Sources of Noise Pollution

Common sources of noise pollution include vehicle engines, air horns, audio-video systems, trains, low-flying aircraft, factory machines, sirens, motors, drillers and crushers, compressor machines, firecrackers, explosives, and modern supersonic transports -- in short, most of the machinery of modern urban and industrial life. The threshold of pain for the human ear is about 120 dB, beyond which sound causes physical discomfort and injury risk rather than mere annoyance. The World Health Organization has proposed that noise be formally recognized as a major threat to human well-being, a concern the chapter notes applies to all living organisms and not humans alone, s …