
Km or even more

Glossary
Noise
Noise is unwanted sound.
Sound
Sound is a form of energy emitted by a vibrating body and on reaching the ear it causes the
sensation of hearing through nerves.
Infrasonics
The sound of frequency less than 20HZ.
Ultrasonics
The sound of frequency more than 20,000 HZ.
Decibel, dB
It is measurement unit of sound, represented by dB.
Ldn
The day-night equivalent value of sound level. The day is counted from 6AM to 9PM (15hrs)
and night from 9PM- 6AM (9hrs).
Frequency analysis
It allows to separate the main components of the signals by dividing the frequency bands
using a set of filters.
A-weighted scale
It resembles the audible response of human ear. Represented as dB(A).
Equivalent sound level, Leq
It is the constant sound pressure level which would have produced the same total energy as
the actual sound level over the given time. It is denoted as Leq.
L10, L50 and L90
The Sound levels exceeding 10%, 50% and 90% of the total time intervals during a particular
period are designated as L10, L50 and L90 respectively.
Perceived Noise Levels (PNL)
The noise of aircraft is described in terms of Perceived Noise Levels (PNL), a scale of
noisiness, expressed in pNdB

Review Questions
1. What is the difference between sound and noise?
2. What is the frequency range of infrasonic and ultrasonics?
3. What is the purpose of frequency analysis?
4. What are the frequencies used for frequency analysis?
5. List out typical sources of noise pollution.
6. What are the impacts of noise?
7. What are the methods to control noise pollution?
8. What are the noise exposure limits in a workspace environment?
9. What are the ambient noise limits?
10.How to document the noise levels ?
11.Write short notes on - (a) aircraft noise (b) application of noise pollution
and its control in EIA studies (c) noise reduction at source (d) noise
reduction by engineered control of its transmission path .
12.Find out the reduction in noise levels if the source is at (i) 2m (ii) 4m, (iii)
6m (iv) 10m (v) 100m from your place (Hint: use equation (1))
13.Find out the noise levels in decibels, if the sound pressure level
measured in N/m2 was 2 x 10 -4 (ii) 6 x 10 -3 (iii) 8 x 10 -2 (iv) 10 x 10 -3 (v)
3 x 10 -1 .
14.Find out the day-night equivalent noise levels if Ld = 70 dB(A) and Ln =
52 dB(A). If Ldn value were to be in safe limits, which is the best suited
habitant zone. Give reasons.
15.Find out the barrier dimensions required for a noise reduction of 15 dB at
(a) 500 Hz (b) 1000 Hz (c) 2000 Hz (d) 4000 Hz (e) 8000 Hz
16.Find out the effective noise level from five sources of 50dB, 55 dB, 62 dB,

Sound Pressure Exercises

Q. If sound pressure is 0.02 Pa, what is
the sound pressure level?
Ans: 20 x log (0.02 Pa / 0.00002 Pa) = 60
dB
Q. If sound pressure is 0.06 Pa, what is
the sound pressure level?
Ans : 20 x log (0.06 Pa / 0.00002 Pa) =
69.5 dB
Since SPLs are based on a log scale,
they cannot be added directly, i.e., 80 dB
+ 80 dB 160 dB
SPLT = 10 x log [ni=1 10 (SPL i /10) ]

Q. Given two machines producing 80 dB

each, what is the total SPL?
Ans: SPLT = 10 x log [ni=1 10 (SPL i /10) ]
= 10 log 10 (80 / 10) + 10
( 2 x 108) = 83 dB

(80 / 10)

= 10 x log

Important rule of thumb

Adding two sound pressure levels of
equal value will always result in a 3 dB
increase!
80 dB + 80 dB = 83 dB
100 dB + 100 dB = 103 dB

Q. Given four machines producing 100

dB, 91dB, 90 dB, and 89 dB respectively,
what is the total sound pressure level?
Ans : SPLT = 10 x log [ni=1 10

(SPL i /10)

=10 Log [10

+10 (89/10) ]

+ 10

(100/10)

+10

(91/10)

(90/10)

=10 Log [1010 + 109.1 + 109 + 108.9 ] =

101.2 dB

Solved examples
Ex 1: If the distance from a noise source is doubled, find out the
noise levels.
Sol:
Given, r2 = 2r1 We have, L2 = L1 - 20log10 (r2/r1) Substituting, we get,
L2 = L1 - 20 log10 (2r1/r1) = L1 - 20 log10(2) i.e., L2 = L1 - 20 x 0.301 =
L1 - 6.02 i.e., the noise level will decrease by 6 dB for doubling of
distance from the source.
Ex 2: The noise levels at a particular location are 65dB, 70dB and
78dB measured during an hour of the day. Find out the average
noise levels at the location.
Sol:
Given, L1 = 65dB, L2 = 70dB, L3 = 75dB The noise levels are to be
logarithmically averaged. Average of L1, L2 & L3 = L (say). Convert
the noise levels from decibels to bels. i.e. L1 = 65dB or 6.5 bels, L2
= 70dB or 7.0 bels , L3 = 78dB or 7.8 bels
L = 10 x log10 ([10 6.5 + 10 7.0 + 10 7.8 ] / 3 ) = 10 x log10
[25419337.37] = 10 x 7.405 = 74.05dB. Average noise level is
74.05 dB.

Ex 4:
It is required to find out the day-night equivalent noise levels at a location.
The three-hourly day average values in dB are 48, 54, 56, 52, 61 and
three-hourly night average values in dB are 36,42,48. Compute Ldn.
Sol :
(i) Day equivalent noise levels. Lde = 10 x log 10 ([10 4.8 + 10 5.4 + 10 5.6 +
10 5.2 + 10 6.1 ]/5) = 56.29 dB.
(ii) Night equivalent noise levels. Lne = 10 x log 10 ([10 3.6 + 10 4.2 + 10
4.8
]/3) = 44.41dB.
(iii) Day-night equivalent noise level Ldn.
Ldn = 10 x log10 [15/24 (10 Lde/10 ) + 9/24 (10
= 10 x log10 [15/24 x 10
103522}

5.629

+ 9/24 x 10

5.441

((Lne +10)/10)

)]

] = 10 x log10 {265999 +

= 55.68dB
Ex.5. What barrier dimensions are necessary in order that the barrier
provide 20 dB attenuation at 500 HZ.
Sol:
H2/R must be atleast 10ft in order to achieve the desired attenuation.
This can be accomplished by selecting different values for H and R for

1. Human Ear can detect sounds in the frequency range of about

------------------a) 20 Hz b) 20-20,000Hz
c) 40,000Hz
d) 24,000 Hz
2. Unit of measuring noise is --------------------------a)Dopson b)Decimel c) Decibel d) Dobson
3. The permitted noise level in a silant zone during day time is ------------------a)65
b)55
c)50
d)70
4. Human generated noise in the ocean may interfere with marine organisms
a) Communication
b) mobility c) food finds ability
d) migration
5. When a person exposed to a voice level of 160 decibels for long time
causes
a)Annoyance b)Restlessness c)Tiredness
d)Rupture of tymphonic
membrane
6. For one megawatt energy generation, nuclear power plant requires colling
water each day -------Cooling water each day.
b) 1:3 million m3 b) 0.3 million m3
c) 1 million m3 d) 5 million m3
7. Thermal pollution in a river ------------------a) reduces the O2 Disssolution
b) increases O2 solubility
c)
stabilizes O2 level d) none of the above
8. urban heat island is nothing but -------------------c) a dome of cool air over the urban area
b) a dome of warm air over
the urban area c) a dome of noise pollution over the urban area
d) reduced wind speed over the urban area
9. Chondrococcus columnaris is harmless to fish at 10C but causes diseases

10. The thermal pollution of water in a industrial process can be

a) used for cogeneration b) used to heat building to remove snow
c)
used to deice canals
d) all the above
11. Tinnitus is due to a)Water pollution
b) Noise Pollution
c)Soil pollution
d)Xenobiotics
12. The major effect of discharging heated water from power plants to
aquatic ecosystems a)Reduction in DO concentration
b) Reduction
in Biodiversity of the ecosystem