What is Sound and What is Noise?

Sound is a form of energy that is transmitted by pressure variations which the human ear can detect. When one plays a musical instrument, say a guitar, the vibrating chords set air particles into vibration and generate pressure waves in the air. A person nearby may then hear the sound of the guitar when the pressure waves are perceived by the ear. Sound can also travel through other media, such as water or steel.

Apart from musical instruments, sound can be produced by many other sources - man's vocal cord, a running engine, a vibrating loudspeaker diaphragm, an operating machine tool, and so on. Click on the demo buttons and you will hear the noise from different sources.

Noise is unwanted sound. Usually the sound of a violin is referred to as music - is something pleasing. Depending on other factors, the sound may be perceived as noise.

Noise perception is subjective. Factors such as the magnitude, characteristics, duration, and time of occurrence may affect one's subjective impression of the noise.

 Sources & Effects

The present generation and the coming generations have to solve three grave problems, namely, population poverty and pollution if they have to survive. Pollution being the most dangerous problem likes cancer in which death is sure but slow. Environment pollution is assuming dangerous proportions all through the globe and India is not free from this poisonous disease. This is the gift of modern living, industrialization and urbanization. Unless timely action is taken we have a forbid and bleak future for the world.

The word noise is derived from the Latin term nausea. It has been defined as unwanted sound, a potential hazard to health and communication dumped into the environment with regard to the adverse effect it may have on unwilling ears.

1. Noise is defined as unwanted soundSound, which pleases the listeners, is music and that which causes pain and annoyance is noise. At times, what is music for some can be noise for others2

Section 2 (a) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 includes noise in the definition of ‘air pollutant’.

Section 2(a) air pollution means any solid, liquid or gaseous substance including noise present in the atmosphere such concentration as may be or tent to injurious to human beings or other living creatures or plants or property or environment.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica: In acoustic noise is defined as any undesired sound.3

In chambers 21st Century Dictionary the definition of noise has undergone a change. Noise pollution stands carved out as phrase separately from noise. The two are defined as under:

Noise- a sound; a harsh disagreeable sound, or such sound; a din. Pollution- an excessive or annoying degree of noise in a particular area, e.g. from traffic or aero plane engines.

Pollution is a noise derived from the verb pollute. Section 2 (c ) of the Environment (Protection ) Act, 1986 defines environmental pollution to mean the presence in the environment of any environmental pollutant. Section 2 (b) of the said Act defines environmental pollutant to means any solid, liquid or gaseous substance present in such concentration as may be ,or tends to be injurious to environment.

Noise can be described as sound without agreeable musical quality or as an unwanted or undesired sound. Thus noise can be taken as a group of laud, non harmonious sounds or vibrations that are unpleasant and irritating to ear.

2 MeasurementA decibel is the standard for the measurement of noise. The zero on a decibel scale is at the threshold of hearing, the lowest sound pressure that can be heard, on the scale acc. To smith, 20 db is whisper, 40 db the noise in a quiet office . 60 db is normal conversation, 80 db is the level at which sound becomes physically painful.

The Noise quantum of some of the cities in our country indicate their pitch in decibel in the nosiest areas of corresponding cities, e.g. Delhi- 80 db, Kolkata - 87,Bombay-85, Chennai-89 db etc.

3 Sources of Noise PollutionNoise pollution like other pollutants is also a by- product of industrialization, urbanizations and modern civilization. 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: roads traffic, aircraft, railroads, construction, industry, noise in buildings, and consumer products.

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

2. Air Craft 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.

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. 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.

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 noise- induced hearing loss is unfortunately common.

6. 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 soundof-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.

4 Harmful Effects:On Human Being, Animal and Property: Noise has always been with the human civilization but it was never so obvious, so intense, so varied & so pervasive as it is seen in the last of this century. Noise pollution makes men more irritable. The effect of noise pollution is multifaceted & inter related. The effects of Noise Pollution on Human Being, Animal and property are as follows:I It decreases the efficiency of a man:- Regarding the impact of noise on human efficiency there are number of experiments which print out the fact that human efficiency increases with noise reduction. A study by Sinha & Sinha in India suggested that reducing industrial booths could improve the quality of their work. Thus human efficiency is related with noise.

II Lack of concentration:- For better quality of work there should be concentration , Noise causes lack of concentration. In big cities , mostly all the offices are on main road. The noise of traffic or the loud speakers of different types of horns divert the attention of the people working in offices.III Fatigue:- Because of Noise Pollution, people cannot concentrate on their work. Thus they have to give their more time for completing the work and they feel tiring.

IV Abortion is caused: - There should be cool and calm atmosphere during the pregnancy. Unpleasant sounds make a lady of irriative nature. Sudden Noise causes abortion in females.

V It causes Blood Pressure: - Noise Pollution causes certain diseases in human. It attacks on the person’s peace of mind. The noises are recognized as major contributing factors in accelerating the already existing tensions of modern living. These tensions result in certain disease like blood pressure or mental illness etc.

VI Temporary of permanent Deafness:- The effect of nose on audition is well recognized. Mechanics , locomotive drivers, telephone operators etc. All have their hearing . Impairment as a result of noise at the place of work. Physictist, physicians & psychologists are of the view that continued exposure to noise level above. 80 to 100 db is unsafe, Loud noise causes temporary or permanent deafness.

VII EFFECT ON VEGETATION Poor quality of Crops:- Now is well known to all that plants are similar to human being. They are also as sensitive as man. There should be cool & peaceful environment for their better growth. Noise pollution causes poor quality of crops in a pleasant atmosphere.

VIII EFFECT ON ANIMAL:- Noise pollution damage the nervous system of animal. Animal looses the control of its mind. They become dangerous.

IX EFFECT ON PROPERTY:- Loud noise is very dangerous to buildings, bridges and monuments. It creates waves which struck the walls and put the building in danger condition. It weakens the edifice of buildings.

5 Legal Control:(a) Constitution of India Right to Life:- Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees life and personal liberty to all persons. It is well settled by repeated pronouncements of the Supreme Court that right to life enshrined in Article 21 is not of mere survival or existence. It guarantees a right of persons to life with human dignity. Any one who wishes to live in peace, comfort and quiet within his house has a right to prevent the noise as pollutant reaching him.

Right to Information:- Every one has the right to information know about the norms and conditions on which Govt. permit the industry which effect the environment.

Right to Religion and NoiseRight to religion does not include right to perform religious activities on loud speaker and electronic goods which produce high velocity of noise.Directive Principal of State Policy:The state has the object to make the enviorment pollution free. Fundamental Duties:every citizen of the country has the fundamental duty to clean the environment.

(b) Cr.P.C. Section 133Here Section 133 is of great importance. Under Crpc. Section 133 the magisterial court have been empowered to issue order to remove or abate nuisance caused by noise pollution Sec 133 empower an executive magistrate to interfere and remove a public nuisance in the first instance with a conditional order and then with a permanent one. The provision can be utilized in case of nuisance of environment nature. He can adopt immediate measure to prevent danger or injury of a serious land to the public. For prevention of danger to human life, health or safety the magistrate can direct a person to abstain from certain acts.

(c) I.P.C. Public Nuisance 268-295Chapter IV of Indian Penal code deals with offences relating to public health, safety, ....decency , morals under Sections 268, 269, 270, 279, 280, 287, 288, 290 291 294. Noise pollution can be penalized with the help of above section. Private remedies suits in the area may related to public nuisance under A299. This

article punishment in case of Public nuisance law of torts covers. A person is guilty of public nuisance who does any act or is guilty of an illegal omission which causes any common injury, danger, or annoyance to the pubic or to the people in general who dwell or occupy property in the vicinity or which must necessarily cause injury, obstruction danger or annoyance to persons who may have occasion to use any public right. A common nuisance is not excused on the ground that it causes some convenience or advantage. Who ever commits a public nuisance in any case not otherwise punishable by this code, shall be punished with fine, which may extend to Rs. 200.

(d) Law of Torts Noise pollution is considered as civil wrong:- Under law of torts , a civil suit can be filed claiming damages for the nuisance. For filing a suit under law of torts a plaintiff is required to comply with some of the requirement of tort of nuisance which are as follows:-1. There should be reasonable interference.2. Interference should be with the use & enjoyment of land.3. In an action for nuisance actual damage is required to be proved. As a general rule either the presence or absence of malice does not matter. But in some cases deviation from the rule has been made.

In Christe Vs Davey The extent of noise & the amount of disturbance caused there by was ignored & it was held that the noise which arose due to the practice of lawful profession, & without any malice, could not be considered to be actionable nuisance.

In Hollywood Silver Fox Farm Ltd. Vs Emmett It was held that presence of malice was a factor in determining liability for noise amounting to nuisance. The court said that even on his won land was nuisance, & the defendant was liable in damages.

(e) Factories Act Reduction of Noise and Oil of MachineryThe Factories Act does not contain any specific provision for noise control. However, unde the Third Schedule Sections 89 and 90 of the Act, noise induced hearing loss, is mentioned as notifiable disease. Similarly, under the Modal Rules, limits for noise exposure for work zone area have been prescribed.

(f) Motor Vehicle Act.Provision Relation to use of horn and change of Engine:- In Motor veichle Act rules regarding use horns and any modification in engine are made.

(g) Noise Pollution Control Rule 2000 under Environment Protection Act 1996 :- Further for better regulation for noise pollution There are The Noise Pollution ( Regulation and Control ) Rules, 2000 – in order to curb the growing problem of noise pollution the government of India has

enacted the noise pollution rules 2000 that includes the following main provisions:-# The state government may categories the areas in the industrial or commercial or residential# The ambient air quality standards in respect of noise for different areas have been specified.# State government shall take measure for abatement of noise including noise emanating from vehicular movement and ensure that the existing noise levels do not exceed the ambient air quality standards specified under these rules.# An area not less than 100 m around hospitals educations institutions and court may be declare as silence are for the purpose of these rules.# A loud speaker or a public address system shall not be used except after obtaining written permission from the authority and the same shall not be used at night. Between 10 pm to 6 am# A person found violating the provisions as to the maximum noise permissible in any particular area shall be liable to be punished for it as per the provision of these rules and any other law in force.

Schedule(see rule 3(l) and 4(l)Ambient Air Quality Standards in respect of Noise Area Code Category of Area/Zone Limits in dB(A) Leq *Day Time NightTime(A) Industrial area 75 70(B) Commercial area 65 55(C) Residential area 55 45(D) Silence Zone 50 40

*dB(A) Leq denotes the time weighted average of the level of sound in decibels on scale A which is relatable to human hearing. A "decibel" is a unit in which noise is measured. "A", in dB(A) Leq, denotes the frequency weighting in the measurement of noise and corresponds to frequency response characteristics of the human ear. Leq : It is an energy mean of the noise level, over a specified period.|

6 Judiciary And Noise PollutionIn Raghunandan Prasad5 the engine of a factory was causing noise so as to be a serious nuisance to be the people living in the neighborhood the forbade the working of engine from 9 P.M. to 5 A.M.

In Mauj Raghu6 A rice mill working at night during season will not disentitle the inhabitants of locality to relief under this section if it is established that such working is a nuisance.

In Ram Avtar7 The appellant carried on a trade of auctioning vegetable in private house the noise caused by the auctioning caused discomfort to person living in society. An order was passed restraining auctioning g of vegetable in the their house. It was held by supreme court that the order was not justified merely because the applicant carried on auctioning gin connection with which the carts were brought they could not be taken as cause of problem Section 133 was held not intended to stoop such

trades merely because of discomfort caused by the noise.

In Himmat Singh8 Where there were fodder tals in a residential colony to which fodder was brought daily during nights by trucks which were unloaded in the morning and fodder was cut during the day by electric operated machines. It was held that the carrying on the trades causing intolerable noises emanating offensive smells and spreading dust containing articles of fodder cut was public nuisance as noise pollution.

Some other important cases are also have great relevance in this regard:In Govind singh9 the court examined the emerging parameters of public nuisance. The supreme court on special leave to appeal noted that the evidence disclosed the emission of smoke injurious to health and physical comfort of people living or working in the proximity of appellant bakery and held this as a case of public nuisance.

In Maulan Mufti Syed and Other V. State of West Bengal AIR 1999 CAL 15 The court held imposition of restriction on the use of microphone and loud speakers by the state government between 9 pm to 7 am which inter alia include recitation of azan on microphone in early hours before 7 AM is not violative of Article 25 of constitution guaranteeing of freedom of religion.

Latest authority of supreme court is a land mark judgment in the field of noise pollution

In Re: Noise Pollution11 Following important observations have been made by Supreme court regarding noise pollution which are discussed as follows:-Facts of the case:Anil mittal an engineer filed this case . the immediate reason for this was that a 13 years old girl was a victim of rape he cries for held and went unheard due to blaring sound of loudspeakers noise music over loud speakers in the neighbor hood. the Petitioner complain of noise created by the use of loudspeakers being used in religious performances or singing bhajans and the like in busy commercial hi fi audio systems are used.

There are rules framed by the government regarding noise pollution and known as Noise Pollution control and Regulation Rules, 1999. On 11-10-2002 govt brought in an amendment in the rules. The amendment empowered the state government to permit use of loudspeakers or public address system during night hours between 10 pm to 12 pm in the mid night on or during the cultural or religious occasions for a limited period not exceeding 15 days.

In this case supreme observed that Right to life enshrined in Article 21 is not of mere survival or existence. It guarantees a right of persons to life with human dignity. There in are included all the aspects of life which go to make a person life meaningful complete and worth living. Every body who wished to live in peace , comfort and quiet with in his house has a right to prevent the noise as pollutant reaching him. No one claim a right to noise to create noise even in his own premises which would travel beyond his precincts and cause nuisance to neighbors or others.

7 Conclusion:- We have made the law relating to noise pollution but there is need to creating general awareness towards the hazardous effects of noise pollution. Particularly, in our country the people generally lack consciousness of the ill effects which noise pollution creates ad how the society including they themselves stand to beneficiary preventing generation and emission of noise pollution. The target area should be educational institutions and more particularly school. The young children of impressionable age should be motivated to desist from playing with firecrackers, use of high sound producing equipments and instruments on festivals, religious and social functions, family get-togethers and celebrations etc. which cause noise pollution. Suitable chapters can be added into textbooks, which teach civic sense to the children and teach them how to be good and responsible citizen which would include learning by heart of various fundamental duties and that would obliviously include learning not to create noise pollution and to prevent if generated by others. Holding of special talks and lectures can be organized in the schools to highlight the menance of noise pollution and the role of the children in preventing it . For these purpose the state must pay its role by the support and cooperation of non-government organizations (NGOs) can also be enlisted.

Effects of noise pollution

Generally, problems caused by noise pollution include stress related illnesses, speech interference, hearing loss, sleep disruption, and lost productivity. Most importantly, there are three major effects we can look at:

HearingThe immediate and acute effect of noise pollution to a person, over a period of time, is impairment of hearing. Prolonged exposure to impulsive noise to a person will damage their eardrum, which mayresult in a permanent hearing impairment.

Marine AnimalsMarine scientists are concerned about excessive noise used by oil drills, submarines and other vessels on and inside the ocean. Many marine animals, especially whales, use hearing to find food, communicate, defend and survive in the ocean. Excessive noises are causing a lot of injuries and deaths to whales. For example, the effect of a navy submarine’s sonar can be felt 300 miles away from the source .

(SONAR is the use of sound by submarines and other fishing vessels to deterring the depth of water, the closeness of an object, or detect movement of other objects in the water)

Many of these beached whales have suffered physical trauma, including bleeding around the brain, ears and other tissues and large bubbles in their organs.

There is no question that sonar injures and kills whales and dolphins.– Joel Reynolds, NRDC senior attorney (http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/sonar.asp)

This is not only about whales, but the larger marine life are all affected in one way or the other.

Effects on general healthHealth effects of noise include anxiety and stress reaction and in extreme cases fright. The physiological manifestations are headaches, irritability and nervousness, feeling of fatigue and decreases work efficiency. For example, being pounded by the siren of fire fighters, police or ambulance in your city all night everyday leave people (especially elderly people) stresses and tired in the morning.

Its is worth noting that these effects may not sound troubling, but the truth is, with time, the consequences can be very worrying.

Noise pollution prevention and control tips

Below are a few things people and governments can do to make our communities and living laces quieter:

Construction of soundproof rooms for noisy machines in industrial and manufacturing installations must be encouraged. This is also important for residential building—noisy machines should be installed far from sleeping and living rooms, like in a basement or garage.

Use of horns with jarring sounds, motorbikes with damaged exhaust pipes, noisy trucks to be banned.

Noise producing industries, airports, bus and transport terminals and railway stations to sighted far from where living places.

Community law enforcers should check the misuse of loudspeakers, worshipers, outdoor parties and discos, as well as public announcements systems.

Community laws must silence zones near schools / colleges, hospitals etc.

Vegetation (trees) along roads and in residential areas is a good way to reduce noise pollution as they absorb sound.

Effects of Noise Pollution1. Hearing Problems: Any unwanted sound that our ears have not

been built to filter can cause problems within the body. Our ears can

take in a certain range of sounds without getting damaged. Man made

noises such as jackhammers, horns, machinery, airplanes and even

vehicles can be too loud for our hearing range. Constant exposure to

loud levels of noise can easily result in the damage of our ear drums

and loss of hearing. It also reduces our sensitivity to sounds that our

ears pick up unconsciously to regulate our body’s rhythm.

2. Health Issues: Excessive noise pollution in working areas such as

offices, construction sites, bars and even in our homes can influence

psychological health. Studies show that the occurrence of aggressive

behavior, disturbance of sleep, constant stress, fatigue and

hypertension can be linked to excessive noise levels. These in turn

can cause more severe and chronic health issues later in life.

3. Sleeping Disorders: Loud noise can certainly hamper your

sleeping pattern and may lead to irritation and uncomfortable

situations. Without a good night sleep, it may lead to problems related

to fatigue and your performance may go down in office as well as at

home. It is therefore recommended to take a sound sleep to give your

body proper rest.

4. Cardiovascular Issues: Blood pressure levels, cardio-vascular

disease and stress related heart problems are on the rise. Studies

suggest that high intensity noise causes high blood pressure and

increases heart beat rate as it disrupts the normal blood flow. Bringing

them to a manageable level depends on our understanding noise

pollution and how we tackle it.

5. Trouble Communicating: High decibel noise can put trouble and

may not allow two people to communicate freely. This may lead to

misunderstanding and you may get difficult understanding the other

person. Constant sharp noise can give you severe headache and 

disturb your emotional balance.

6. Effect on Wildlife: Wildlife faces far more problems than humans

because noise pollution since they are more dependent on sound.

Animals develop a better sense of hearing than us since their survival

depends on it. The ill effects of excessive noise begin at home. Pets

react more aggressively in households where there is constant noise.

They become disoriented more easily and face many behavioral

problems. In nature, animals may suffer from hearing loss, which

makes them easy prey and leads to dwindling populations. Others

become inefficient at hunting, disturbing the balance of the eco-

system.

Species that depend on mating calls to reproduce are often unable to

hear these calls due to excessive man made noise. As a result, they

are unable to reproduce and cause declining populations. Others

require sound waves to echo-locate and find their way when

migrating. Disturbing their sound signals means they get lost easily

and do not migrate when they should. To cope up with the increasing

sound around them, animals are becoming louder, which may further

add to the pollution levels. This is why understanding noise pollution

can help us lower the impact it has on the environment.

As of now, there do not exist many solutions to reduce sound

pollution. On a personal level, everybody can help reducing the noise

in their homes by lowering the volume of the radio, music system and

the television. Listening to music without headphones is also a good

step forward. Removal of public loudspeakers is another way in which

the pollution can be countered.

As is controlling the sound levels in clubs, bars, parties and discos.

Better urban planning can help in creating ‘No-Noise’ zones, where

honking and industrial noise are not tolerated. It is only when our

understanding noise pollution is complete, can we take steps to

eradicate it completely.Image credit:

Definition:

Sound, a normal feature of our life, is the means of

communication and entertainment in most animals, including

human beings. It is also a very effective alarm system. A low

sound is pleasant whereas a loud sound is unpleasant and is

commonly referred to as ‘noise’. Noise can be defined as an

unpleasant and unwanted sound.

Whether a given sound is as pleasant as music or as

unpleasant as noise depends on its loudness, duration,

rhythm and the mood of the person. But loudness is definitely

the most significant criterion which converts sound into noise.

Exposure to loud noise is indeed annoying and harmful too.

Noise is a physical form of pollution and is not directly harmful

to the life supporting systems namely air, soil and water. Its

effects are more directly on the receiver i.e. man. Noise

pollution is the result of modern industrialized urban life and

congestion due to over population.

Even though noise pollution is not fatal to human life, yet its

importance cannot be overlooked because repeated exposure

to noise reduces the sleeping hours and productivity or

efficiency of a human being. It affects the peace of mind and

invades the privacy of a human being. The importance of

noise pollution as environmental problem is being recognised

as the ill effects of noise on human health and environment

are becoming evident with each passing day.

Sources of Noise Pollution:

Major causes / sources of noise pollution are:

(i) 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.

(ii) Transport Vehicles:

Automobile revolution in urban centers 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.

(iii) 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.

(iv) 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.

(v) 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.

(vi) Defence 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.

(vii) Miscellaneous Sources:

The automobile repair shops, construction-works, blasting,

bulldozing, stone crushing etc. are other sources of noise

pollution.

Effects of Noise:

Noise is generally harmful and a serious health hazard. It has

far-reaching consequences and has many physical,

physiological as well as psychological effects on human

beings.

(i) Physical Effects:

The physical manifestation of noise pollution is the effect on

hearing ability. Repeated exposure to noise may result in

temporary or permanent shifting of the hearing threshold of a

person depending upon the level and duration of exposure.

The immediate and acute effect of noise pollution is

impairment of hearing (i.e. total deafness.)

Human ears have sensory cells for hearing. If these cells are

subjected to repeated sounds of high intensity before they

have an opportunity to recover fully, they can become

permanently damaged leading to impairment of hearing. Be-

sides the sensory cells, the delicate tympanic membrane or

the ear drum can also be permanently damaged by a sudden

loud noise such as an explosion.

(ii) Physiological Effects:

The physiological manifestations of noise pollution are

several as mentioned below:

(a) Headache by dilating blood vessels of the brain.

(b) Increase in the rate of heart-beat.

(c) Narrowing of arteries.

(d) Fluctuations in the arterial blood pressure by increasing

the level of cholesterol in the blood.

(e) Decrease in heart output.

(f) Pain in the heart.

(g) Digestive spasms through anxiety and dilation of the pupil

of the eye, thereby causing eye-strain.

(h) Impairment of night vision.

(i) Decrease in the rate of colour perception.

(j) Lowering of concentration and affect on memory,

(k) Muscular strain and nervous breakdown.

(l) Psychological Effect

The psychological manifestations of noise pollution are:

(a) Depression and fatigue which considerably reduces the

efficiency of a person.

(b) Insomnia as a result of lack of undisturbed and refreshing

sleep

(c) Straining of senses and annoyance as a result of slow but

persistent noise from motorcycles, alarm clocks, call bells,

telephone rings etc.

(d) Affecting of psychomotor performance of a person by a

sudden loud sound

(e) Emotional disturbance

For a talkative person, the most important effect of noise

pollution would invariably be that noise interferes with our

conservation. So, noise is annoying and the annoyance

depends on many factors not merely the intensity of the

sound but also repetition, because even a sound of small

intensity (e.g. dripping tap or clicking of clock) may become

annoying, simply by repetition.

Some of the well- known effects of noise on human beings

and the relation of noise pollution level and its harmful effects

are shown in Table 5.8 and 5.9 respectively.

Table 5.9. Noise Pollution Level and its Harmful Effects:

Level (in db) Effects

up to 23

……………………….

. No disturbance

30—60

……………………….

.

Stress, tension,

psychological

(illness, heart

attact) effects

especially at

upper range.

60—90

……………………….

Damage to

health,

.

psychological and

vegetative

(disturbance in

stomach-gall

function, pains in

muscles, high

blood pressure,

disturbance in

sleeping)

60—120

………………………

Damages to

health and

ontological (ear

diseases) effects

Above 120

…………………….

Painful effects in

long run.