Noise and Thermal Pollution

Noise pollution consists of pressure waves that travel

through the air and that we perceive it as unwanted or
unpleasant irritating sound beyond the tolerance of the
human ear.
Noise pollution is one of the price we pay for modern living .
it is a composite of sounds generated by human activities
ranging from blasting to a stereo system to the roar of
supersonic system
Most noise sources are measured in terms of intensity, or
strengths of the sounds filled in decibels-silently, an
arbitrary threshold level, represented by zero decibel.
Major Sources of noise Pollutions and its
classifications
a. Transportation constitutes the surface transport
vehicle and traffic condition.
b. Industrial-composed of the constructions and industrial
machineries.
c. Household-includes home appliance like radio, stereo,
TV, vacuum cleaner, air conditioner, food blender,
washing machine.
d. Military-comprises of explosives, am munities, and
other warfare equipment.
Effects of Noise Pollution to Human Health and Its
Classification
a. Biological effect- social interaction by means of
communication with friends, co-worker, family,

students: interferes with conversation: interfere with

relaxation, leisure and sleep.
b. Biophysical/Physiological effect- effect of anatomical
and physiological aspect.
Hearing damage and loss
Migraine headache
Stress reaction
Muscle tension
Dilation pf pupils-wincing
Blood vessel construction which can become
permanent, increasing blood pressure and heart
beat contribution to heart disease
Increase irritability, lower productivity, and
decrease tolerance levels.
Noise level as low as 50-55 decibels may delay or
interfere with sleep and result in a feeling of
fatigue on awaking.
Noise level in the 90 decibels may cause
irreversible changes in autonomic nervous
system.
Noise at or above 120 decibels level is painful
and cause a permanent threshold shift or
permanent partial hearing loss.
Noise at the uppermost level greater than 150
decibels even at a single short-term blast may
cause traumatic hearing loss and physical
damage inside the ear.
Thermal or Heat Pollution
Thermal pollution is the discharge of waste heat
via energy dissipation into cooling water and

subsequent into nearby waterway. Heat can be

unnaturally added to streams and lakes by
cutting down a forest completely.
Major Source of Thermal Energy
a. Fossil- fuel electric power plants
b. Nuclear- fuel, electric power generation
facilities.
c. Cooling operations associated with
industrial manufacturing.
d. Earths surface temperature.
e. CO and CO2 as products of combustion for
greenhouse effect.
f. Hot water vapor
The discharge temperatures from electric
power plants generally ranges from 5 to
11C above ambient water temperature.
An estimated 90% of all water
consumption, excluding agricultural uses,
is for cooling or energy dissipation.
Effect of Thermal Pollution
a. Ecological imbalance resulting in major
fish kills near the discharge sources.
b. Accelerate chemical-biological process
c. Decreases the ability of water to hold
dissolved oxygen.
d. Thermal changes affect the aquatic
system by limiting or changing the type
of fish and aquatic biota to grow and
reproduce in water.
e. Contribution to the greenhouse effect of
global warning.