ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC:
ASSESSMENT OF AIR

AND
NOISE POLLUTION
MUHAMMAD BILAL SHEIKH
H-1701049
 ASSESSMENT OF NOISE POLLUTION
INTRODUCTION:
What is noise pollution? Noise is a type of sound, which is listed as one of the most
common environmental pollutants with adverse health impacts. Noise pollution levels are
presented by measuring its loudness using a logarithmic decibel (dB) scale. It is significantly
different from soil, water, and air pollution due to its widespread and unique sources, which
adversely affect the public health, especially in urban and suburban areas. Anthropogenic
activities are the biggest source of noise pollution. Traffic noise is a worldwide problem,
whichhas associated with industrial progress.
SAMPLING METHADOLOGIES
Nowadays the sampling methods more commonly used in noise mapping are based on
systematic random sampling.
(a) Grid Method
In the grid method, a grid is superimposed over a city map and the measurement points are
located at the nodes of the square or at the nearest location when the nodes are inaccessible.
(b) Categorisation Method
The categorisation method is based on the concept of street functionality, that is to say, the
functionality of the streets of the city as a communication path between different parts of the city
and between the city and other urban areas. In addition, other variables such as the flow of
vehicles, the type of traffic, the average speed, and urban variables may have a clear relationship
with functionality.

Lets take an example of Faisalabad, where the industrial and commercial area is mixed
with the residential area. Manual field measurements were taken to obtain information about the
noise level. Areas selected for the study included industrial area especially power loom areas
along Sargodha road, Rasheed Abad, Jhang road, and Sadhar This approach was used to assess
the harmful effects of noise on exposed workers. The intensity of noise was measured one by one
in the morning (7:00–11:00 am), the afternoon (1:00– 5:00 pm), and the evening hours (5:00–
9:00 pm) for three times a day for 5 min per reading per location by using integrated sound level
meter (SLM). The sound level was measured as A-weighting using SLM model TES-1351B type
2 with a frequency range of 20–8000 Hz and accuracy of ± 1.0 dB (ref. 94 dB @1 kHz). The
sound level meter was calibrated by the internal oscillator at the rate of 1 kHz sine wave general
(94 dB). For measuring noise, the sound level meter was placed 1.2 m above the ground level
and 3.5 m far from the noise source to measure the noise from all sites.

Noise levels (dB) at inside, outside production unit, and outside Mian Muhammad Siddiq Textile
Loom industry at different times of the day.
Shift Time Inside production unit Outside production unit Outside industry
Hours Min Max Means ± Min Max Means ± Min Ma Means
SE* SE* x ± SE*
Morning 7:00- 82 94 88±2.90 80 86 83±1.46 78 93 86±3.65
(am) 9:00
9:00- 83 99 91±3.18 79 89 84±2.89 73 87 80±3.27
11:00
Afternoon 1:00- 90 102 96±2.90 83 90 87±1.86 68 79 74±2.45
(pm) 3:00
3:00- 85 95 90±2.42 83 94 89±2.69 87 99 93±2.80
5:00
Evening 5:00- 83 87 85±0.99 80 85 83±1.13 70 82 76±2.73
(pm) 7:00
7:00- 83 97 90±3.30 82 90 86±1.81 84 97 91±3.20
9:00
Standard level 75 (NEQS-Pak), 70 (EPA-USA), 65 (WHO *Standard Error
Noise levels (dB) at inside, outside production unit, and outside Mian Wajid Weaving industry at
different times of the day
Shift Time Inside production unit Outside production unit Outside industry
Hours Min Max Means ± Min Max Means ± Min Ma Means
SE* SE* x ± SE*
Morning 7:00- 84 91 88±1.58 73 82 79±1.20 80 94 86±4.05
(am) 9:00
9:00- 89 93 91±0.99 75 83 78±2.40 72 84 76±3.84
11:00
Afternoon 1:00- 90 98 94±1.83 80 89 84±2.60 81 101 93±6.35
(pm) 3:00
3:00- 90 97 94±1.60 81 90 84±2.72 72 84 77±3.48
 5:00
Evening 5:00- 91 97 94±1.34 79 89 85±3.05 88 96 91±2.40
(pm) 7:00
7:00- 93 96 95±0.75 79 90 84±2.71 78 83 81±1.13
9:00
Standard level 75 (NEQS-Pak), 70 (EPA-USA), 65 (WHO *Standard Erro
NOISE POLLUTION INSIDE AND AROUND THE INDUSTRY:
Mian Muhammad Siddiq Textile Loom is located at Jhang road, Faisalabad, where the industrial
and commercial area is mixed with the residential area. The maximum sound pressure level (L
max) was found 102 dB inside the production unit, 94 dB outside production unit, and 99 dB
outside the industry in the afternoon. The (L max) at Mian Wajid Weaving Mill was found 98 dB
inside production unit in the afternoon, 90 dB outside production unit in the evening, and 101 dB
outside the industry in the afternoon . The average sound pressure level (L ave) showed that
noise level was higher in the afternoon hours at Mian Muhammad Siddiq Textile Loom (Lave =
89 to 96 dB) while in the evening hours at Mian Wajid Weaving Mill (L ave = 85 to 95 dB). The
noise level was greater than the permissible limit (L ave > 75 dB) at inside, outside the
production units, and outside industry in both industries.
EFFECT OF NOISE POLLUTION ON HUMAN HEALTH:
The participants in this study were men working as laborers in Textile Looms. Their age was
ranged from 20 to 80 years. Based on survey results, all the respondents suffered from many
health problems caused by noise: 94% of respondents reported headache, 76% sleeplessness,
74% hypertension, 74% physiological stress, 64% high blood pressure, 60% dizziness, and 56%
loss of hearing due to noise.
HOW TO REDUCE NOISE POLLUTION:
There are many ways of reducing noise and noise exposure - often a combination of methods
works best. First think about how to remove the loud noise altogether. If that is not possible, do
all you can to control the noise at source, consider redesigning the workplace and reorganising
working patterns. Take measures to protect individual workers if you need to. Consider the
following:

 Use a different, quieter process or quieter equipment:

o Introduce a low-noise purchasing policy for machinery and equipment.
 Introduce engineering controls:
o Avoid metal-on-metal impacts, eg line chutes with abrasion-resistant rubber, and
reduce drop heights.
o Vibrating machine panels can be a source of noise - add material to reduce
vibration ('damping').
o Isolate vibrating machinery or components from their surroundings, eg with
antivibration mounts or flexible couplings.
o Fit silencers to air exhausts and blowing nozzles.
 Modify the paths by which the noise travels through the air to the people exposed:
 o Erect enclosures around machines to reduce the amount of noise emitted into the
workplace or environment.
o Use barriers and screens to block the direct path of sound.
o Position noise sources further away from workers.
 Design and lay out the workplace for low noise emission:
o Use absorptive materials within the building to reduce reflected sound, eg open
cell foam or mineral wool.
o Keep noisy machinery and processes away from quieter areas.
o Design the workflow to keep noisy machinery out of areas where people spend
most of their time.
 Limit the time spent in noisy areas - every halving of the time spent in a noisy area will
reduce noise exposure by 3 dB.

Proper and regular maintenance of machinery and equipment is essential as it will deteriorate
with age and can become noisier. Listen out for changes in noise levels - it may be time to
replace worn or faulty parts.
ASSESSMENT OF NOISE POLLUTION
INTRODUCTION:
Currently, three major air pollution exposure assessment methods are used
(1) proximity measures based on air pollution monitoring stations,
(2) spatial analysis based on remote sensing and GIS methods, and
(3) numerical simulation based on the atmospheric diffusion model
At first, air pollution exposure assessments were based on air pollution monitoring data. This
method had a hypothesis that the air pollution exposure was at the same level or similar levels
within a specific distance to the monitoring station. With this hypothesis, investigated the global
disease attribution to outdoor air pollution Furthermore, air pollution monitoring data was also
applied to the analysis of the air pollution impact from specific emission sources. Although the
fixed monitoring station data is accurate, the moving targets and distant targets from the station
cannot be covered. The personal monitor device is developed and a useful tool to monitor the
mobile target. Physick et al. (2011) designed an experiment to measure the nitrogen dioxide
exposure in Melbourne. The result showed that air pollution data from personal monitor devices
was at a high accuracy level and could be widely applied. No matter the fixed monitoring station
method or the personal monitor device method, these methods cost a great deal of money and lab
manpower
As the remote-sensing technology develops, remote-sensing imagery becomes the
essential tool to retrieve air pollutants. With the help of GIS, air pollutant distribution and
vulnerability detection is much easier than before. For example, van Donkelaar et al. (2010)
mapped the global PM2.5 distribution by using MODIS data. Long-term average (January 1,
2001 to December 31, 2006) PM2.5 concentrations at approximately 10 km×10 km resolution
indicate a global population-weighted geometric mean of PM2.5 concentration of 20 microg/m3 .
As for East China, the annual mean PM2.5 concentrations exceed 80 microg/m3 . In addition to
the MODIS data for the fine-scale region, Landsat satellite imagery is a better helper. Han et al.
(2014) retrieved the aerosol optical thickness based on the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper
Plus (ETM+) data. The results showed that the PM2.5 retrieved data is more precise than
MODIS due to the high spatial resolution. Additionally, some spatial air pollution measure
methods use remote sensing data to obtain a higher spatial resolution distribution of PM2.5
concentration. Land-use regression is one of the most widely used spatial analysis methods to
obtain PM2.5 concentrations. This method retrieves PM2.5 value by building up empirical
relationships between PM2.5 and other social economic data.
AIR POLLUTION ASSESSMENT BASED ON REMOTE SENSING:
Satellites can provide powerful tools to detect air pollution exposure, such as nitrogen
dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and fine particles matter (PM2.5).
MONITORING OF ATMOSPHERIC FINE PARTICLES USING REMOTE SENSING:
Currently, a great deal of satellite platforms provide imagery to analyze the general
features of the global distribution of PM2.5, such as Landsat TM/ETM+ (launched in 1975);
ASTER (launched in 1999); SPOT (launched in 2002); and Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS, launched in 1999). The key parameters to assess the fine particles
with a diameter of 2.5μm or less is the aerosol optical depth (AOD). AOD is defined as the
integrated extinction coefficient over a vertical column of unit cross section. And the extinction
coefficient is the fractional depletion of radiance per unit path length (Wang and Christopher,
2003; Van Donkelaar et al., 2006; Kumar et al., 2007). High AOD value relates to PM2.5
concentration, which results in high air pollution.
1- MODIS AOD PRODUCTS:
MODIS is the instrument aboard the NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. Terra MODIS
and Aqua MODIS are viewing the entire Earth’s surface every one to two days, obtaining data in
36 spectral bands with wavelengths ranging from 0.4 to 14.385μm. The MODIS imagery has a
spatial resolution of 250m, 500m, and 1km (Kahn et al., 2009; Zhang and Reid, 2009; Shi et al.,
2012; Acharya and Sreekesh, 2013). The channels with wavelengths ranging from 0.47 to
2.12μm are used to retrieve aerosol characteristics. Daily level aerosol optical thickness data are
produced at the spatial resolution of 10km×10km worldwide. MODIS AOD product of
December 12, 2017 is displayed in Fig. 9.1.
2-LANDSAT 8:
Landsat 8, formerly called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, was launched in 2013.
Two key instruments are carried by the satellite: the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the
Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). A deep blue visible channel specially designed for water
resources and coastal-zone investigation, and a new shortwave infrared channel for the detection
of cirrus clouds have been recently added to the satellite. Every 16 days, the whole Earth’s
surface can be imaged by Landsat 8.
3-HJ-1A:
Launched by China in 2008 HJ-1A was designed to detect environmental change and
hazard monitoring. CCD camera and the hyper-spectral imager are aboard the satellite. The CCD
camera has a spatial resolution of 30m with the wavelength ranging from 0.43 to 0.90μm. The
hyper-spectral imager has a spatial resolution of 100m with 110 to 128 multispectral.