Man and Environment: Noise Pollution

• 0401-142 Man and the Environment covers topics from noise pollution to environmental risks, along with solid waste management, food production and energy use
• Translating complex environmental issues into concise summaries aids comprehension and retention

Sound & Noise Pollution

• Sound is a pressure wave, measured in decibels (Db).
• Noise pollution is excessive sound that harms human or animal life by interfering with normal activities and diminishing the quality of life
• Noise pollution can cause physiological and psychological harm

Major Community Noise Sources

• Transportation: sources include Aircraft, Vehicles, and Trains
• Construction noise
• Industrial processing (machines)
• Recreation & sports

Impact Of Noise on Human Health

• Exposure to sounds above 85 decibels (dB) can lead to hearing loss, depending on exposure time and frequency.
• Noise pollution's impact on health progresses from discomfort to mortality
• Noise can cause feelings of discomfort that feature disturbance, annoyance, and sleep disturbance
• Stress indicators resulting from noise include autonomous response and stress hormones
• Risk factors of noise pollution are blood pressure, cholesterol, blood clotting, and glucose
• Disease risks that can arise from noise pollution include insomnia and cardiovascular issues

Safe Exposure Times to Noise

• Instantaneous permanent damage can occur at sound levels of 140+ dB.
• Prolonged exposure to noise levels at or above 85 dB can result in permanent hearing loss.

Noise Control Techniques

• Reduce noise at the source
• Block or Increase the path of noise
• Protect the recipient

Some Solutions For Noise Pollution

• Regular servicing of automobiles
• Servicing and lubrication of machinery
• Planting around sound generating sources
• Buildings with suitable noise-absorbing materials
• Soundproof doors and windows in construction
• Hearing protection equipment for workers
• Regulations to restrict the use of loudspeakers in public places
• Social awareness programs to educate the public about noise pollution

Noise Pollution Affecting Marine Animals

• Increasing due to fishing, shipping and infrastructure devlopment
• Underwater noise doubles in the North Pacific Ocean every decade
• Speed increases noise
• Underwater noise interferes with acoustic communication
• Vessel noise impacts the ability the marine animal has to avoid danger, communicate, rest, mate and reproduce, and to navigate to find prey

Solid Waste Basics

• Solid waste is a useless, sometimes hazardous material with low liquid content as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
• Solid waste can be any discarded material that no longer has a useful purpose, although it may be valuable to someone else according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• Solid wastes are typically categorized by the sector of the economy responsible for producing them

Solid Waste Categories

• Mining waste is a large amount of rock and soil removed to get valuable ore, left on the surface making it difficult for vegetation to grow
• Agricultural waste comes from raising animals, harvesting and processing crops and trees
• Industrial solid waste includes demolition waste, manufacturing scraps, and ash from combustion
• Municipal solid waste (MSW) consist of broken, spoiled, or otherwise unwanted materials from households, commercial establishments, and institutions

Global MSW Profile

• The global average of waste produced by one person each day, according to the World Bank is 1.2-1.4KG

Public Health Risks of Improper Waste Disposal

• Waste breeds and harbors disease via insects, flies, mosquitoes, and rodents.
• Food and non-food waste in moist conditions are ideal breeding places for disease carriers
• Improper Waste disposal can transmit Typhoid, Cholera, Malaria, Hepatitis, Yellow Fever, Dysentery, and Gastroenteritis
• Waste pickers in developing economies face occupational hazards such as contact with sharp objects, syringes, and hazardous materials.

Environmental Impacts of Improper Waste Disposal

• Water contamination on the surface and groundwater
• Loss of aesthetics and landscaping
• Air pollution due to odor emissions, harmful gases, greenhouse gases, and trace gases

Solid Waste Management Activities

• Generation of solid waste
• Handling & storage at source
• Collection
• Transfer & transport
• Processing
• Disposal

Disposal Techniques: Landfills

• Landfills isolate solid wastes within the earth without creating public health hazards or nuisances
• Landfill site selection considers geological conditions and local resistance to contamination and diseases.
• Landfills may produce leachate, a liquid that is a pollutant that forms at the bottom of a landfill which contains a variety of chemicals from reactions occurring within a landfill
• Landfills may produce gases containing methane

Disposal Techniques: Incineration

• Incineration reduces waste volume, enables energy recovery, and produces electricity
• This technique is also known as Waste-to-energy
• Major concerns include: cost, the relatively high degree of expertise needed to operate safely and economically, and public concerns of their safety regarding air emissions and toxicity of bottom ash

Disposal Techniques: Composting

• Composting is a method that uses natural processes to turn organic waste into nutrient-rich soil material
• There are 4 other major disposal techniques

Disposal Techniques: Source Reduction

• Reducing waste volume and/or toxicity by Consumers reducing waste and commercial sector redesigning manufacturing processes reusing products by improving product effectiveness

Disposal Techniques: Recycling

• Recycling minimizes resources, landfill needs, and waste volume which cuts pollution
• Cons include different chemicals in many plastics and recycled plastics often have a poorer quality

Food Security & Production

• More than 1 billion people work in agriculture on 38% of Earth's ice-free land although there is more than enough food produced to feed all people
• Food security relies on people accessing enough nutritious food daily for active, healthy lives
• Food insecurity involves chronic hunger and poor nutrition

Major Causes of Food Insecurity

• A list of those factors include economic inequality, conflict and violence, agricultural practices, climate change, and food waste

Agricultural Practices

• Traditional agriculture utilizes energy from the sun along with human and animal labor for crop production on a family's farm
• Industrialized agriculture: uses heavy equipment. large amounts of financial capital, fossil fuels, water, commercial inorganic fertilizers, and pesticides

Animal Products/Farming

• That sector includes aquaculture

Impacts of Food Production

• large-scale industrial food output causes biodiversity loss by converting grasslands, forests, and wetlands to agricultural land
• Causes soil quality problems
• Causes soil erosion
• Causes water pollution from pesticides and runoff and causes an increase in nutrients
• Causes air pollution due to increased emmissions of greenhouse gases

Human Population Dynamics and Impact

• There are approximately 7.7 billion people and 60% live in 10 countries
• The human population is impacted by agricultural and industrial advancement
• Population growth occurs when the birth rate exceeds the death rate
• Zero population growth occurs when birth rates equal death rates

Carrying Capacity

• A carrying capacity is the maximum population size that can survive within its environment and depends on resources and rate of consumption
• Overpopulation occurs when a population's size exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment.

Ecological Footprint Concept

• Measures the amount of land needed to provide resources for and assimilate waste
• The Ecological Footprint indicates demands on resources
• Most developed countries have a much larger ecological footprint

Sustainable Development Goals

• Sustainable development meets present needs while preserving resources for future generations
• Sustainable development incorporates society, economy, and environment Poverty elimination by 2030 and pro-poor polices are sustainable development goals
• Reducing malnutrition, increasing agriculture productivity represents a sustainable development goal to work towards
• Access to water, reduce pollution and manage water well are also sustainable goals
• Sustainable development goals focus on environmental, social and economic advancement

Fossil Fuels

• The modified remains of plants, animals, and microorganisms millions of years old that are sources of energy
• They are non-renewable
• The sources are classified into Natural gas (gas ), petroleum (liquid) and coal (solid) according to their physical state
• Components are mixtures of hydrogen and carbon hydrocarbons

Auto Industry

• The car altered lifestyles
• The growth of the auto industry led to roadway growth
• The car industry created jobs

Types of Energy Use

• Residential and commercial sector
• Industrial sector
• Transportation sector

Risks of Coal Use

• Coal requires excavation
• Coal emits toxic pollutants
• Coal use is harmful to nature, polluting water with sulfur

Risks of Oil Use

• Oil contaminates the ocean when drilled
• Oil emits toxic pollutants

Risks of Natural Gas Use

• Gas is the least offensive fuel type, but can it emits CO2
• Gas emissions effect the climate

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

• Tool that enables assessment and mitigation of environment effects upon actions
• The EIA aids in protecting, assessing, and reducing consequences on living situations
• The EIA is intended as planning for means to lessen potentially negative consequences