Risk Factors & Road Safety Issues Online Course
Environmental Risks: Water, Noise and Air Pollution
Please press the play button below to listen to the various audio narrations. Once you are done, click “< Back to Environmental Risks” near the bottom of the page
Water pollution:
Transcript of audio
As identified by Litman and Burwell, air, water and noise pollution are effects that need to be, or criteria, that need to be considered. We can see a devastating picture at the bottom, where transport of oil has affected a colony of penguins. However, just having a railway bridge over a water source can create pollution. The metal particles that come off the rails will end up in the water and might poison the water, and that has been established internationally.
Noise pollution:
Transcript to audio
Related to transport, we don’t have a lot of legislation in South Africa related to noise. However, overseas that may become a big issue. The airport of Schiphol was the first airport in the world that reduced incoming air traffic because of noise pollution. Generally when we look at roads, there are three things that you can do to reduce noise pollution. You can reduce the noise at the source, type of engine, type of tyres, and also the combination of tyres and pavement. You can do something in the transmission path, so putting up screens, walls, or including softer surfaces, and then you can do something at the home or at the receiver end. The building materials, especially double glazing and what your facade is made of, affects noise pollution.
Reduce the effects of noise on people, you can implement the following aspects:
– Noise sources (motor, tyres, pavement, …)
– Transmission path (screens, walls, softer surfaces, …)
– Types of homes (building materials, especially double glazing, …)
Air pollution:
Transcript to audio
Air pollution is a huge issue and we know that that creates global warming. So if we look at the different type of vehicles, they do affect the pollution per passenger kilometre. And again, there are social effects related to air pollution, such as asthma.
Types of air pollution by city:
Transcript to audio
This slide provides an overview of the different air pollution particulars that have a low, moderate, heavy or serious risk in different cities around the world.
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