N oise Po llution

and Control
= mesne:aa • 'Mctt' • u

INTRODUCTION
· '1be tcmt noise may be defined as unwanted sound. A giv~n sound may be music to one
=~riod
\!! • car but noise to another, pleasant when soft but n01sy when loud, acceptable for a
of time hut non acceptable when prolon~eds, int~guing when rhythmic but noi~y
·.. \\-hen randomly repeated, reasonable when you make 1t but noisy when someone else makes l0
Unfortunately, noise pollution has not given enough importance in this country. Besides,
1here is no statutory standard for this purpose in India.
The instruments required for measurement of sound level have not yet been fully
developed in this country and hence are not easily available for measurement of sound level.
: However there is· an urgent necessity to scientifically monitor sound levels in large cities, in
die engineering industry, and in large as well as medium chemical, metallurgical and other
industries. Excessive noise could adversely affect on physical and mental health of human
as
beings as well on many other living organisms. . .
Noise is play_ing an ever-increasing role in our lives and seems a regrettable but ultimately
avoidable corollary of current technology. The trend toward the use of more automated
~ high-wattage stereo, larger construction machinery, and the increasing numbers of
,-... ,vehicles and aircraft has created a gradual acceptance of noise as a natural by product

s, various noise-monitoring studies and sociological surveys in recent years

the need for noise abatement. Noise pollution is thus another environmental
ire formally recognized as a genuine threat to human health and the quality of life.
insight we have gained is that noise may be considered a contaminant of the
as definitely as a particulate or a gaseous contaminant. There is evidence that
tMNle can impair efficiency, adversely atlect health, and increase accident rates~
.. levels, noise can damage hearing immediately, and even at lower levels~
ive impairment of hearing.

GENERAL FEATURES
,
,,_..,.. the medium from the source to the recipient or listener.
tho medium is known as the frequency of the sound. The unit is

of the pitch of the sound received by the listener. H igh

eound which are more irritating to the individual than low
sound."\
/ 215
 Fundamentals of Environment nnd Ecology
· · . . --....
The sound pressure level is a purely objective qunn~itication of noise based on the
measured physknl property, sound prcssurc.~ 1c effect of noise on humans, hov.:cver, depends
not only on its magnitude but al~o on its frctlucncy content bc~ausc .tl ie car 18 not equally
sensitive tt) noise (and its loudness) at all frequencies ht
the au<libl~ range 0 ~ 20:-20,000 Hz)
Attempts to ch,lri.h:tcri1c t:hc frequency rc~ponso of the human CM by subJective mcth°'
have givc-n rise to psydlll:l~oustic dat.,, which, in turn, have be.en used to ~cvelop f~cquency
C\"lm-ction fact"ws. Thus. a frcqu1.'ncy-wcighling system wns derived according to which some
frequcndrs were en1phasi1.cd more than others. This system yields a .sin~e-~umber rating
of the noise, 1~ 1~scnlin~ noise t~vcl~ in u manr~cr sir~i ilar to the s~bJ~ct1ve tmp:ession. of
the human ear.([l11s particular weighting system ts designated scale A and readings using
this system arc cxprc.sscd as A-level decibels or dBA. Sound-level meters are available that
alfow the sow,d to pass through an electronic A-weighting network''; thus yief<ling a single
nwnber that approximates the response of a human ear to the sound. The A-scale places less
emphasis on low-frequency sound (below 500 Hz) and provides more weight to annoying
middle- _and high-~eq~ency sounds (50?-4000 H;))In ~ractice, regu_lations are set limiting
·the max1mwu pem11ss1ble level of A-weighted so~ that may be emitted from a source. An
' alternate weighting scale, C-weighting, was developed to incorporate the human response to
1oud and typically lower-frequency sound sources such as explosions. Because the use of dBC
is typically in niche applications, the use of the more utilized dBA will be considered here.

~pressure · . · ·
Sound pressure is defined as the force exerted by sound over a unit ar.e a of the medium. The
unit of sound pressure is Newton per sq. meter (Nm- 2). ·

Sound waves propagate through an elastic medium at a speed intrinsic to that material. In
a gaseous medium such as air, sound waves produce significant changes in the density of the
air, which, in tum, produce pressure changes. The parameter lending itself to quantification is
sound pressure, the incremental variation in pressure above and below atmospheric pressure.
· la en,ineering tenns, the acoustic pressure can be viewed as the gage pressure.
llunct intensity
·~ -.talsity is the quantum of sound energy that flows through unit area of the medium
... -.e.
1'lle unit of sound intensity is watts per square.meter (Wm- 2).
• iataisity of a sound can be determined with precision and is related to the arnounl
· ·...-gy ~ived per second from the source of soun<l. The common unit of sound
Awd (L1) is decibel. .
· level in decibel is expressed as

·s,, L1 = IO log 10( : . ) / .(I)

· ed intensity in W/1112 and /0 is the ref~rcnce intensity which is taken

· reference intensity is considered to be an· audible intensity level to

ii directly proportional to the square of th~ pressure(/ ix: pi) the sound
ii defined by
 .:-e; ~~J:t.•h n ~ a.~ 2 /
..~ pis t : ~ ~:;....11;(.f pa-i.:::~ z:--,d P• h t;)C r~fttt:t;¥~ p~~..
1ris
d, ~ ,, Hir.·--·.J.,, :.;--,,
~ t.,-:rJJ:t a:z- aai ~ 1 YJtl.J:"'.d pr-t-~'11::ttt ru.i; r:g (1r,m ,U V.J'.J'I li.1 2 ,,,. Ir,
a WV~ r;g-.z~ f.~1 ~'.<::-;;,~A
~ G1° t~g . (0 O\'ff 2fY> t".;Jm ., a-~ trJe--!1itA.d ,Jt r,~mITt:f
1

- - cf a J<y ~.m k; tale tn CX ~l V.Jt\':"..d f'f~iV~"T~. n

/ d:¾,iAJ (i!Jj , h a ,!;,.7'~,.";t,,;r",.!~~~~
er h w:,A r,r; ert:;,f ~iu
_. ciscd an expn:-u the f.Gf.md prn1u-n i~ d (SPL a Lpt tl-...-: term "'l'!"'1
, - (aa: ctJat a Jt.,gmf.tm '1f a r~in i:S bt:i..11,i ex ;;re11
,er,L

·Soise fn'd.s in i ~ f-i.a,·e increav..d <JVf..T tfa: ye-an

ar.d 'V:ltr~ ar~}..r..nti-!:-:. f-.r~fd t:.;-...t
_ ; . . noi.se ln'ci.s in citie s t-..a~·e ma~ s a1--/JUt I dB per year for fre fa~ 3-0 y~ ~ -
Tle toUf)d pressure level rcpre.s<.'Tit~ the _~ i~.rr...e_of a :1,oi3e YJ'JtO : and ~'i <e.e r,,f C-~
1r.b TI.er e z.re
~~ that ca:1 asse.si ~'beth.er a g,ven nr.m:e u a .msid ered tr> be a.--mr.r;
c<.mte,- 4 tfaa <licw e v, r&fr.ec p,-..r,,~!.e
,,,,_ ~~ both imri mic to the noise arA iu
• ~ it to be anno ying (2) :
L Frequency cont ent or oond widt n
1. Duration
J. Presence of pure tones or transients
... lmer mitte ncy
5. Tune of day
6. Location (or activ ity)
Threshold Limit Values
mete rs are repre sente d in the
American National stand ard specification for soun d level
. . . . . . .t2 table ;

Dura tion per day (hr)

16
80
8
85
4
90
2
95
· .100 1
1/2
1/4
l/8

DOite exposure is compos~d of two or more periods of noise exposure

idual effe ct of
eom bine d effec t shou ld be cons idere d rathe r than indiv

..,... &act ions exce eds unity , then the mixe d expo
sure shou ld be
Id limit value .

c, -' ~
.,, -'2
:2
+ + ............. + c,, > J
T,,
 218 ~!1,::mentals of t:nvlronmont and t:cology - - -----...
But if the sum of the fo llowing frnctio11s is less thao or .equal to unity, th cn the mixed
cxptlsm-c should he cnnsi<krcd wi1 hi~1p,:ntrissihlc limit. The mixed cxpoSurc can be expressed
by follt,wing cxpn.·ssion.
. ~ C C2 + C,, < 1
~ c.' f """ .:.i
1; +-0_ +............. r
II
...(4>
. wh~rc C1 indicates th~ totul dumtion exposure ot n specific noi.se level and r, indicates
the t,..'tal "turatic)n exposure pcnnittc<l ut that level.
The Noise C'ontrnl Act of 1972. became Public Law PL 92574 in October of that year.
Under the Act. the fowironmcntal Pollution Agency (ER A) httd to develop criteria identifying
the cm.'Cts of noise on public health un<l welfare in all possible noise environments and to
specify the tll)isc reduction necessary for protection with an adequate margin of safety. The
EPNs basic "ldcntitication of Levels" document (3) was pubJishcd in March 1974 and it
concluded that virtually all of the population is protected against lifetime hearing loss
when annual exposure to noise, averaged on a 24 h daily level, is less than or equal to 70
A-weighted decibels (dBA) (See Section 6 for discussion on A-weighted decibets). This
noise-level goal forms the initial base of the long-range federal program designed to prevent
the occurrence of noise levels associated with the adverse effect on public health and welfare.
Even so, noise levels in excess of 55 dBA can cause annoyance. The federal government's
regulatory development and related activity is aimed at the annoyaJice-type noises that
pervade the community. These noises in the approximate order of importance, especially to
urban communities, are (1) surface transportation noise, (2) aircraft noise, (3) construction
equipment and industrial noise, and (4) residential noise. Although states and municipalities
rm.in primary responsibility for noise control, they often rely on EPA recommended limits of
noise levels and exposures. Presently, industry is governed by noise regulations adopted by
· . OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), which sets noise exposure limits at
• employee's location for environments of steady noise, mixed noise, and impact noise. For
\MUd)· noise (i.e. noise at a constant d.BA level over a period of time), a maximum exposure of
4BA (about the sound level emitted from a loud engine) for an Sh day is prescribed, with
· of exposure time for each additional 5dBA increment. Table 1 presents pennitted
_ . tunes for various noise levels. For mixed or varying-level noise, the exposure may
~ a daily noise dose (C) of unity, as expressed in Eq. (4 ).

Table,. Permissible Steady Level Noise Exposure

~ permitted , tin1e pi'rmitted
·, (h-.mln) Sound ieveJ (dDA)
(h-min)
16--0 102 1- 31
.,. · 9- 11 104 1-9
8--0 . 106 0-52
6-4 108 o-40
4-36 110 0-30
3-29 112 0-23
2--SO 114 0-17
'2--0 . 115 0-15
 220 mentals of Environment and Ecology

,..\ 8. . SUREMENT OF NOISE LEVEL (18 HOUR) INDEX

\7 (o (18 hour) Index
This is used for road trafiic noise mcmmrcmcht in UK, which is expressed in dBA. It is the
arithme~ic average hourly values of the noise level exceeded fot 10% of 18 hours in a day
(between 06.00 to 24.00 hours in any normal weak day).
~ Perceived noise levels
The noise of aircraft is described in terms of perceived noise levels a scale of noisiness,
expressed in PNdB. 1 PN dD = dDA scale+ 13.
✓ Equivalent noise level ·
It is symbolically represented by Leq and it is accepted by ISO for measurement and rating
of noise in residential, industrial and traffic areas. The index implies mean noise level over a
specified period of tim~ i.e., the constant sound pressure level which would have produced the
same total energy as the actual sound level over the given time.
An L of 80 dBA means a steady noise le~el over the whole period of time or noise level
st.eacfyat 160 dBA for 50% of the time and zero noise for the remaining period.
Thus, L., is defined as the constant noise level, which, over a given time, expands the same
amount of energy,_as is expanded by the fluctuating levels over the same time. This value is
expressed by the equation:
i=n Li
Leg= l0logI(t0)10 xti
i=I.
. where, n = Total number of sound samples
L1 =The noise level of ~y i th sample
t1 =TIDle duration of i th sample, expressed as fraction of total sample time.

·11141r-aiabt equivalent value of sound level. The day is counted from 6 AM to 9 PM (15
.a Diabt from 9 PM to 6 AM (9 hours).

• he broadly classified under three categories:

· _noise (2) Occupational noise (3) Neighbourhood noise

into (I) Road traffic noise (ii) Aircraft noise and (iii) Rail traffic noise.
ra1-.• 1e: In Jhe city the main sources of traffic noise are the motors and
~ of autos, sm.tler trucks, buses and motorcycles. This type of noise ~an
by narrow sti:ee~ ~d tall ~uildings, which produce a canyon in which
_... 1be traffic noise 1s increasing day by day over the years continuous1Y·
of steady increase of the number of road vehicles and consequentlY
--1 traffic density. ·
 Noi se Pol lutio n and Con trol 221
noj se leve ls are expressed on the
raffi1 noise is acc ura tely mea sure d in dBA and
leve l is di!l"erent in dHf cr~nt countri es.
T 08 ~ou r) ind ex. The roa d tr~ffic noi se 70
. ·t c.0 r dies el or petr ol eng ine cars are 70 dUA m UK , 83 dBA in Fra.nce •
Li~
Tius 1im1 J • • •
. .
. .
dBA in Swi tzer land and 80 dBA tn Ind ia.
Cen tral Pol luti on Con trol Boa rd (Ind ia) has prescn bcd the perm1ss1ble sound
The
.
d mto ~our zon es.
l e ? ~ cities, div ide . ... . . .

Day Nig ht
~- ... ;v Areas ·,,. ,. 65d BA
--
,........-
Indu stria
Commercial .
l 75 dBA
65d BA 55d BA
45d BA
-- Residential
50d BA

-- Sen sitiv e area s 50d BA

l inst itut ion s, cou rts etc. )
40d BA
....---
(upto I 00 m around hospital, edu cati ona ..
.
ts v10 late d m all big citi es m Ind ia, Kol kat a bem g the wor ts cas e. The
These noise bm1 n
e leve ls in bus y stre ets in Kol kat a are 90 dBA bet wee n rus h hou se i.e., bet wee
average nois .
J0.3 0.A M- 12.0 0 Noo n and 18.00 - 19.3 0 hours.
or tak e off
(il) Aircraft Noise: The se are pea k
noi se leve ls whe n airc raft s fly ove rhe ad
ys,
at air por ts and the noi se bein g pro duc ed from air cra ft eng ine. No w-a -da
-and land
has add ed a new dim ens ion to com mu nity
the problem oflo w flying mil itar y aircraft els
crib ed in term s of per cei ved noi se lev
ann oya nce . The noi se of airc raft is des ship
in pNd B. The re is no sim ple rela tion
(PN L), a sca le of noi sine ss, exp ress ed eme nt
een the dB (A) valu e and pNd B valu e for all noi ses. Ho wev er, a use ful stat
betw (A)
rox ima tely 13 uni ts gra ter tha n the dB
is that , the pNd B valu e for a noi se is app
value for the noise.
stud y of airc raft noi se is the Eff ecti ve
A furt her refi nem ent resu ltin g from the It is
e var yin g eve nt, exp ress ed in EPN dB.
Noise Level, a scale. of noi sine ss of a tim
des crib e the noi se of a sing le airc raft activity. In ord er to des crib e the noi se
.use d to
dB valu es are sup ple men ted wit h suc h
exposure associated· wit h an airport, the EPN
h airc raft typ e, the flig ht pat hs tha t the
· Jnformation as the numb'er of flights of eac
and the tim e of day at whi ch the ope rati ons occ ur. The resu ltin g pic ture is
aa aft use
re For eca st (NE F) con tou rs. whi ch are
presented in suc h terms as Noise Exp osu in com mu niti es aro und
rcnaea to represent the long . -term average noise exposure
ive eng ines , hor ns and whi stle s. and
fro m railroads: The noi se from loco mot
neig hbo urin g com num itie s
unting operation in rail yar ds can imp act
rders can pro duc e a hig h frequency.
nilr oad worlcers. For example, rail cat reta
120 dB at a dist anc e of I 00 feet ,
Jovc,I screech that can reach pea k levels of at the rail roa d wor ker 's ear.

~-
Wllllllates to levels as hig h as )38, or 140
dB

. · by industrial machines and processes

in -ditferent categories such as
whi ch afl;ects mil lion of peo ple.
 - -. .Nc )!~ a. rorruJion_ an(f C<mtrri.,,.yl ,.,.~.
-- ..-- -- ~- - - - ._ ...... ._, -cc_..-..,....__..,_ __ ....,. ..
- - - - - - ....,.,,,....,.-~ .
.

cxhihit diff-. .rc nt nr,i"e H

wn tr- of pr od l1 cn . , A cmut,r,n
~~
ha no jsc ce, m u; t ti c· hn.,~ c~1
somtion matcrfafsI':. and ot • •
11c rropcr materials and devi
ioct ab •1' . ffcrcntJ.r cqucnc,cs . c 1 10M lll, ll t
r calkd the
S • •sues at di 1· nnalysi'\, ~n it1:-trumcn
l
. f 1 • . or ~u cn no
b8f8'U1 o t 1c m)1s c ~< Hltcc mcnt ~i::rnrnte~
' frcqOcncy analysis on ly u~ cJ . A~ its rt.1 mc hnplic~. thi1 in:'1 tru
mm . · 1· d· 3 <me (1cta ve in width and ,t
on'. t,And analyzer is most corn . to ~otH1g uou~ rc qu cu cy
r..
rJ~ m
~ia,noeise frequency spcdmm
ha nd $. So m e m oJcrn snund-fcvd tt1ctcr<1
kn·J m each of the
the,sures the sound pressure
cmcnts.
:rporatt' ,~~ta~·e band mc-a~u.-
t
,_,,tMeasuring Equipmen pment.
fferent type s of noise measuring equi
.~ are di
1t,-el meters n
1•s-ad level an d are co m m on ly used in noise pollutio
S(IIIJ1d Jen•I meters me~
ure sound pressure cially fo r industria.l. environmen
t.ii
no ise, bu t espe
~ for the quantit
kation of almost any d level m ete r does not correlate well
n by a so un
the reading give :itionaJ
and aua-aft noise. However, for this loudness meter is needed. The current intcm
., ftuman-perc,ei\'ed loud
ness; . ~
d level m eter pe rfo nn ance is IEC 61672 : 2003
~ for so un I

2. Mapedc tape recorder icr opho ne or through a sound

level meter.
ctly from a m
, 11 dais recorder sound
wave is fed dire ation .
e ac tual noise for sto rage or for better evalu
)i s med to record th
re the
d level m eter in tended specifically to meJsu
specialised soun ply with health
A ~ dosimeter is a over a pe riod of time; usually to com
tegrated
- exposure of a person in
• afety iegulations.
Mfl'lllt.mder digital di splay
cordings to give Leq as a continuous
tic taps re
~ y or from magne
out.
d k~ d
e recordings and consists essenti:llly of a soun
y or from magnetic tap
meter.
feeding a noise average
b~
magnetic tape recorder.
ft c::111
g equipm ent is same as
ofdlis r,oise measurin rding.
&m u so und Jevel meters or from magnetic reco
•
IJII
8fSTIOfWMSEPOWIJ so intense.
an cf ribz.atio n bu t it was never so ob\lious,
bcai with the hum men
t of m is ce ntwy . Noise pollution makes
tJw las
• ,..'41iw • it ii ICCll in on is multifaceted and inter refatt:d. The ef1ec:ts of
lt.i
fte . . . o l llai,e polh. prope.ny are as follows:
·....,and fect
Ex ce•••=
ss ive noise could aJversely aftries.
., I ed coun
_. .. jo India in co
mparison with advanc
with noise.
 ls ·of Environment and Ecologr,_ __ _. • - .., ·---
Funda..menta . . . ,__. , -
~
........... ~
a b
th ffibc concentration,
". 2. Lack of conce ntrati on: For better quality of work 5 ere sbould th O
e _ices are on rnain
'. · · noise causes lack of con.centration. In bjg cities_, mo tly all
the attention
road. The noise of traffic, loud speakers or different types of horns divert
· · of the people working in offices. · ·
deafness .
·3. The continuous noise of intensity 120- 150 dB may cause perma nent
their ~ork. Thus
. 4. · Fatigue: Because of noise pollution people canno t concentrate on
tmng.
they have to give their more time for completing the work and th.e y feel
sounds
. S. There should be cool and calm atmosphere during the pregnancy. Unpleasant
s. .
. make a lady of irritative nature. Sudden noise causes abortion in female
6. It may cause digestive disorder due to the metabolic disord er.
7. Blood pressure: Noise pollution causes certain. diseases ~ huma n.
• I • _It c~ disturb the
factors in
person's peace of mind. The noises are recognized as maJor contributing
tensions result in
. . accelerating the already existing tensions of mode m living. These
. , · ·certain disease like blood pressure or mental illness etc.
l. Animal
8. Effect OD animal: Noise pollution damage the nervo us system of anima
looses the control of its mind. They become dangerous.
bridges and
· 9. Effec t OD property: Loud noise is very dange rous to buildi ngs,
ng in danger
monuments. It creates waves which struck the waJls and put the buildi
, condition. .
ance types. In
JO. Effect on human life: Effects of noise incJude physiological and annoy
nt
the fonner category, there is evidence indicating that expos ure to noise of sufficie
ng pennan ent
intensity and duration can permanently damage the inner ear, with resulti
noise can increa se tensio n and irritab ility; even
• _ _,, . hearin g Joss. Loss of sleep from
body derives from
· · -' : during sleep~ noise can lessen or diminish the relaxation that the
1

unication and
•. , ... ,sleep. In the annoyance category, noise can interfere with speec h comm
can be
, the perception .o f other auditory signals: the perfo: mance of complicated tasks
tion, and reduce
.affecte4 by_noise. Noise c~ adversely affect mood, disturb relaxa can detrac t from the
· the ~pportunity for privacy. In all of the above ways, noise
enjoym ent of out environment and can affect the quality of human life.
. ..

POLLUTION CONTROL -
1•J1 re_ceiver concept.
could be controlled by either reducing the noise at the source or by
· ipn or by protecting the receiver. ·

The fust Jtep in the prevention of noise pollution is to control the noise
. .

: . ~es generally reduces th~ noise pr~duced.

. -~ _nUl$!f. ·. ·.· _,· __ <· . - ··- _, ,.
· .· . · ity generally reduces vibratio~ and noise.
-~~t' abte:_kl ,control noise at its source, the step is to trY_ to
the
· ~lowm, are few examples of instances ·in which the noise
the path of transmission. ·
·-114UJ:ine cover ed in an enclo sure~ that the sound does not escape
, ., .
.. - . ··.,. ··: '
i· ---------·
- -- - Noise Pollution and Co nt~
, ,_,,,,,. (b) ConstrUc~i?n of noise barriers on
road sides for the benefit of the nearby resid
-· communities . . ential
( } Sound. proof the building use heavy cart
ains on the windows, acoustical tile th
c . ceiling and walls, on the tloors, seal
all air leaks to reduce the noise coming in00fro
-ide. ;
iver~ If we are not able to bring down tl;e
noise levels to the desired levels through
· e modifications or by preventing the transmi
ssion path, then the only alternative is to
iVide ear plugs in noisy places.
. ,
: f~llo\\'-ing general measures may be taken to
reduce noise pollution in a community.
(a) Don't use horns except in a11 emergency.
Keep auto and truck engines, air conditioners
. - and appliances in good condition.
· (b) Purchase the least noisy air conditioner
or vacuum cleaner.
(c) Respect your neighbour's right to silence.
· (d) Tell your friends about the hazards of nois
e.
{e} Get organized.
(/) Become knowledgeable.
(g) Keep conversation and rest areas in the
home away from sources of noise.

ice Questions
-·:: ~ Buman ear can hear a sound at 2 x
10-s Nim~ sound pressure or at 10-2 W/m 2
· ' 'am sity or at 20Hz frequency. These valu sound
es are ~ow n as:
;·,_(a)Minimum limit of hearing .
(b) Limit of sound
_(c)Threshold of pain and
(d) Thre~hold of hearing
' · . intensity level in decibel can be defined ·~s· ·

. . •(: .) (b) LI= 20 log 10 ( : . )

. I;) . (d) LI = lO log (; )

t) (b) SPL = 20 log'°(:, J

1;) ·. . .(d) SPL = 10 log 10
(:,)

-.and s.ource is increased to four times the earl

ier intensity, then the
·klv•l is · :
•:. '. :'. (b) ldB :· . , _ (c) 6 dB
1 times (d).4
' . ,_ ,-• . ·. ible
..
·•
nois
.
e leve
.
l for fact~
'
ry work, for an eight hour
.

·~, .:.,. ch tio dBA (d) 120 dBA

._~ I
 Fundamentals of Environment and Ecology

6. The noise level in a public library should be

(a) 40 dBA (b) 90 dBA (c) 10 dBA (d) 35 dBA
7. Threshold of pain reaches at a noise level of
(a) 140 dBA (b) 120 dBA (c) 80 <lBA (d) 60 dBA
8. The average noise levels in busy.streets in calcutta between 10.30 AM - 12.00 hrs (noon)
is
(a) 120 dBA (b) 140 dBA (c) 90 dBA (d) 60 dBA
9. Noise is
(a) un\\'.anted sound. (b) constant sound.
(c) sound_ofhigh frequency. (d) loud sound.
10. A sound 1,000 times more powerful than near total silence is
(a) 0 dB. (b) 40 dB. (c) 100 dB. (d) 30 dB.
11. The reference pressure, for sound pressure level (SPL) is
(a) l x 10-5 Nm-2 • (b) 2 x 10-5 Nm-2 . (c) 9 x 10-5 Nm- 2 • (d) 12 x 10-5 Nm-2.
12. In the industrial area noise is measured by
(a) L 10 index. (b) LePn. (c) Leq· (d) None of these

ANSW ERS
1.(d) l.(a) 3.(b) 4. (c) 5.(b) 6.(a) 7.(b) 8. (c) 9. (a)
11.(d) 11.(b) 12. (c)

,,-h~Z:,,IJShort
-,:::.=Answe
:..:..l~r==-~~
Type Questi
~--==ons
==- -- - - - - -····---· --·· ····- •·- ......
L Write the common audible frequency range of human ear.
20 to 20000 Hz
J.; What is the velocity of sound at normal temperature and pressure?
340m/s
• unit is used to measure the road traffic noise?
· . ) index
unit of sound intensity?

' -~f ~ -pressure?

p,easure
. '. ·.
.
d? ~

). l. PNdB .= dBA scale + 13

. .
·m~ noise level.in a residential building?
\ dutjng night. ·
 ---------- -- - -
---- Which type of sounds are pleasant to cars'?
9.
N: ; ! ~ ~ ~and Control

Musical sounds. .
J\05•
Which instn1ment is used to measure the s0und int ensity?
10.
J\OS. Sound )eve) meter. _
• At what level a som1d becomes a physical pain'!
11
J\OS. I 20 d8.
At what decibel instantaneous ruptm·e of mcm brnnc happens?
12•
J\DS. 150 dB

il,QrtAnsw~r_Type_Qy~s.tiQns
· . , l~ What is noise pollution?
Aas. Noise pollution can be defined as the unwanted sound produced into the environment.
2. Give the
examples of different types of noise.
Aas. The different types of noise are
(a) Transport noise
(b) Occupational noise
(c) Neighbourhood noise
3. What are the effects of noise po!lution?
An. There are several detrimental effects of noise pollution on environment.
(a) .Decrease the efficiency of a man
. (I,) Lack of concentration
., Faftgae
•••ac · blood pressure etc.
hold limit value?
• -= time of certain noise level exceeds: it creates a detrimental/harmful
.._an beings. The exposure time of that noise is called threshold limit
cumpJe, noise of 90 dB intensity has threshold limit value 8 hrs/day. If a
to more than 8 hrs/day in 90 dB noise, it creates a hannful effect over

_ _ .,_·tyofa 50 dB sound (Given reference intensity = 10-12 w/m2).

. . U= 10 log10 ( ~ )

.JO""'.J1 w/m2. ;
·. ~J~) ' ;
= log/+ 12
: .,. 5
' I• s-12 .
- ~7
I • 10-1
10 (;,..7) W/m2_.

J
 ~~~a~~~f En~,~~ t ~~log ~
~fine d..xihd (dB).
Ans. 11lC ]()U JlH~SS ot- sonn J,ts CXJ'fCS~C(1 trt
· tcmt.,.. {l f", ......
.,,. ,·,.t1f11ic
"
acnustic unit callc<l decibel
• • •
lt i!ii not an absolute physical unit. hut 1t· •~· ' c·~,,1· ··s:-.(;J 05 a logantf11nic seal
a rn t 10 " ,.;. · . e
rdatiyc tll a reference sound intensity k\icl. In terms or
sound, a decibel (dB) is ten
times the 1~,gatithm ,,f the tatio (lf two ~o,md intcnsitie!-'I, one hcing the intensities of
any S(.\tmd .:,f intl'rt-M (/) nnd the uthrr hcing a tcfcrcnce sound Uo>·

!llathetnatk ally. t1nocil,cl) " 10 log 10 ( : . )

lltc- rc:ti.:-n.-ncc sl'~lmd intensity is / 0 = t x Hr 12 W/m 2•

lontAns wer Type Questions

~ 'hat is equivalent noise level? What is meant by equivalent noise level of 8<lBA?
Ans. The equivalent noise level (L_eq) implies mean noise level over a specified period of
rime i.e., the constant sound pressure level which would have produced the same total
energy as the actual sound level over the given time. .
An leq of 80 dBA means a steady noise level over the whole period of time or noise
level steady at 160 dBA for 50% of the time and zero noise for the remaining period.
2. \\'hat measures may be taken to reduce noi'se iollution in a communit y?
Alls. The follo\\ing general measures may be taken to reduce noise pollution in a com..'11.unity:
(a) Don't use horns except in an emergency. Keep auto and truck engines, air
conditioners and appliances in good condition.
(b) Purchase the least noisy air conditioner or vacuum cleaner.
(c) Respect your neighbour' s right to silence.
(d) Tell your friends about the hazards of noise.
(e) Get orprize<I.
{f} Become knO\~iedgeable.
(g) Keep conversation and rest areas in the home away from sources of noise.
,J. Wbaf, action should be taken to control the noise pollution for the following equipmt!nt:
(a)_ Engine 9f a car, (b) Bulldozer, ( c) Electrkal motors,
H) ladusvifll cooling fan, (e) Compressor.
· aetions to be taken to control the noise pollution:
t••-' Ill• ear: fitting of efficient .silencer, proper tuning, proper lubrication of

· ; fining yf dlkknt silencer, proper tuning, proper lubrkation of

_.....: Intake mutllcrs, W1idircctioual fan.

,:,..1a1 fa■ : Enclosing intak.~ and discharge lines, proper maintenance
proper lubrication.
l,agging and use of in-line mutllcr. damping lubrication.
 •w _ _ _ _No~ ~utlon and Control
3
sound source is Io<- > W/m2• Find the sotmd intensity le 1 -:
12
atrefcrence is 10- W/m •
2 vc · 0 rvcn that
jntenst ty
d intensity level (SIL), L1 = 10 log10 ( ,/ )
1.ns. soun - o

= 10 loglO ( l o - 12
10-J J
= 10 log10 (I 09) == 90 dB
5. Gi\'enfourmachines producing 100 dB, 91 dB, 90 dB and 89 dB respectively, what is
the total sound pressure level?
i: n SPL1 •
SPLr = 10 log I(10)w
i: I

= 10 x log[l0(100110) '. 10(91/I0) +10(90/IO) +10(89/ 10)]

-· _= 10 x log [ 1010 + 109· 1 + 109 + 108·9 ]

= 101.2 dB
· .;{Jfiven 4 hours of 90 dBA exposure, two hours of 95 dBA exposure, and 2 hours of 85
. dBA exposure, what is the % dose using the pennissible exposure level? Is this person
·overexposed compared to pennissible exposure level? [Pennissible noise exposure of
different noise levels are 95 dBA for 4 hours, 90 dBA for 8 hours and 85 dBA for any
~~~J .
-Noise level dBA: 90 95 85
hours: 4 2 .2
. Bible hours: ·8 - 4 oo
• 1breshold limit value is given by,
4 2 2
C1 =-+-+-=1
8 4 oo
the mix exposure of sound is unity so it is within the pennissible limit and the
is not overexposed compared to pennissible exposure level. ·
% Noise dose :. c, x 100 = I x 100 = 100%
4 IIOl.a of 80 dBA exposure, 2 hours of 90 dBA exposure, and 2 hours of 85
i, die% dose using pennissible exposure level? Is this person
,I ll.ltd to penniuible exposure level? (Pennissible noise exposure of
for 8 hours, 85 dBA and 80 dBA for any period of

85
z _
~

·2
=0.2S

J
 Fundamentals of Environment and Ecology

Since the mix exposure of sound is less than unity so it is within the permissible limit and the
person is not overexposed compared to permissible exposure level. ·
% Noise dose = C, x 100 = 0.25 x 100 = 25%
8. In a work area the noise levels arc read as 95 dOA for 2 hr a day. 90 dBA for 4 hr a
day, 80 dBA for remaining 2 hr a day and permissible duration of each noise level is
95 dBA for 2 hr, 90 dDA for 4 hr and 80 dBA for 16 hr. Find out the noise threshold
limit value and from the result write whether the noise level is within permissible limit
or not.
Ans. Noise level dBA: 95 90 80
Measured hours: 2 4 2
Permissible hours : 2
4 16
Noise threshold limit value is given by,
2 4 2
c, =-+-+-
. 2 4 16
= 2.125

~in~e the mix expos~re of sound is more than unity so it is more than the permissible
hm1t and the person ts overexposed compared to permissible exposure level.
-~ % Noise dose= c, x 100 = 2.125 x 100 = 212.5%
~ o w much a 100 dB sound is louder than a 80 dB sound?
Ans. Sound intensity level, L . I= 100 dB and L 2~80 dB
· Reference intensity, I_0:10"(-12) W/m2. - .

Case I, LI = 10 logto U:J

or,

1
100 = 10 log10 c:~ 12 )

or, Iog!O- ( 10-112 ) = 10

or, = 1010 '

(1:~12)
or, /I = 10-2 W/m 2

Case JI, L2 = IO log10 Io - (,,) ''

.'
or, 80 = 10 l~glo c;_: 12 )

lo 12 )
( _..:_ = 8
glO 10- 12 .

c:: 12 ) = 108
 Noise Pollution and Control
or, 10- 4 W/m 2
10 2
- 4 -= 102 == 100
10-
So 100 dD sound is 100 times louder than 80 db soun
d.

• 1. (a) What is noise pollution? Discuss the impact

of noise pollution on hum an health and
migratory bird.
(b) What do you mea n by sound frequency, soun
d intensity and sound pressure? Write
their unit in each case.
(c) Suggests two methods of controlling noise poll
ution.
2. (a) What is equivalent noise level?
· (b) In a wor k area the nois e levels are read as
95 dBA for 2 hr a day. 90 dBA for 4 hr a
day, 80 dBA for remaining 2 hr a day and perm
issible duration of.each noise level is
95 dBA for 2 hr, 90 dBA for 4 hr and 80 dBA for
16 hr. Find out the noise threshold
limit value and from the result write whether the
noise level is within permissible
limit or not.
(c) How muc h is a sou nd of 100 dB louder than
a sowid of 80 dB?
3. Write short note s on (a) Noise threshold limi
t values, (b) Sowid pressure level (SPL).