NOISE POLLUTION
IV-B
Marasigan, Sebial, Lastrilla, Mira,
Labad, Paraso, Gayanelo
DEFINITIONS:
• NOISE: simply defined as “unwanted noise”
(loud, unpleasant, distracting, etc.)
• NOISE POLLUTION: refers to the sounds in the
environment that are caused by humans that
interferes with naturally occurring sounds thus
disrupting or even threatening wildlife and
human activity
SOURCES OF NOISE POLLUTION:
1. Road Traffic Noise
• In the city, the main
sources of traffic noise
are the motors and
exhaust system of autos,
smaller trucks, buses, and
motorcycles.
• This type of noise can be
amplified by narrow
streets and tall buildings,
which produce a canyon
in which traffic noise
reverberates.
2. Air Craft Noise:
• Now-a-days. low flying
military aircraft and
aircraft operations over
national parks, wilderness
areas , and other areas
previously unaffected by
aircraft noise has added a
new dimension to
community annoyance.
3. Noise From Railroads:
• The noise from
locomotive engines,
horns and whistles, and
switching and shunting
operation in rail yards can
impact neighboring
communities and railroad
workers.
4. Construction Noise:
• The noise from the
construction of highways ,
city streets , and buildings
is a major contributor to
the urban scene.
• Construction noise
sources include
pneumatic hammers, air
compressors, bulldozers,
loaders, dump trucks (and
their back-up signals),
and pavement breakers.
5. Noise in Industry:
• Although industrial noise is one of
the less prevalent community noise
problems, neighbors of noisy
manufacturing plants can be
disturbed by sources such as fans,
motors, and compressors mounted
on the outside of buildings.
• Interior noise can also be transmitted
to the community through open
windows and doors, and even
through building walls.
• These interior noise sources have
significant impacts on industrial
workers, among whom noiseinduced hearing loss is unfortunately
common.
6. Noise In Building:
• Apartment dwellers are often
annoyed by noise in their homes,
internal building noise from
plumbing, boilers, generators, air
conditioners, and fans.
• Improperly insulated walls and
ceilings can reveal amplified music,
voices, footfalls and noisy activities
from neighboring units.
• External noise from emergency
vehicles, traffic, refuse collection, and
other city noises can be a problem
for urban residents, especially when
windows are open or insufficiently
glazed.
7. Noise From Consumer Products:
• Certain household equipment, such as
vacuum cleaners and some kitchen appliances
have been and continue to be noisemakers,
although their contribution to the daily noise
dose is usually not very large.
HEALTH EFFECTS OF NOISE
POLLUTION
HOW LOUD AND HOW LONG CAN
HUMANS HANDLE?
DECIBEL:
MAXIMUM EXPOSURE:
EXAMPLE:
85
8 hours
Heavy traffic; Noisy
restaurant
88
4 hours
--
91
2 hours
Lawn mower; Hair dryer
94
1 hour
Motorcycle
97
30 minutes
--
100
15 minutes
Chainsaw
103
7.5 minutes
--
106
3.7 minutes
--
109
112 seconds
Rock concert
112
56 seconds
--
115
28 seconds
--
118
14 seconds
--
121
7 seconds
Thunderclap; Night club;
Ambulance; Airplane
taking off
124
3 seconds
--
127
1 second
--
130-140
Less than 1 second
Gun shot; Fire cracker; Jet
take-off
• -85 decibels are considered to be harmless
o 10 dB – Breathing; 20 dB – Whispering; 40 dB –
Fridge humming; 70 dB – Car ride
• 140 decibels is the highest possible sound to
occur  when heard, immediate nerve
damage can occur
HEALTH EFFECTS:
1. Hearing impairment:
2. Interference With Spoken
Communication:
•
•
•
•
an increase in the threshold of hearing
as clinically assessed by audiometry (in
short, you lose your sense of hearing)
Before you experience hearing loss, you
experience TINNITUS, a ringing or
buzzing in your ears after going to a
party, or other really loud event and
usually lasts until your ears gradually
readjust to normal sound levels. But
over time, too much exposure to loud
noise can lead to a condition known as
NOISE-INDUCED HEARING LOSS (NIHL).
The main source for NIHL are personal
music players (iPods, MP3s, etc.)
•
Noise pollution interferes with the
ability to comprehend normal speech
and may lead to a number of personal
disabilities, handicaps, and behavioral
changes.
These include problems with
concentration, fatigue, uncertainty, lack
of self confidence, irritation,
misunderstandings, decreased working
capacity, disturbed interpersonal
relationships, and stress reactions.
Some of these effects may lead to
increased accidents, disruption of
communication in the classroom, and
impaired academic performance.
3. Sleep Disturbances:
4. Cardiovascular Disturbances:
• This causes mood changes,
decrements in performance,
and other long-term effects on
health and well-being.
• It is known, for example, that
continuous noise in excess of
30 dB disturbs sleep.
• For irregular noise, the
probability of being awakened
increases with the number of
noise events per night.
•
•
•
A growing body of evidence confirms
that noise pollution has both temporary
and permanent effects on humans (and
other mammals) by way of the
endocrine and autonomic nervous
systems.
It has been postulated that noise acts
as a nonspecific biologic stressor
eliciting reactions that prepare the
body for a fight or flight response.
For this reason, noise can trigger both
endocrine and autonomic nervous
system responses that affect the
cardiovascular system and thus may be
a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases
5. Disturbances in Mental Health:
• Noise pollution is not believed to be a cause of
mental illness, but it is assumed to accelerate and
intensify the development of latent mental
disorders.
• Noise pollution may cause or contribute to the
following adverse effects: anxiety, stress,
nervousness, nausea, headache, emotional
instability, argumentativeness, sexual impotence,
changes in mood, increase in social conflicts,
neurosis, hysteria, and psychosis
6. Impaired Task Performance:
7. Negative Social Behavior and
Annoyance Behavior:
•
•
•
•
Noise pollution impairs task
performance at school and at work,
increases errors, and decreases
motivation. Reading attention,
problem solving, and memory are
most strongly affected by noise.
Two types of memory deficits have
been identified under experimental
conditions: recall of subject content
and recall of incidental details.
Both are adversely influenced by
noise. Deficits in performance can
lead to errors and accidents, both
of which have health and economic
consequences.
•
•
•
Noise has been used as a noxious
stimulus in a variety of studies because
it produces the same kinds of effects as
other stressors.
Annoyance increases significantly when
noise is accompanied by vibration or by
low frequency components.
The term annoyance does not begin to
cover the wide range of negative
reactions associated with noise
pollution; these include anger,
disappointment, dissatisfaction,
withdrawal, helplessness, depression,
anxiety, distraction, agitation, or
exhaustion.
Lack of perceived control over the
noise intensifies these effects
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS:
1.
Effects on Animals:
• Damages the central nervous system of
animals
• Anxious behavior from animals in the form
of trembling is observed when it is
exposed to noise in high decibel levels
• Aircraft noise is responsible for a big
decrease in reproduction activity in a wide
range of animals
• The noise made by submarines, shipping
companies and sonars make underwater
animals experience discomfort
• High noise levels can negatively affect the
breeding and feeding patterns of animals.
• The noise of commercial ships does not
allow underwater animals to
communicate properly. It can cause havoc
on their reproductive function.
2. Effect on Properties:
• It creates waves which
strike the walls and puts
buildings in weak
condition.
• It weakens the edifice
of the buildings.
WAYS TO PREVENT OR MINIMIZE
NOISE POLLUTION
•
Understand what causes noise pollution: As
the world becomes more advanced, noise
increases. The most common form of noise
pollution now is from transportation, mainly
cars, motorbikes, and aircraft.
•
Plant more and more trees around your
house: Trees absorb the sound that is
generated by the vehicles or any other
appliances in your house and help in
reducing the noise pollution.
•
Keep your vehicles in good condition: Check
them regularly for any parts that have
deteriorated and need to be replaced.
•
Listen to soothing music and prefer using
headsets while hearing music.
•
Noise limits should be stated by
government: to control the noise pollution
from the industries and vehicles.
•
Spread awareness among people about the
effects of noise pollution and encourage
them to reduce noise pollution.
•
•
Factories should use the machineries that
make less noise: Replace all the machineries
in the industries with the advanced ones that
make less noise.
Do not use car horns unnecessarily: Areas
like hospitals and campuses are silence zones
and honking is prohibited there.
•
Turn off the engine of your car or motorbike
when you are not using it. It stops the
annoying hum.
SOURCES:
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http://www.ehow.com/how_2273577_prevent-noise-pollution.html
http://www.howany.com/how-to-prevent-noise-pollution/
http://stress.about.com/od/managementtools/ss/noise052107.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Prevent-Noise-Pollution
http://what-is-what.com/what_is/noise_pollution.html
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/noise+pollution
http://pollutionarticles.blogspot.com/2009/10/noise-pollution-definition-andcauses.html
http://www.noisehelp.com/what-is-noise-pollution.html
http://www.noisehelp.com/noise-dose.html
http://www.lowertheboom.org/trice/safedblevels.htm
http://www.surfnetkids.com/go/safety/348/earbud-safety-with-volume-anddecibel-levels/