Noise pollution: Sources,

intensity, biological effects

Source of noise pollution
Major causes / sources of noise pollution are:
(a). Industrial Sources: Progress in technology (industrialization) has resulted in creating
noise pollution. Textile mills, printing presses, engineering establishments and metal works etc.
contribute heavily towards noise pollution. In industrial cities like Kolkata, Ludhiana, Kanpur
etc., often the industrial zones are not separated from the residential zones of the city
especially in the case of small scale industries.
These operate from workshops located on the ground floors of the
residential areas and cause annoyance, discomfort and irritation to the residents exposed to
the noise that is inevitably produced. The situation is much better in modern planned cities like
Chandigarh where the industrial area is kept away from the residential areas and both are
separated from each other by a sufficiently wide green belt.
(b). Transport Vehicles:

Automobile revolution in urban centres has proved to be a big source of noise pollution.
Increasing traffic has given rise to traffic jams in congested areas where the repeated hooting
of horns by impatient drivers pierce the ears of all road users.

Noise from airplanes constitutes an increasing serious problem in big cities like Delhi &
Mumbai. Airport situated in the vicinity of population centres and the air planes pass over
residential areas. Heavy trucks, buses trains, jet-planes, motor-cycles, scooters, mopeds,
jeeps—the list of vehicles is endless but the outcome is same — noise pollution.
(c). Household:

The household is an industry in itself and is a source of many indoor noises such as the banging
of doors, noise of playing children, crying of infants, moving of furniture, loud conversation of the
inhabitants etc. Besides these are the entertainment equipment in the house, namely the radio,
record-players and television sets. Domestic gadgets like the mixer-grinders, pressure cookers,
desert coolers, air- conditioners, exhaust fans, vacuum cleaners, sewing and washing machines
are all indoor sources of noise pollution.

(d) Public Address System:

In India people need only the slightest of an excuse for using loud speakers. The reason may be
a religious function, birth, death, marriage, elections, demonstration, or just commercial
advertising. Public system, therefore, contributes in its own way towards noise pollution.
(e). Agricultural Machines: Tractors, thrashers, harvesters, tube wells, powered tillers etc.
have all made agriculture highly mechanical but at the same time highly noisy. Noise level 90
dB to 98 dB due to running of farm machines have been recorded in the state of Punjab.

(f). Defense Equipment: A lot of noise pollution is added to the atmosphere by artillery, tanks,
launching of rockets, explosions, exercising of military airplanes and shooting practices.
Screams of jet engines and sonic booms have a deafening impact on the ears and in extreme
cases have been known to shatter the window panes and old dilapidated buildings.

(g). Miscellaneous Sources:

The automobile repair shops, construction-works, blasting, bulldozing, stone crushing etc. are
other sources of noise pollution.
Measuring the noise pollution
Researchers measure noise in terms of frequency, pressure, and intensity:
• Frequency, or pitch, is measured in Hertz (Hz) and reflects the number of sound waves propagated
through the air per second. The range of frequencies heard by the human ear range from 20 Hz to
20,000 Hz; however, sensitivity to hearing higher frequencies decreases with age. Some organisms,
such as elephants, can register frequencies between 0 and 20 Hz (infrasound), and others, such as
bats, above 20,000 Hz (ultrasound) to echolocate.
• Sound pressure level (SPL) represents the amount of pressure relative to atmospheric pressure
during sound wave propagation, measured in Pascals (Pa). This is also known as the sum of the
amplitudes of a wave.
• Sound intensity, measured in Watts per meters-squared, represents the flow of sound over a particular
area. Although sound pressure and intensity differ, both can describe the level of loudness by
comparing the current state to the threshold of hearing; this results in decibel units on the logarithmic
scale.
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Biological effects of noise
pollution
Human Diseases Caused by Noise Pollution
Whether we realize we are subjected to it or not, noise pollution can be hazardous to our health in various
ways.

• Hypertension is, in this case, a direct result of noise pollution caused elevated blood levels for a longer
period of time.

• Hearing loss can be directly caused by noise pollution, whether listening to loud music in your
headphones or being exposed to loud drilling noises at work, heavy air or land traffic, or separate
incidents in which noise levels reach dangerous intervals, such as around140 dB for adult or 120 dB for
children.

• Sleep disturbances are usually caused by constant air or land traffic at night, and they are a serious
condition in that they can affect everyday performance and lead to serious diseases.
• Child development: Children appear to be more sensitive to noise pollution, and a number of noise-
pollution-related diseases and dysfunctions are known to affect children, from hearing impairment to
psychological and physical effects. Also, children who regularly use music players at high volumes are at risk
of developing hearing dysfunctions. In 2001, it was estimated that 12.5% of American children between the
ages of 6 to 19 years had impaired hearing in one or both ears

• Various cardiovascular dysfunctions: Elevated blood pressure caused by noise pollution, especially
during the night, can lead to various cardiovascular diseases.

• Dementia isn’t necessarily caused by noise pollution, but its onset can be favoured or compounded by noise
pollution.

• Psychological dysfunctions and noise annoyance. Noise annoyance is, in fact, a recognized name for an
emotional reaction that can have an immediate impact.
Noise can have a detrimental effect on animals, increasing the risk of death by changing the delicate balance in
predator or prey detection and avoidance, and interfering the use of the sounds in communication, especially in
relation to reproduction and in navigation. These effects then may alter more interactions within a community through
indirect effects. Acoustic overexposure can lead to temporary or permanent loss of hearing. Noise can have a
detrimental effect on animals, increasing the risk of death by changing the delicate balance in predator or prey
detection and avoidance, and interfering the use of the sounds in communication, especially in relation to
reproduction and in navigation. These effects then may alter more interactions within a community through indirect
effects. Acoustic overexposure can lead to temporary or permanent loss of hearing.
European robins living in urban environments are more likely to sing at night in places with high levels of noise
pollution during the day, suggesting that they sing at night because it is quieter, and their message can propagate
through the environment more clearly. The same study showed that daytime noise was a stronger predictor of
nocturnal singing than night-time light pollution, to which the phenomenon often is attributed. Anthropogenic noise
reduced the species richness of birds found in urban parks.
Zebra finches become less faithful to their partners when exposed to traffic noise. This could alter a population's
evolutionary trajectory by selecting traits, sapping resources normally devoted to other activities and thus leading to
profound genetic and evolutionary consequences.
Effects of Noise Pollution on Wildlife and Marine Life
Our oceans are no longer quiet. Thousands of oil drills, sonars, seismic survey devices, coastal recreational watercraft
and shipping vessels are now populating our waters, and that is a serious cause of noise pollution for marine life.
Whales are among the most affected, as their hearing helps them orient themselves, feed and communicate. Noise
pollution thus interferes with cetaceans’ (whales and dolphins) feeding habits, reproductive patterns and migration
routes, and can even cause haemorrhage and death. Other than marine life, land animals are also affected by noise
pollution in the form of traffic, firecrackers etc., and birds are especially affected by the increased air traffic.

European robins living in urban environments are more likely to sing at night in places with high levels of noise
pollution during the day, suggesting that they sing at night because it is quieter, and their message can propagate
through the environment more clearly. The same study showed that daytime noise was a stronger predictor of
nocturnal singing than night-time light pollution, to which the phenomenon often is attributed. Anthropogenic noise
reduced the species richness of birds found in urban parks.
Zebra finches become less faithful to their partners when exposed to traffic noise. This could alter a population's
evolutionary trajectory by selecting traits, sapping resources normally devoted to other activities and thus leading to
profound genetic and evolutionary consequences.
Invertebrates are Affected
Invertebrates have evolved to pick up sound, and a large portion of their physiology is adapted for the purpose of
detecting environmental vibrations. Antennae or hairs on the organism pick up particle motion. Therefore, it is
suggested that marine invertebrates are likely perceiving the effects of noise differently than marine mammals.
sound is used in multiple behavioral contexts by many groups. This includes regularly sound produced or
perceived in the context of aggression or predator avoidance. Invertebrates also utilize sound to attract or locate
mates, and often employ sound in the courtship process. For these reasons, one can infer that the opportunity
for noise in marine ecosystems may have the potential to impact invertebrates just as much, if not more, than
marine mammals and fish.
Social and Economic Costs of Noise Pollution
The World Health Organization estimates that one out of three people in Europe is harmed by traffic noise. More than the
purely medical effects of noise pollution on the individual, there is a significant social and economic impact. Since noise
pollution leads to sleep disturbance, it affects the individual’s work performance during the day, it leads to hypertension and
cardiovascular disease and costs the health system additional time and money, and it negatively affects school performance
in children.

Effects of Noise pollution of plants

Noise pollution can have ripple effects on long-lived plants and trees that can last for decades even after the sources
of noise subside. Many plants and trees rely on birds and other animals to deliver pollen from one flower or tree to the
next, or to disperse their seeds, but many animals are adapting to the noise by changing their behavior or moving to
quieter locales. Consequently, noise pollution is altering the landscape of plants and trees, which depend on noise-
affected animals to pollinate them and spread their seeds. Some plants do worse in noisy areas while others seem to
do better, depending on how the community of creatures around them changes. The ripple effects can be far reaching
and long lasting, especially for trees, which often take decades to grow from seedlings into adults.
How to control noise pollution
Noise pollution can be effectively controlled by taking the following measures:
(1) Control at Receiver’s End:
For people working in noisy installations, ear-protection aids like ear-plugs, ear-muffs, noise helmets, headphones
etc. must be provided to reduce occupational exposure.

(2) Suppression of Noise at Source:

This is possible if working methods are improved by:
(a) Designing, fabricating and using quieter machines to replace the noisy ones.

(b) Proper lubrication and better maintenance of machines.

(c) Installing noisy machines in sound proof chambers.

(d) Covering noise-producing machine parts with sound-absorbing materials to check noise production.

(e) Reducing the noise produced from a vibrating machine by vibration damping i.e. making a layer of damping
material (rubber, neoprene, cork or plastic) beneath the machine.

(f) Using silencers to control noise from automobiles, ducts, exhausts etc. and convey systems with ends opening
into the atmosphere.

(g) Using glass wool or mineral wool covered with a sheet of perforated metal for the purpose of mechanical
protection.
(3) Acoustic Zoning:
Increased distance between source and receiver by zoning of noisy industrial areas, bus terminals and railway
stations, aerodromes etc. away from the residential areas would go a long way in minimising noise pollution. There
should be silence zones near the residential areas, educational institutions and above all, near hospitals.
(4) Sound Insulation at Construction Stages:

(a) Sound travels through the cracks that get left between the door and the wall. For reducing noise, this space
(jamb frame gap) should be packed with sound absorbing material.

(b) Sound insulation can be done by constructing windows with double or triple panes of glass and filling the gaps
with sound absorbing materials.

(c) Acoustical tiles, hair felt, perforated plywood etc. can be fixed on walls, ceilings, floors etc. to reduce noise
(especially for sound proof recording rooms etc.)
(5) Planting of Trees:
Planting green trees and shrubs along roads, hospitals, educational institutions etc. help in noise reduction to a
considerable extent.
(6) Legislative Measures: Strict legislative measures need to be enforced to curb the menace of noise pollution.
Some of these measures could be:
(a) Minimum use of loudspeakers and amplifiers especially near silence zones.
(b) Banning pressure horns in automobiles.
(c) Framing a separate Noise Pollution Act.