Air and Noise Pollution

By: Mehul Shah (D041) Vatsal Shah (D042)

Ishan Sharma (D043) Richa Sharma (D044)

Siddhant Sharma (D045)

Air Pollution• Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulates, biological

materials, or other harmful materials into the Earths atmosphere, possibly causing disease, death of humans, damage to other living organisms such as food crops, or the natural or built environment.

• Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are listed as two of the world’s worst toxic pollution problems in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst Polluted Places report.

• According to the 2014 WHO report, in 2012 the air pollution caused the deaths of around 7 million people worldwide.

Pollutants• An air pollutant is a substance in the air that can have adverse effects on humans and the

ecosystem. The substance can be solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. A pollutant can be of natural origin or man-made. Pollutants are classified as primary or secondary.

• Primary Pollutants: Emitted directly into air from:- Natural sources like volcanoes- Mobile sources like cars- Stationary sources like smoke stacks

• Examples:1)PM10 –Particulate matter, solid matter suspended in a gas used to describe particles of 10 micrometers or less (soot) .2) Nitric Oxide (NO).3)Nitrogen dioxide (NO2).4)Sulphur dioxide (SO2).5)Carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO).

• Secondary Pollutants result from the reaction of primary pollutants in the atmosphere to form a new pollutant

• Example:

1)Sulphur trioxide (SO3)

2)Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4)

3)Ozone (O3)

4)Chemicals in photochemical smog:

- PANS are powerful respiratory and eye irritants

-Peroxyacyl nitrates; Free radical reactions catalyzed by UV light from the sun oxidize hydrocarbons to aldehydes, ketones, and dicarbonyl compounds, whose secondary reactions create peroxyacyl radicals, which combine with nitrogen dioxide to form peroxyacyl nitrates.

Major Air Pollutants1.Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)• Production - Forms when fuels are burned at high temperature - Results from forest fires, volcanoes, lightening and bacterial decomposition in soil• Makes (HNO3) nitric Acid which causes: -Acid rain. -“Cultural” eutrophication; man caused

• Human and environmental impact - Lung irritation and damage -May be cancer causing -Suppresses plant growth

2. Ozone (O3)• Production -Major component of photochemical smog -Formed by sunlight reacting with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and NOx • Human and environmental impact -Lung irritation and damage, bronchial constriction, coughing, wheezing and eye irritation -Damages plants, rubber and plastics3.Peroxyacyl Nitrates (PAN)• Production -Hydrocarbons + O2 + NO2 + sunlight CH3COOONO2 (PAN) -PANs transport Nox away from urban areas where it easily produces O3• Human and environmental impact -In very small concentrations causes eye irritation -Higher concentrations cause extensive damage to vegetation

4.Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)• Production -Coal burning, metal smelting, paper manufacturing and burning high sulphur oils• Combines with water vapor to produce -acid precipitation• Human and environmental impact -Reduces productivity of plants -Causes breathing difficulty -There have been major decreases in SO2 concentrations in the US, this is due to success of the Acid Rain Program and the Clean Air Act.

5.Suspended Particulate Matter (PM10) ; particles with diameter of 1/7th the width of a human hair or less.• Production

-Includes; smoke, dust, diesel soot, lead, and asbestos

• Human and environmental impact -Lung irritation and damage -Carcinogens and mutagens -Highest measurable health benefits with reduction of these particles

Acid Deposition

Noise PollutionNoise pollution is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human or animal life. Unwanted human-created sound that disrupts the environment causes noise pollution.

• Dominant form is from transportation -Motor vehicles -Aircraft noise -Rail transport noise

• Other sources -Office equipment, factory machinery, appliances, power tools, sound systems

• Regulation began in US, 1972; Federal Noise Control Act

Noise Pollution: Effects

• Three Kinds of Hearing Loss -Conductive loss. -Sensory loss; caused by the inner ear, most commonly associated with noise. -Neural loss.

• Cardiovascular problems: accelerated heart beat, high blood pressure

• Decreased alertness and difficulty memorizing, nervousness, pupil dilation, decrease of vision

• Long-term effects: insomnia, nervousness, bulimia, high-blood pressure, anxiety, depression.

GLOBAL SCENARIO

CAUSES:

1. Emissions from industries and manufacturing activities

2. Burning Fossil Fuels

3. Household and Farming Chemicals

AIR POLLUTION

COMMON POLLUTANTS AROUND

Most polluted world cities by PM

Particulatematter,

μg/m³ (2004)City

168 Cairo, Egypt

150 Delhi, India

128 Kolkata, India (Calcutta)

125 Tianjin, China

123 Chongqing, China

109 Kanpur, India

109 Lucknow, India

104 Jakarta, Indonesia

101 Shenyang, China

MOST POLLUTED CITIES

4. Neighbourhood Noise

3. Noise from Construction Work

2. Mobile Sources1. Stationary

Sources

NOISE POLLUTION

CAUSES OF NOISE POLLUTION

NOISE POLLUTION IN MAJOR CITIES

Major Air Pollution Issues in India

• Air quality data generated by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for 2012 under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) presents deadly facts about air pollution levels in Indian cities.

• During 2012 only 2 per cent cities have low air pollution on the basis of PM10.

• In about 80 per cent of cities (of a total of 127 cities/towns monitored under the NAMP) at least one criteria pollutant exceeded the annual average ambient air quality standards.

Reasons for High Air Pollution in India

Quality of fuel (coal, diesel, petrol, fuel oil)

Toxic and hazardous air pollutants emission from chemical industries, (pesticides, dye and dye intermediate, pharmaceutical etc) specially located in industrial estates (Gujarat, Maharashtra, A.P. and Tamil Nadu)

Use of high ash coal for power generation

No pollution preventive step taken (early stage of industrialization)

Reasons for High Air Pollution in India

Predominance of 2-stroke in use vehicles

Uncontrolled growth of vehicle population

Inadequate pollution prevention and control system in small/ medium scale industry (S.M.S) (brick kiln, foundry, stone crusher etc.)

PM10

• Almost half of the total cities monitored under NAMP have critical levels of PM10.

• Indian cities are reeling under heavy particulate pollution with 52 percent of cities (63 cities) hitting critical levels, 36 cities with high levels and merely 19 cities are at moderate levels.

Sugar10%

Thermal Power Plants82%

Others 1%

Cement7%

NOX

• NOx (measured as NO2) is emerging as the new national challenge and a growing problem.

• In North India, cities such as Delhi Dehradun, Yamunanagar and Ludhiana show a rising trend.

• Eastern cities, including Howrah, Kolkata, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and Jharia,

have much higher levels compared to northern cities.

• Southern Indian cities show a rising trend especially in Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Thiruvanthapuram.

• Western cities are relatively better off with almost constant to declining NO2 levels.

SO2

• Sulphur dioxide is not considered a problem in India any more. Its levels in most cities are already very low and declining.

• Nashik, Jamshedpur and Chandrapur have moderate levels.

• SO2 levels at 79 per cent of the monitoring stations in industrial areas and 93 per cent of the monitoring stations in residential areas were less than 20 microgram per cubic metre.

Steel5%

Thermal Power Plants89%

Sulphuric Acid

Plants2%

Oil Refineries

3% Others1%

List of Critically Polluted Areas

Vehicle Population in Nine Metro Cities in India

35.5

10.898.26

13.0915.74

13.32

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20

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National Air Quality Monitoring (NAQM)

Started in 1984 -7 Station ( Manual Station)

By 2000 - Increased to 295 Stations (Operated and Maintained by SPCB /CPCB / Universities, etc. and funded by CPCB)

    Monitoring in Delhi

 •   3 Continuous AQMS•   2 Mobile Vans•   6 Manual AQMS • 6 Integrated Air Quality Monitoring Station being set up

About 200 continuous stations maintained by large scale industries.

Noise pollution in India• As far as noise pollution is concerned, the monitoring is done

mainly during festivals such as Deepawali. • As per available data, the laid down noise norms for respective

zones (Industrial, Commercial, Residential or Silence) are exceeded at many locations.

• The practice of exploding sound emitting firecrackers, use of public address systems, construction activities and operation of generator sets increase the ambient noise levels in urban areas.

• As Motor Vehicles are the chief source of noise pollution, the Motor Vehicle Act of 1998, gave numerous powers to the state Administration to monitor the noise levels at their own level.

MUMBAI SCENARIO Air pollution

Main Causes

• Ever increasing population.• Increasing cars in Mumbai.• Excess driving of vehicle.• Industrial activities.

Statistics

Air Quality during Diwali

NOISE POLLUTION

MAJOR CAUSES• Noise from traffic• Increasing Vehicles • Noise from construction• Urban helipads

Noise Level in decibels Source Effect

• 135 pneumatic drill painful• 88 industry / city traffic hearing impairment

on prolonged exposure• 80 alarm clock annoying• 65 average city traffic intrusive

Comparison

Noise pollution SolutionSocial awareness programs should be taken up to educate the public about the causes and effects of noise pollution.

Planting bushes and trees in and around sound generating sources is an effective solution for noise pollution.

Regular servicing and tuning of automobiles can effectively reduce the noise pollution.

Buildings can be designed with suitable noise absorbing material for the walls , windows, and ceilings.

Workers should be provided with equipment’s such as ear plugs and earmuffs for hearing protection.

Similar to automobiles, Lubrication of the machinery and servicing should be done to minimize noise generation.

Sound proof doors and windows can be installed to block unwanted noise from outside.

Regulations should be imposed to restrict the usage of playing loudspeakers in crowded areas and public places.

Solutions For Air Pollution1. Use public mode of transportation: Encourage people to use more and

more public modes of transportation to reduce pollution. Also, try to make use of car pooling. If you and your colleagues come from the same locality and have same timings you can explore this option to save energy and money.

2. Conserve energy: Switch off fans and lights when you are going out. Large amount of fossil fuels are burnt to produce electricity. You can save the environment from degradation by reducing the amount of fossil fuels to be burned.

3. Understand the concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: Do not throw away items that are of no use to you. In-fact reuse them for some other purpose. For e.g. you can use old jars to store cereals or pulses.

4. Emphasis on clean energy resources: Clean energy technologies like solar, wind and geothermal are on high these days. Governments of various countries have been providing grants to consumers who are interested in installing solar panels for their home. This will go a long way to curb air pollution.

5. Use energy efficient devices: CFL lights consume less electricity as against their counterparts. They live longer, consume less electricity, lower electricity bills and also help you to reduce pollution by consuming less energy.Several attempts are being made world wide on a personal, industrial and governmental levels to curb the intensity at which Air Pollution is rising and regain a balance as far as the proportions of the foundation gases are concerned. This is a direct attempt at slacking Global warming. We are seeing a series of innovations and experiments aimed at alternate and unconventional options to reduce pollutants. Air Pollution is one of the larger mirrors of man’s follies, and a challenge we need to overcome to see a tomorrow.

REFERENCES

• www.cpcb.com

• www.worldhealthorganisaton.com

• www.mpcb.com

• www.cseindia.org

• www.dpcb.org