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 inter-related elements- the source, the receiver and the transmission path. This transmission path is usually the atmosphere through which the sound is propagated, but can include the structural materials of any building containing the receiver (See Fig. 1)

Source

Path

Receiver

Source

Path

Receiver

Noise may be continuous or intermittent. Noise may be of high frequency or of low frequency which is undesired for a normal hearing. For example, the typical cry of a child produces sound, which is mostly unfavorable to normal hearing. Since it is unwanted sound, we call it noise. The discrimination and differentiation between sound and noise also depends upon the habit and interest of the person/species receiving it, the ambient conditions and impact of the sound generated during that particular duration of time. There could be instances that, excellently rendered musical concert for example, may be felt as noise and exceptional music as well during the course of the concert! Sounds of frequencies less than 20 HZ are called infrasonics and greater than 20,0000 HZ are called ultrasonics. Since noise is also a sound, the terms noise and sound are synonymously used and are followed in this module. 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.

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 people had defined noise in different language:1.

Harvell: Noise is an unwanted 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.

How it is computed? 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 by, LP = 20 Log10 (P/Po) dB(A) ...... (2) The Lp is measured against a standard reference pressure, Po = 2 x 10-5 N/m2 which is equivalent to zero decibels. The sound pressure is the pressure exerted at a point due to a

sound producing source 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 (10Ld/10) + 9/24 (10(Ln + 10)/10)] ............... (3) where, Ld = day-equivalent noise levels (from 6AM - 9 PM), dB (A) Ln = night equivalent noise levels (from 9 PM - 6 AM), dB (A) The day hours in respect to assessment of noise levels, is fixed from 6 AM - 9 PM (i.e., 15 hrs) and night hours from 9 PM - 6 AM (i.e., 9 hrs). A sound level of 10 dB is added to Ln due to the low ambient sound levels during night for assessing the Ldn values.

Different types of noise and its effects on human beings Noise can be broadly classified under the following three category:1.

Transport noise,2.

Occupational noise,3.

Neighborhood noise.

1)Transport noise Noise arising due to different types of transportation is called transport noise. This can be subdivided into-a.

Road traffic noise: Vehicles on road produce irritation for more people than any other noise source. This is because of steady increase in the number of road vehicles and consequently increases of road traffic density.

Aircraft noise: It differs from road traffic noise in the sense that it is not continuous but intermittent. There are peak noise levels when aircraft fly overhead and land at the airport.c.

Rail traffic noise: The intensity of rail traffic noise is much lower than any other traffic noise.

Usually all railway tracks run through rural areas and so the exposure of rail traffic noise is minimum. 2)Occupational noise: This is mainly produced by industrial machines and processes which affects millions of people. It also includes noise from domestic articles, i.e. , washing machines, vacuum cleaners and so on. Industrial workers are exposed to noise minimum of 8 hours per day and 6 days per week. 3)Neighborhood noise: There are a variety of sources such as, television, radio, DVD players and so on, which disturbs and annoys the general public.

Effects of Noise Pollution: 1.

Deafness, temporary or permanent, is one of the most prevalent effects of noise pollution. Mechanics, locomotive drivers, telephone operators etc all have their hearing impairment.2.

The first and foremost effect of noise is a decrease in the efficiency in working. Research has proved the fact that human efficiency increases with noise reduction.3.

Too much of noise disturbs the rhythms of working, thereby affecting the concentration required for doing a work. Noise of traffic or the loud speakers or different types of horns divert the attention, thus causing harm in the working standard.4.

Fatigue caused is another effect of noise. Due to lack of concentration, people need to devote more time to complete their task, which leads to tiredness and fatigue.5.

Noise pollution acts as a stress invigorator, increasing the stress levels among people.

Sometimes, being surrounded by too much of noise, people can be victims of certain diseases like blood pressure, mental illness, etc.7.

Noise pollution indirectly affects the vegetation. Plants require cool & peaceful environment to grow. Noise pollution causes poor quality of crops.8.

Animals are susceptible to noise pollution as well. It damages the nervous system of theanimals.9.

Noise indirectly weakens the edifice of buildings, bridges and monuments. It creates waves, which can be very dangerous and harmful and put the building in danger condition.10.

Perhaps the most serious problem created by sound pollution is the impact it has on our health. Because sound pollution can trigger the bodys stress response, one of its major health effects is chronic stress and the high levels of stress hormones that go with it. As a result, noise pollution has also been linked with health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke . Its also been linked with musculoskeletal problems, as a Cornell University study on office noise found that those working in noisy office environments can also be less likely to ergonomically adjust their workstations for comfort, which can contribute to physical problems. Noise pollution can also impactsleep quality by preventing sleep and disrupting sleep cycles. And, perhaps most significantly, because chronic stress can lower your immunity to all disease, noise pollution is a general threat to health and wellness.

Biological effects: a.

Headache due to continuous exposure of sound.

Increase in the rate of heart-beat.

Narrowing of arteries

Pain in heart Digestive spasms through anxietys.

Lowering of concentration and effect on memory. Muscular strain and nervous breakdown.

Psychological effects: a.

Depression and fatigue which considerably reduces the efficiency of a person. Insomnia as a result of lack of undisturbed and refreshing sleep. Straining of senses and annoyance as a result of slow but persistent noise from motorcycle, alarm clock, cell bells, telephone rings and so Affecting of psychomotor performance of a person by a loud sounded.

Emotional disturbance.

Below is a table describing the effects observed in various decibel: Noise (dB) Effects Observed0 Threshold of audibility110 Stimulation of reception of skin120 Pa in threshold130135 Nausea, vomiting etc.140 Pain in ear, prolonged exposure causing insanity150 Change in pul se rate160 Minor permanent damage if prolonged190 Major permanent damage in short time

Diseases:

High blood pressure (Hypertension) and Coronary Artery disease (Heart disease).

Statistical analysis: The following table describes noise levels in different cities across the globe. City Noise level (dB) Mumbai 100 to 180Kolkata 90 to 170New Delhi 100 to 160New York 100 to 120Washington 90 to 110Paris 80 to 160London 100 to 160Brussels 100 to 160Amsterdam 90 to 170Bonn 80 to 11 5Frankfurt 110 to 170Athens 80 to 120dB =decibel

Maximum acceptable sound levels in dB inside the buildings: a.

Film, broadcasting, T.V., studies- 30b.

Concrete hall and theaters- 35c.

Hospitals, hotels- 40d.

Office, libraries- 45e.

Shops and banks- 50f.

Restaurants- 55g.

Market- 72 to 82h.

A marriage procession- 80i.

Public meeting- 85 to 95j.

Dropping of a pin on floors- 02

Noise Control Strategies All noise control problem could be fundamentally denoted as: Path Noise control methods generally broken into three parts:1.

Noise control at source,2.

Noise control along the path to receiver,3.

Noise control at the receiver. 1.Noise control at source: The noise pollution can be controlled at the source of generation by applying the below techniques:

Reducing the noise levels from domestic sectors, such as radio, television, DVD players, washing machines, mixers. It can be reduced by their selective and judicious operation.

Regular servicing and tuning, i.e. , maintenance of automobiles will reduce the noise levels.

The vibrations of materials may be controlled using proper foundations, rubber padding etc. to reduce the noise levels.

Speaking at low voices while communication reduces the excess noise levels.

Permission of using loudspeakers in the habitant zone except for important functions should be prohibited.

Proper lubrication and maintenance of machines, vehicles etc. will reduce noise levels. 2.Noise control at path: Once sound has left a source and get established in the surrounding medium, either air or structure, of the building, it would travel some distance before reaching the point at which the noise nuisance will take place. When this situation arises, certain steps have to be taken to reduce the transmission of noises it travels down the path. Alternatively, vibration energy may transmit through building structure, directly and may arise from direct excitation from the source, where a noise source has been directly coupled with conducting path. Following are some of the ways by which we can reduce transmission: Multiple layers, sound absorbing materials, design of building, installation of panels or enclosures and soon. Source Receiver

.Noise control at receiver: Noise has been received by people and more exceptionally by delicate instrumentation and it is often necessary to control the noise level received. This is normally achieved by treating the room or area within which the receiver is situated and we therefore have to study the acoustic of these situation.

Permissible noise level: There exists a little opportunity for noise control of the receiver. Normally by setting permissible noise level have been set for the receiver and engineering technique must be used at the source and in order to limit the exposure of the receiver. On the basis of permissible sound levels, the city areas are usually divided into four zones. The

permissible sound levels areZones Day Night Industrial 75 dB 65 dBCommercial 65 dB 55 dBResidential 55 dB 45 dBSensitive zone (upto 100 m.around hospitals, educational institutions)50 dB 40 dB

Personal hearing protection: Devices like ear plugs can be used to reduce the intensity of the noise.

By rotating the job between the workers at a particular noise source or isolating a person, the advance impact can be reduced.

Administrative technique: regulations prescribe that, noise level of 90 dB for more than 8 hour continuous exposure is prohibited. Persons who are working under such conditions will be exposed to occupational health hazards. The schedule of the workers should be planned in such way that their exposure to the high noise levels should be reduced.

Suggestions and recommendations: The earth is polluted with several polluted materials. We need to be careful to reduce the pollution across the globe, because this is our world and we have the responsibility to save the world. We have to prevent the sources from which the pollution is scattering in the environment. The government of several nations is stepping up to reduce this pollution and making all new acts, we as a responsible citizen have to obey those rules and help them preventing the pollution. If the general public does not obey the rule, no one is going to die except us. So we need to be careful and responsible to save the environment, save the earth. We should try to low the volume of TV, radio or DVD players. We should not cross the limit of blowing the loudspeakers in the public places. We should not blow horns of vehicles in the sensitive areas like hospitals, schools, college, other educational or health organizations. If somebody is feeling that he/she having some problem with ear or heart, he/she must go to a specialist for a medical check-up at the

initial stage.

Control of Noise Pollution Noise generation is associated with most of our daily activities. A healthy human ear responds to a very wide range of SPL from - the threshold of hearing at zero dB, uncomfortable at 100-120 dB and painful at 130-140 dB(3). Due to the various adverse impacts of noise on humans and environment (See LO-5), noise should be controlled. The technique or the combination of techniques to be employed for noise control depend upon the extent of the noise reduction required, nature of the equipment used and the economy aspects of the available techniques. Reduction in the noise exposure time or isolation of species from the sources form part of the noise control techniques besides providing personal ear protection, engineered control for noise reduction at source and/or diversion in the trajectory of sound waves.

14 Noise Control at Source The noise pollution can be controlled at the source of generation itself by employing techniques like Reducing the noise levels from domestic sectors: The domestic noise coming from radio, tape recorders, television sets, mixers, washing machines, cooking operations can be minimised by their selective and judicious operation. By usage of carpets or any absorbing material, the noise generated from felling of items in house can be minimised. Maintenance of automobiles: Regular servicing and tuning of vehicles will reduce the noise levels. Fixing of silencers to automobiles, two wheelers etc., will reduce the noise levels. Control over vibrations: The vibrations of materials may be controlled using proper foundations, rubber padding etc. to reduce the noise levels caused by vibrations. Low voice speaking: Speaking at low voices enough for communication reduces the excess noise levels. Prohibition on usage of loud speakers: By not permitting the usage of loudspeakers

in the habitant zones except for important meetings / functions. Now-a-days, the urban Administration of the metro cities in India, is becoming stringent on usage of loudspeakers. Selection of machinery: Optimum selection of machinery tools or equipment reduces excess noise levels. For example selection of chairs, or selection of certain machinery/equipment which generate less noise (Sound) due to its superior technology etc. is also an important factor in noise minimisation strategy. Maintenance of machines: Proper lubrication and maintenance of machines, vehicles etc. will reduce noise levels. For example, it is a common experience that, many parts of a vehicle will become loose while on a rugged path of journey. If these loose parts are not properly fitted, they will generate noise and cause annoyance to the driver/passenger. Similarly is the case of machines. Proper handling and regular maintenance is essential not only for noise control but also to improve the life of machine.