Transcript NATIONAL Initiative FOR Safe Sound SOUND AND HEALTH

IMA
INITIATIVE FOR
SAFE SOUND
Chairman: Dr. K.A. Seethi
National Coordinator: Dr. C. John Panicker
WHAT IMA SAFE
CAN DO…

SOUND INITIATIVE
IMA Safe Sound Initiative Chapters at
State and District levels

Involve prominent public persons like
Teachers, Lawyers, Journalists,
Businessmen, Artists, Religious leaders
and Politicians
PUBLIC AWARENESS

Publicity videos

Media discussion

News paper articles
PUBLIC AWARENESS

Advertisement Boards in public
places

Information Booklets

Seminars and Interactive sessions for
the public

Open house discussions to be
arranged by local IMA branches
involving the public, media, opinion
makers

Helpline for victims of noise pollution
STUDENT AWARENESS
Students are the best media for disseminating information…

School health and
awareness programme

Information books

Seminars and
Interactions
PLAN OF ACTION

Each IMA Local branch to identify resource persons


National level ToT followed by State level training for local
branch resource persons
Each branch to conduct





5-minute awareness talk and a pledge in all schools under
their area
drawing competition on sound pollution for school students
and give awards during IMA monthly meeting
Branches to do advocacy with District Magistrates
(Collectors) to bring out orders (using Trivandrum model)
State IMA units to do advocacy with state government to
bring in legislation
Public awareness, media discussions, public debates,
advocacy with loud-speaker operators, temples, mosques
RESOURCE SLIDES
SOUND
Sound is alternate contraction and rarefaction of
molecules travelling in a wave form
UNIT OF SOUND
Decibel- Unit of Measuring sound
 Logarithmic value of ratio of standard sound to
the sound in question.
 Zero decibel is the minimum intensity a healthy
person can hear
 100 db is 10 (1000 crores) intensity ampified

SOUND LEVELS

Normal Speech
30-40 db

Shouting
50 db

Ordinary car horn
70 db

Air Horn
90-100 db

Rock Music
100 db

Busy street noise
80-100 db
NOISE

Any abnormal sounds that irritates
human beings is called noise.
Unwanted
 intolerable



Undesirable byproduct of
technological advance.
Nuisance and health hazard too.
INDIA
World capital of noise
metropolitan cities > 90 decibels
(Decibel is the unit of sound pressure expressed in logarithmic scale.)
SOURCES OF NOISE
POLLUTION
Traffic- (Automobiles, Trains, Aero planes).
 Loudspeakers.
 Religious and social ceremonies.

(Studies by SOCLEEN in Bombay during Ganapathi festival in 1980
showed that noise levels was 97 decibels)
Industrial: Factories, construction activities,
machineries.
 High decibel music.
 Home noise - TVs , Radios, music players, high
speed fans, air conditioners, home appliances.

EFFECTS OF NOISE POLLUTION

Humans
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Systemic Effects
Effect on Hearing
Emotional
Mental
Social

Animals

Inanimate Things
SYSTEMIC EFFECTS
Increase in heart rate
 Blood sugar increase
 Changes in respiratory rate
 Hypertension.
 Peptic ulcer, Hyper acidity
 Asthmatic attacks
 Heart attacks
 Changes in pregnancy
 Giddiness in Meniere’s

EFFECTS ON HEARING

Temporary threshold shift


Permanent threshold shift


Exposure to short duration loud sound.
Exposure to continuous loud sounds.
Presbyacusis

Old age deafness is a cumulative effect
Tinnitus
 Effects depend on




Loudness, nature of sound,
Duration and time distribution,
Total exposure in the lifetime.
MENTAL / PSYCHOLOGICAL
EFFECTS
Lack of concentration.
 Decreased memory.
 Inability to do skilled work/ learning.
 Loss of sleep .
 Irritability
 Poor academic performance
 Precipitation of Psychiatric illness and Seizure


Effects on animals and other living or even non
living things. (eg damage to old buildings)
MAX. NOISE
STANDARDS
Ambient Air Quality Standards in respect of noise


Day
Night
75 decibels
70
A
Industrial
B
Commercial
65
55
C
Residential
55
45
D
Silent Zone
50
40
Daytime – 6am to 10 pm, Night – 10 pm to 6 am
Silent zone - Not less than 100 metres around hospitals,
educational institutions, courts or other areas declared
PREVENTION

Restriction of loud speakers
Duration / loudness.
 Avoid loud speakers in open spaces


Crackers
Time restriction.
 Use of noiseless fire crackers.


Traffic
Restrict extra and air horns
 When giving fitness certificate, measure the noise
levels of engines.
 Discourage using horns as much as possible.
 Enforce silent zones strictly.

INDUSTRY AND
CONSTRUCTION

Employees should use ear plugs / ear muffs

Acoustic barriers

Maximum sound should be 75 decibels

Check hearing periodically
ROLE OF
GOVERNMENT

Enforce the laws strictly



Noise pollution (regulation and control) Rules 2000.
Helpline - officials to take action on public
complaints.
No amount of legislation will help unless the
public is convinced that noise is a menace and
takes steps to curb it.
As guardian of health of the Nation, IMA has to
take up the leadership in educating and
controlling this grave health issue so that India
is a better place to live in ….
…..to achieve this we have to make this the
people’s initiative
THANK YOU