Noise pollution
- ICSE Class 10, Unit 6 Environmental concerns & Pollution
Noise pollution is loud or unwanted sound, from sources such as traffic, factories, building work and loudspeakers, that harms health and comfort.
The syllabus names motor vehicles, factories, construction sites and loudspeakers as sources. Loud sound over a long time can harm the body in several ways:
- Disturbed sleep, headache and tiredness.
- Loss of concentration and irritation.
- Raised blood pressure.
- Damage to the ear, and loss of hearing.
Ways to cut it include less use of horns, silencers on vehicles and machines, trees planted as sound barriers, and loudspeakers kept low.
A small example
A worker in a stone quarry hears drilling and blasting every day. Over the years his hearing fades. His eardrum is not torn. The damage is deep inside the ear, in the cochlea, where sound is sensed.
Where marks go
The 2025 ICSE Biology paper asked for two disadvantages of living close to an airport, for 2 marks. CISCE's report on the 2025 ICSE Biology paper names "it is noisy" and "pollution" as answers given. They did not say "noise pollution" or "sleep disturbance". It also names "windows shake" and "planes crash" as vague.
The marking scheme took effects such as disturbed sleep, hearing problems and high blood pressure. So name the type of pollution, then its effect on the body.
Sources
Facts last checked against these sources on 30 September 2026.
About the author
Founder Member & Academic Lead
An IIT alumna (M.Sc., M.Phil.) with over 25 years in teaching, child psychology and learning assessment. As Academic Lead at EduBrahma, she leads the method TRUtesting uses to find where and why a child loses marks.
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