CHAPTER 17: NOISE POLLUTION

By: Irish Calma & Edalyn Mae Simon

Understanding Noise Pollution
Most of us are very used to the sounds we hear in everyday life. Loud music, the television,
people talking on their phone, the traffic and even pets barking in the middle of the night. All of
these have become a part of the urban culture and rarely disturb us. However, when the sound of
the television keeps you from sleeping all night or the traffic starts to give you a headache, it stops
becoming just noise and start turning into noise pollution. For many of us, the concept
of pollution is limited to nature and resources. However, noise that tends to disrupt the natural
rhythm of life makes for one solid pollutant.

Problem of Noise Pollution

Noise pollution has become a serious problem for human health. The noisy atmosphere in
which we are living is an obstacle in securing good health. Noise pollution and environmental
noise are hurting human and other organisms. Noise beyond a limit produces many diseases, such
as hypertension, stress, making people vulnerable to forgetfulness, depression, insomnia, and
many other serious ailments. Noise is also very dangerous for nature as a whole because it disturbs
the tranquility of all creatures and increases mortality rate in them.

What is Noise Pollution?

Noise pollution means an unwanted or undesirable sound that leads to physical and mental
problems. Noise pollution is dependent on the loudness and frequency of the sound. In fact, when
the sound exceeds its limit, it becomes fatal for human and other organisms. The noise intensity is
measured in decibels or dB. A person can bear the noise up to 85 decibels, after which his hearing
power can be damaged.
Normally, sounds more intense than 30 decibel are called noise. Anyway, all the sounds
come under noise pollution which makes the mind turbulent or restless. In fact, any unwanted
noise arising in the environment, which has adverse effects on the health of the organism, is noise
pollution.
In daily life, we hear different intensity of sounds, whose level ranges from 10 to 100
decibels. Considering the side effects on human health, scientists have set the maximum sound
limit, ranging from 75 to 85 dB in different countries. The World Health Organization considers
the sound of 45 decibels ideal for cities. But measurement of sound in most big cities exceeds 90
decibels.
Sources/Causes of Noise Pollution

Fig.1 Sources of Noise Pollution

The sources of noise pollution are divided into two categories:
 Natural sources
The natural environment is filled with various sounds – thunderstorms, lightning, tornado,
cyclone, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, sounds produced by animals, and rapidly
falling water.
 Human sources
Rapid industrialization, urbanization, use of modern means of transport, population growth,
and increasing scale of human activities are some of the human factors responsible for noise
pollution. Both types of noise pollution, affect sleep, listening ability, physical and mental health.

Other causes are:

 Vehicular Noise: The modern means of traffic including vehicles such as buses, trucks,
scooters, cars, motorcycles, trains, aircraft, firecrackers, explosives etc., pollute the
atmosphere. Sound of other automated vehicles and horn, excessive use of loudspeakers
for religious purposes also generate jarring noise.
 Industrial Noise: Industry-businesses, factories and commercial establishments produce a
variety of raucous sounds that bump into our ears and disturb our mind. Noise pollution is
an integral part of the industrial environment with heavy machines used in the industries;
it is on the rise with the increase in industrial urbanization.
 Commercialization of residential areas: Even in non-industrial areas, there is noise in
the surrounding environment due to printing, dyeing machines, repairing cars, grinding etc.
 Domestic Noise: As the houses in the cities are quite adjacent, the amount of domestic
noise is increasing. The noise of radio, television, instrumentation and various types of
sounds are constantly occurring around us, which cause mental health problems, stress,
deafness etc. Other domestic sources include noise in the kitchen, and domestic discord
including scolding, shouting, crying, etc.
 Construction activities: Unbridled construction is also a reason for noise pollution outside
the home. Sound pollution is also caused due to poor urban planning because industrial and
residential buildings are quite close by in many cities.
 Political Activities: Noise pollution is also generated by dharma, demonstrations, slogans,
election propaganda, processions, and rallies frequently organized in cities.
 Noisy Hospitals: Noise pollution also occurs in hospitals. Rocking of trolleys,
wheelchairs, surgical instruments, oxygen cylinders, sounds from plants, uncontrolled
conversations among patients, relatives, emergency noise and screams, mourning followed
by death are some of the sources of noise pollution in medical centers.
 Fireworks: Fireworks are another source of pollution. Uncontrolled fireworks in festivals,
fairs, or crackers after victory in matches and elections produce unbearable noise.
  Social Events: Noise is at its peak in most of the social events. Whether it is marriage,
parties, pub, disc or place of worship, people normally flout rules set by the local
administration and create nuisance in the area. People play songs on full volume and dance
till midnight which makes the condition of people living nearby pretty worse. In markets,
you can see people selling clothes via making loud noise to attract the attention of people.

While this form of pollution may seem harmless, it in fact has far reaching consequences. The
adverse effects on the health of the environment are quite severe. Not only is the local wildlife
affected by the pollution, humans also facing a number of problems due to it.

Effects of Noise Pollution

Fig 2. Effects of Noise Pollution

Effects of Noise Pollution/Diseases Caused By Noise Pollution

 Noise pollution may cause temporary or permanent hearing impairment. The most direct
harmful effect of excessive noise falls on the ears. Many times, extreme noise ruptures the
ear drums.
 You cannot only be deaf but can also come in the grip of deadly illnesses like impotence
and cancer, besides problems such as lack of memory, concentration, and interruption in
speech, irritation, irritability, stress and depression.
 The noise not only creates irritability, anger, but also accelerates the heart rate by increasing
blood flow in the arteries. The constant noise increases the amount of cholesterol in the
blood, which contracts blood vessels, increasing the likelihood of cardiovascular disease.
 Health experts believe that rising noise gives rise to neurological disease, nervous
breakdown, hypertension, vision, dizziness, excessive sweating, exhaustion
 As rapid noise hinders sleep, insomnia has adverse effects on human functioning. The
person becomes irritable, angry, tired and tense, and he even becomes neurotic or crazy.
 Exposure to the noise of 180 decibels intensity may result in the death of man.
 Due to excessive noise, there is a decrease in the production of digestive juices.
 Noise pollution has a lot of adverse effect on infants and women, sometimes due to loud
velocity of sound, women also undergo miscarriage or the fetus’s heart stops and the entire
behavior of the infant can change. Children imbibe forgetful tendencies.
 The effect of noise is dangerous for animal life too. Due to continuous noise, their habitat
decreases and the threatened creatures reach the brink of extinction. The most notable of
the deadly effects of noise pollution is that some species of whale die due to noise.
 Noise pollution has extremely harmful effects on other organisms and vegetation. Due to
frequent noise, animals and birds leave their habitat and move away. Animals and birds
 migrate from the forest areas near the mining areas and high traffic roads. Due to acute
sound waves, birds may even stop laying eggs.
 Because of excessive noise, many violent creatures cannot find their prey, while other
creatures cannot survive being hunted.
 Many microbes are destroyed by acute sound, which inhibit decomposition of wastes.
 There are adverse effects of pollution on pets such as turbulence, and decrease in their milk
content.
 Similarly, due to noise pollution, the growth of the vegetation is hindered; the fruits and
flowers of the trees get withered and decayed.
 With excessive sound the walls of windows of the buildings are broken, the roofs rattle and
get cracked.
 Due to blasts in the mining areas, or sound of jet aero planes sometimes high-rise buildings
collapse or cracks develop in them, dams, bridges, etc.
 The sound effects of noise pollution caused by nuclear explosions spread through hundreds
of kilometers so that biodiversity is threatened.
 Rocks, snowflakes and landslide incidents rise in snowy and mountainous areas.
 Because of the noise, many creatures also speak loudly, which is called Lombard Vocal
Response. Their vocal intensity increases in the presence of noise. It occurs as a response
to ambient noise.
 Due to excessive noise, there is a disruption in the studies of children too, as they do not
get peaceful environment for study even in their homes.

Measures for Prevention/Control of Noise Pollution

1. Considering the widespread ill-effects of noise pollution, measures need to be taken to
control them.
2. Increasing noise pollution is very harmful for the health, efficiency and productivity of
animals, organisms, flora etc. as well as the adaptation and balance of the environment.
3. It has become necessary to control it and also to make people aware of this.
4. Factories, which mainly produce noise pollution, should be established far away from
settlements, forests, reservoirs and hilly areas.
5. Settlements should not be located at least within 20 kilometers from mining areas, and
airports.
6. Explosives should be not used in mountainous, forest and mining areas.
7. With proper maintenance of vehicles, along with the restriction of high sound horns, the
use of advanced technology silencer should be used inevitably.
8. Use of horn in public places (hospital, teaching institutes etc.) should be banned.
9. The sound of musical instruments should be controlled to desirable limits.
10. The use of sound amplifiers of high power, DJ, etc. should be banned in religious, social,
political events.
11. There should be control over noise generated from machine and equipment.
12. The use of sound absorber acoustic tiles should be encouraged in the construction of
multistoried buildings.
13. In industrial, commercial and hospital buildings, adequate soundproof systems should be
installed.
14. Intensive plantation should be made in the entire building complex.
15. Planting green trees along the road side reduces the intensity of noise pollution.
16. Dense tree cover is very useful in the prevention of noise pollution. Such trees help in
absorbing high sound waves, as well as deflecting them into the atmosphere.
17. Therefore, cities, highways, industrial settlements should be fully lined with the green belt
of trees.
18. Protective tools (ear plugs etc.) should be provided for workers.
19. Limits should be set on noise and control over noise pollution by legal provisions.
20. Adequate health education on pollution should be provided through government agencies
and voluntary institutions.
 Figure 1: Noise pollution in major cities.

Figure 2: Noise complaints made to the Public Protection Team in B&NES (January 2006-
October 2013) – By year

Complaints by month
During the seven year period between 2006 and 2012, the months when the Public Protection
Team received the highest number of noise complaints were the summer months of June with
779, July with 800 and August with 794, each accounting for 11% of all complaints.
These months were followed by those of spring and autumn, with the lowest number of
complaints in the winter months January, February, November and December, each with fewer
than 500 complaints, and each, making up between 7-5% of all complaints.

Types of complaint
During this period:
 65%, 5,209 complaints were made about noise coming from a domestic dwelling
 19%, 1,477 complaints made about noise from premises of entertainment or with alcohol
licenses, such as pubs and clubs
 14%, 1,086 complaints were about noise coming from the street (inc. buskers)
 2%, 188 complaints were regarding students in domestic dwellings
It is though important to note that complaints about noise from students do not seem to have
been recorded as a separate category until 2009.

Figure 3: Noise complaints made to the Public Protection Team in B&NES (January 2006-
October 2013) – By type
How complaints were received
Between January 2006 and October 2013:
 30%, 3167 noise complaints were received by telephone
 37%, 2921 noise complaints were received by the Emergency/Out of Hours Service.
 10%, 822 complaints were received by email
 5%, 387 complaints were received by letter
 1%, 95 complaints were made at the Council’s reception
The following methods each made up less than 1% of the ways in which people made noise
complaints to the council during this period, via an officer/member of staff, memorandum, on
site, council connect, facsimile, petition, Councillor, personal visit, and referrals from others.

Figure shows the types of complaint in Wellington

Noise Pollution in India
According to a recent report of Central Pollution Control Board, the level of noise in
Mumbai is highest in the country. Delhi is on the fourth number. However, Lucknow is at the
second place with Hyderabad placed at the third slot in terms of noise pollution.
In its report, CPCB has said that Mumbai had the highest level of noise pollution during
2011-14. According to the report, due to greenery and number of roadside trees, noise pollution
has been somewhat restrained in Delhi. But in the World Hearings Index, Delhi has become the
world’s fifth largest noisiest city. In Delhi, ITO and Anand Vihar are the places which have
recorded the worst noise. According to the recent statistics of the Delhi Pollution Control
Committee, noise was recorded up to 74 decibels between 12 to 2 pm at ITO, whereas in the
afternoon, Anand Vihar area recorded the level of noise pollution at 60.4 decibels at noon and 41
decibels in the night.
Apart from the number of vehicles, noise pollution in the country can be attributed to the
rising number of vehicles, train, aircraft, generator sets, office machines, and construction
activities.
In India, the noise of more than 75 decibels (up to one meter distance from the source of
the sound) is illegal from 10 am to 6 am. Those convicted in violation of these rules, under Section
290 and 291 of the Indian Penal Code, can face a fine of one lakh rupees or a prison or up to five
years, sentence may run simultaneously, under the Environment Protection Act 1986.
In this connection, the Division bench of the then Chief Justice RC Lahoti and Justice Ashok Bhan
on 18th July, 2005 had issued directions under Section 141, 142 of the Constitution, regarding
restrictions on vehicles, loud speakers and crackers etc. in residential areas from 10 am to 6 am,
but till date there has been no effective implementation of the law.

Real Time Noise Monitoring Systems

Noise pollution in metro cities is a growing concern as it is slowly affecting our body and
mind. Loud noises can cause ear discomfort, such as ear ringing, ear pains and hearing loss, etc.
Noises above 115db can even lead to deafness. According to statistics, about 50 percent of those
who are exposed to the noise above 80db for a long time lose their hearing.
Noises can cause decrease work
efficiency. Under the circumstance of
noises above 85db, one may feel
discomfort and distracted, thus he
cannot concentrate on his work or
study. Long-term exposure to noises
may lead to high blood pressure.
Especially in night, noises cause
much higher rate of incidence of
cardiac and neuro diseases.
We have installed 75 real time
noise pollution monitoring stations in
07 metropolitan cities i.e. Mumbai,
Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore,
Lucknow and Hyderabad. These
stations are designed to monitor the
environmental noise or acoustic
contamination produced by road
traffic in cities and roads, airplanes
and railway traffic, or noise produced in construction sites.
Our system is an advanced environmental noise monitoring system with real-time data
transmission, generating dynamic noise maps covering areas of interest. The Noise system
acquires stores and transmits the noise levels and other meteorological parameters of each
location to a Central Station where the data is received, processed and displayed.
Survey on Noise Pollution in India (200 respondents)
Table-1: Source of Noise in Terms of Age Groups
Source of Noise Age Groups
Up to 20 20-40 40-60 Above 60 Total
Loud speaker 29 (83) 59 (78) 51 (70) 17 (68) 156 (78)
Automobiles 31 (89) 67 (88) 57 (89) 19 (76) 174 (87)
Neighborhoods 17 (49) 29 (38) 31 (48) 11 (44) 88 (44)
Religious Functions 23 (66) 53 (70) 49 (77) 15 (60) 140 (70)
Total respondents 35 (100) 76 (100) 64 (100) 25 (100) 200 (100)
Note: Figures in bracket are given in percentage.

Table 1 shows that a very large proportion of respondents in each age group of being affected
by noise emanating from automobiles. The range in this source is 76% to 89% with overall % age
of 87%. However, percentage of such people in age group of above 60 is slightly lower.
Almost similar is the situation in case of loudspeaker. Majority of the respondents feel that
loudspeakers’ noise affect their activities. An almost equal proportion of respondents (70% across
various age groups) acknowledge adverse effect of noise generated by religious functions.
At last, a relatively small proportion of respondents (44% across various age groups) claim
that noise emerging from neighborhoods create problem before them. From this survey we are
seeing that apart from automobile and loudspeakers, religious functions as well neighborhoods
also act as a significant source of noise pollution.

Table-2: Sources of noise affecting male and female respondents

Noise Sources Male Female Total
Loud speaker 86 (79) 70 (77) 156 (78)
Automobiles 96 (88) 78 (86) 174 (87)
Neighborhoods 45 (41) 43 (47) 88 (44)
Religious Functions 63 (58) 77 (85) 140 (70)
Total respondents 109 (100) 91 (100) 200 (100)
Note: Figures in bracket are given in percentage.

In Table 2, it has been examined that now the noise pollutions affects male population and
female population separately. Table 2 presents the figures and % of male and female respondents
affected by different source of noise. There are critical differences in population affected by noise
from religious function and according to survey women are more affected by it over the men
population.
In case of noise emerging from neighborhood also has slightly little more impact on women as
compared to men population. In terms of remaining two sources, there is no marked difference in
percentage of male population and female population. It means that the other sources of noise
(automobiles and loudspeaker) affect in nearly equal proportion of male population as well as
female population.

Table-3: Effect of Noise on Different Age Groups

Effect of Noise Age Groups
Up to 20 20-40 40-60 Above 60 Total
Effect on hearing 23 (66) 57 (75) 61 (25) 23 (92) 164 (82)
Interfere with 33 (94) 73 (96) 63 (98) 19 (76) 188 (94)
communication
Cause annoyance 29 (83) 69 (91) 57 (89) 21 (84) 176 (88)
Disturb sleep 31 (89) 71 (93) 59 (92) 19 (76) 180 (90)
Result in deafness 7 (20) 17 (22) 16 (25) 7 (28) 47 (24)
Total 35 (100) 76 (100) 64 (100) 25 (100) 200 (100)
Note: Figures in bracket are given in percentage.
 From the table 3. We can see how noise interferes with communication, disturb the sleep
and cause annoyance under its influence. Majority of the sample respondents exposed to noise
pollution report the interference with communication. Nearly 24% respondents reported the
deafness problem.
The survey data shows that the effect of noise is not similar among various age groups.
Generally, growing age bears the brunt of excessive noise pollution. The data shows that a very
large proportion of respondents feel that noise causes disturbance in sleep and also breeds
annoyance. Nearly 82% of the respondents claim that noise also affects hearing. However, there
is a much higher incidence of deafness effects on old people (above 60 years).

Table-4: Sex-based differences in perception of effects of noise

Effect of Noise Male Group Female Group Total
Effect on hearing 90 (83) 74 (81) 164 (82)
Interfere with 99 (91) 89 (98) 188 (94)
communication
Cause annoyance 89 (92) 87 (96) 176 (88)
Disturbed sleep 93 (85) 87 (96) 180 (90)
Result in deafness 26 (24) 21 (23) 47 (24)
Total 109 (100) 91 (100) 200 (100)
Note: Figures in bracket are given in percentage.

Table 4 shows that perception of male and female populations about the effect of noise varies.
According to data analysis it is found that majority of male population feels the adverse effect of
noise on hearing, efficiency and inter-personal communication. But in case of other parameters
(like cause annoyance, disturb in sleep), the female respondents feel the higher harmful impact
than male respondents. However, in terms of deafness there is no marked difference between male
and female group i.e. almost equal proportion of male and female population is susceptible to such
effect of noise.

Getting to Grips with Noise in the Philippines

September 27, 2017 retiredinsamar

Cherish Your Sleep: Getting to Grips with Noisy Metro Manila

Noise can be a major factor that affects people getting to sleep, and staying asleep. This is
especially true in a city like Metro Manila where noise pollution is widespread and has become
overwhelming over the years.
While it can be fun to stay in the Philippines, the reality is that the environment is toxic
most of the time and since stressful surroundings can make you unhealthy, it can become
increasingly difficult to enjoy life in the capital. Even provincial living can be a health challenge.
 One factor that can make Metro Manila stressful is its noise pollution, which can impact
sleep. The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development states noise pollution has the
potential to cause certain health and behavioral effects. Being exposed to a noisy population
frequently can also eventually lead to heart disease, aggression, hypertension and mental
instability.
Research published by Science Direct has linked sleep disturbance with environmental
noise. The study went on to explain that the sleep architecture of a person and the quality of their
sleep can be disrupted by the noise they hear within that environment due to the stress it brings to
inside the body.
“Apart from these measurable effects and the subjective feeling of disturbed sleep, people
who struggle with nocturnal environmental noise often also suffer the next day from daytime
sleepiness and tiredness, annoyance, mood changes as well as decreased well-being and cognitive
performance,” the research stated.
In Metro Manila, the government is becoming more aware of the ongoing issue. Coconuts
Manila earlier published a statement by the Metro Manila Development Authority
(MMDA) which discussed the fact that the levels of noise around the city’s major thoroughfares,
particularly EDSA has become worrying.
As prolonged noise exposure can damage hearing, the government has even began advising
the residents living in and near the city to put up sound barriers in their homes since it might be
impossible to lessen the noise pollution in these specific areas.

Noisy Karaoke
Eventually, it’s only inevitable that an unhealthy amount of noise pollution will affect the
general public’s sleep behavior. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t solutions to combat
noise pollution.
Leesa’s Scientific Advisor Professor Paul Gringras discussed sleep behavior in a 2017
blog post. He suggests that working on sleep efficiency rather than solely measuring the hours of
sleep that you get at night is key to improving sleeping patterns.
“It’s a simple measure. If I go to bed at 11pm, fall asleep immediately, and wake
at 7am with no interruptions, I have a sleep efficiency of 100 percent (no-one ever does this by
the way – anything above 85 percent is great). But again, it’s not about chasing averages, but
improving your own personal sleep efficiency,” Gringas said.

NOISE POLLUTION TO BE REGULATED IN THE CITY OF ILOILO

The City Council of Iloilo, in their 11th Regular Session held last March 17, 2015 enacted
Regulation Ordinance No. 2015-162, entitled “An ordinance regulating noise pollution in the City
of Iloilo.”

Highlights of the said ordinance are as follows: “Section 3.1: Classification of General Areas:

a. Class AA – section or contiguous area which requires quietness, such as areas within 100 meters
from school sites, nursery, schools, court buildings, hospitals, churches, and special homes for
the aged.
b. Class A – section or contiguous area which is primarily used for residential purposes.
c. Class B – section or contiguous area which is primarily a commercial area.
d. Class C – section primarily reserved as light industrial area.
e. Class D – section which is primary reserves as a heavy industrial area.
Section 3.2: The maximum allowable noise levels in general areas shall be:
CATEGORY DAYTIME MORNING & EVENING NIGHT TIME

AA 50db 45db 40db

A 55db 50db 45db

B 65db 60db 55db

C 70db 65db 60db

D 75db 70db 65db

xxx

Section 3.2.2: The division of 24-hr period shall be as follows:

Morning 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

Daytime 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Evening 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Nighttime 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

xxx”

The ordinance also states in Section 4.2, 4.2(a) and 4.2(b) that in case of barangay and
fiestas, family celebrations, those concerned “must comply with the ambient noise standards as set
forth in Section 3” of the ordinance.

Also, based on the ordinance, it is now prohibited, among other things, to use sound
reproduction device (i.e. phonograph or sound amplifying system) “to attract attention to any
performance, show, sale, display or merchandise in connection with any commercial or business
enterprise…. IN FRONT OR OUTSIDE OF ANY BUSINESS BUILDING, PLACES OR
PREMISES ABUTTING ON OR ADJACENT TO A PUBLIC STREET, PARK OR PLACE…
except the incidental sound for which a permit has been issued”.

Penalties and sanctions, either fines and/or imprisonment, should be meted to person found
guilty violating this ordinance. Effectivity of this ordinance shall be ten (10) days from publication
in a local newspaper of general circulation in Western Visayas.

This ordinance was sponsored by Councilor Plaridel C. Nava II, co-sponsored by Councilor
Lady Julie Grace L. Baronda, and duly seconded by Councilors Lyndon V. Acap and Rodel F.
Agado.
Conclusion
Pollution is due to excessive sound is dangerous both for mental and physical health; it
poses a threat for living organisms to exist on Earth. While the government and the courts of
various countries are taking several measures to reduce the intensity of noise pollution, it calls for
collective efforts and resolve on the part of mankind. If people themselves promote sound
pollution, they will not be in a position to motivate others to use minimal sound. Let us fulfill our
duties towards the Planet Earth by contributing towards environmental protection.
Moreover, there is a need for greater awareness on this issue as only 5 to 10 percent of the
people affected by noise formally file a complaint. Many people are not aware of the information
about their legal rights under the environmental laws in force in various countries. Clearly, there
is a need to change things at the ground level to tackle the global menace of noise pollution.

References:
www.conserve-energy-future.com
www.everythingconnects.org
www.en.wikipedia.org
www.google.com.ph
www.iloilocitycouncil.org
www.retiredinsamar.com