The state of Connecticut is currently weighing legislature that would make it the first state to do away with excessively loud films.
According to the New York Daily News, the state Public Safety and Security Committee is reviewing the bill, which would ban theaters from showing movies and previews above 85 decibels. "Hopefully this will be a wakeup call to the theater owners and the MPAA to get their act together and do something that's good for the public and still will satisfy their needs," supporter William Young told the Daily News.
For the record, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health suggests that volume not exceed 85 decibels over an eight-hour period to make sure workers don't experience hearing loss. However, University of Texas professor Dr. Robert Dobie said this rule was introduced to protect employees from continued exposure to loud sounds, not anything occasional.
"The exposure is so brief and intermittent that no one with any expertise would ever say that they have any real risk of hazard or harm," he explained.
The MPAA is obviously opposed to the bill, arguing that it violates the First Amendment.
[via New York Daily News]
