Sound levels allowed at Merriweather by the Maryland legislature in 2013 are a health hazard to the hearing of everyone within the venue and for those of us who live at least a half-mile outside.
The article on Merriweather Post Pavilion sound levels ("Merriweather sound levels raising questions," May 19) ignored what I take to be the most alarming, serious and outrageous objection to the current state of affairs.
The sound levels allowed at Merriweather by the Maryland legislature in 2013 are a health hazard to the hearing of everyone within the venue and for those of us who live at least a half-mile outside.
According to [the National Institutes of Health], extended exposure to sound levels over 85 decibels causes hearing loss. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention two hours of exposure over 90 decibels and 15 minutes of exposure at or over 100 decibels will causes hearing loss. The hearing loss is permanent. The sound level within the Merriweather site is certainly above 100 decibels when 95 decibels level sound is heard at a quarter of a mile away. NIH describes 95 decibels as the sound of a motorcycle.
This means that our legislators have provided guaranteed hearing loss for anyone who attends and stays at one concert, and for those of us who live within a half-mile of Merriweather and will hear sound levels over 85 decibels for hours on end, yearly.
What on earth is the greater benefit to the state and the county that our representatives see, who have provided us with this health hazard and now will not remove it? I wrote to all of my representatives last winter asking for relief. One, a doctor, acknowledged that he knew about the health hazard, but neither he or the others lifted a finger to resolve the issue.
In a meeting last week [Allan] Kittleman in essence defended the new law's limit saying as county executive he could not do anything about the level of noise because it was not against the law. A law he had a hand in introducing and voting for [while in the lesgilature].
We moved to within a quarter of a mile of Merriweather in summer 2012. Merriweather was music in the air the first two years, and we enjoyed it. It is now like a motorcycle that has moved into our apartment.
George Higgins
Columbia