The document discusses noise pollution, defining it as unwanted sound that interferes with daily life. It describes the difference between sound and noise, sources of noise like traffic and construction, units used to measure sound (decibels), and health effects of noise pollution like hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and stress. The WHO recommends reducing noise levels below certain thresholds to prevent health impacts, and suggests actions governments and industries can take to control noise pollution like enforcing legislation, using sound barriers, and siting noisy facilities away from residential areas.

1. By
Sayed Abdullah
(Urban Planning Student)
Noise Pollution

2. What is noise?
What is difference between noise and sound?

3. • Noise pollution
• Sound
• Types of sound waves
• Loudness
• Unites of sound measurement
• Sources of noise pollution
• Effects of noise
• Way of controlling noise
pollution

4. What is noise pollution?
• In simple terms, Noise is any unwanted sound. Sound becomes
unwanted when it interferes with normal activates, or disturbs
one’s quality of life.
• The EPA (United States Environmental Protection
Agency) defines noise pollution as any unwanted or disturbing
sound that reduces your quality of life or disrupts daily
activities. Traffic, barking dogs, and loud music all qualify, but it
is how noise impacts us that really matters.

5. What is Sound ?
“Sound is a form of energy which is emitted by a vibrating body and on
reading the ear causes the sensation of hearing through nerves“
• There are two types of sound waves:
1. Audible sounds waves:
They are those sound waves that can be heard by human ears.
These audible sound waves are called as Sonic waves.
The frequency limits of audibility are from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
2. non-audible sound waves:
They are those sound waves that cannot be heard by human ears. They
are known as infrasonic waves and ultrasonic waves.
If the sound waves frequencies are less than 20 Hz then it is called as
infrasonic waves and if it is more than 20,000 Hz then it is called as
ultrasonic waves.
Some animals can hear these non-audible sound waves like dogs, bats,
dolphins, and Ethiopian chickens.

6. What is hertz?

7. What is loudness?

8. • Loudness is the characteristic of sound by which
loud and faint sounds can be distinguished. “When
we talk to our friends, our voice is low, but when we
address a public gathering our voice is loud”.
• The loudness of a sound depends upon a number of
factors, which are discussed below:

9.  The amplitude of the vibrating body:
The loudness of the sound varies directly with the
amplitude of the vibrating body.
The sound produced by drum will be loud if we beat a drum
forcefully, the amplitude of its membrane increases and we hear a
loud sound.

10. Area of the vibrating body:
The loudness of the sound also depends upon the area of the
vibrating body.
For example, the sound produced by a large drum is louder than
that by small one because of its large vibrating area.
 Distance from the vibrating body:
The loudness of sound also depends upon the distance of the
vibrating body from the listener. It is caused by the decrease in
amplitude due to the increase in distance.

11. What units are used to
measure sound?

12. As we know that for measuring something we need a
unit for that
e.g. if we are going to measure a depth of something
we need unit for it or for measuring a distance.
Similarly we need a unit for measuring sound waves
too. Therefore the scientists have chosen the decibel
(dB) as the sound wave unit.
The decibel is equal to:
dB= 10 log(I / I0)
Where (I ) is the sound intensity
And (I0) is the constant

13. Sources or causes of
noise pollution

14.  Broadly speaking, the noise pollution
has two sources, i.e. industrial and non-
industrial.
 The industrial source includes the noise
from various industries and big
machines working at a very high speed
and high noise intensity.
 Non- industrial source of noise includes
the noise created by transport/vehicular
traffic,
 and the neighborhood noise generated
by various noise pollution can also be
divided in the categories, namely,
natural and manmade
 Most leading noise sources will fall into
the following categories:

15. 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 augmented by narrow streets and tall
buildings, which produce a canyon in which traffic
noise reverberates.

16. Aircraft noise
Now-a-days , the problem of low flying military aircraft has
added a new dimension to community annoyance, as the
nation seeks to improve its nap-of the- earth aircraft
operations over national parks, wilderness areas , and other
areas previously unaffected by aircraft noise has claimed
national attention over recent years.

17. 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.
For example, rail car retarders can produce a high
frequency, high level screech that can reach peak levels of
120 dB at a distance of 100 feet, which translates to levels
as high as 138, or 140 dB at the railroad worker’s ear.

18.  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.

19.  Industry noise
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 noise- induced hearing loss is
unfortunately common

20.  Noise in building
Apartment dwellers are often annoyed by noise in their
homes, especially when the building is not well designed
and constructed. In this case, internal building noise
from plumbing, boilers, generators, air conditioners,
and fans, can be audible and annoying. Improperly
insulated walls and ceilings can reveal the sound of-
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

21. Effects of noise

22. We are surrounded by sounds. Most aren’t harmful,
and many we just tune out, but noise can affect our
health. A 2014 report published by the National
Institutes of Health revealed that tens of millions of
Americans suffer from health issues — heart disease,
disturbed sleep, increased blood pressure, hearing loss
and more — because of noise exposure.
Noise pollution affects to our health. Some other
examples of health problems caused by noise pollution
are: stress, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, poor
concentration, productivity losses in the workplace,
communication difficulties and fatigue, psychological
problems etc.

23. WHO
( World Health Organization)

24. Normal conversation is about 60 dB, a lawn mower
is about 90 dB, and a loud rock concert is about
120 dB. In general, sounds above 85 are harmful,
depending on how long and how often you are
exposed to them and whether you wear hearing
protection, such as earplugs or earmuffs.

25. The WHO recommends the following noise levels:
Road Traffic Noise
Recommendation Strength
For average noise exposure, the WHO strongly recommends
reducing
noise levels produced by road traffic below 53 decibels (dB), as
road traffic noise above this level is associated with adverse
health effects
For night noise exposure, the WHO strongly recommends
reducing noise levels produced by road traffic during night time
below 45 dB, as
night-time road traffic noise above this level is associated with
adverse effects on sleep..
Strong
Strong

26. Railway Noise
Recommendation Strength
For average noise exposure, the WHO strongly recommends
reducing noise levels produced by railway traffic below 54 dB,
as railway noise above this level is associated with adverse
health effects
For night noise exposure, the WHO strongly recommends
reducing noise levels produced by railway traffic during night
time below 44 dB, as night-time railway noise above this level is
associated with adverse effects on sleep.
.
Strong
Strong

27. Aircraft Noise
Recommendation Strength
For average noise exposure, the WHO strongly recommends
reducing noise levels produced by aircraft below 45 dB, as
aircraft noise above this level is associated with adverse
health effects.
For night noise exposure, the WHO strongly recommends
reducing noise levels produced by aircraft during night time
below 40 dB, as night time aircraft noise above this level is
associated with adverse effects on sleep.
Strong
Strong

28. Leisure noise
Recommendation Strength
For average noise exposure, the WHO conditionally
recommends reducing the yearly average from all leisure noise
sources combined to 70 dB, as leisure noise above this level is
associated with adverse health effects.
Conditional

29. The WHO suggestions for reducing and controlling the noise
pollution :
 Governments should protect the population from community noise
and consider it an integral part of their policy of environmental
protection
 Constructing industries or airport far from the residential areas
 Governments should consider implementing action plans with short-
term, medium-term and long-term objectives for reducing noise
levels.
 Building boundary walls along the side of roads to reduce the sound
 Adoption the Health Guidelines for Community Noise values as
targets to be achieved in the long-term.
 Governments should include noise as an important public health
issue in environmental impact assessments.
 Legislation should be put in place to allow for the reduction of sound
levels.
 Using sound absorbable material in work places etc.