SWAMPSCOTT — While loud noises annoy some, it’s different for Neil Donnenfeld. The sounds are excruciatingly painful for him.
Donnenfeld’s hearing troubles began about seven years ago, after he lost a third of his hearing. He was diagnosed with acoustic neuroma, a benign brain tumor that sits on the hearing nerves. Treatment included radiation.
His world turned upside down, which is why he left his beloved corporate job and dedicated his time to researching noise pollution. His goal? To raise awareness about the indoor and outdoor sounds that hurt people with hearing disabilities.
“Noise was off my radar and irrelevant to my life until six years ago,” he said. “The effects of noise for me throughout the day are cumulative and there’s a certain amount I can handle before I experience fatigue or cognitive memory loss. Imagine standing next to a basketball referee who blows a whistle full blast next to your head, that’s how it feels for me.”
The Humphrey Street resident lobbied the Selectboard to implement a bylaw that would fine motorcycle operators with modified exhaust pipes that lack a sound emission label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The label says the motorcycle is in compliance with the EPA’s decibel regulations. In Massachusetts, state law requires motorcycle exhaust pipes not to exceed 82 decibels at less than 45 mph or 86 decibels over 45 mph.
Donnenfeld, 57, has a phone app that reads decibel meters. He said when the level hits above 70 is when the pain begins. There are pairs of ear-muff headphones in nearly every corner of his home, and he couldn’t imagine leaving the house without at least one, he said.
“I have come across irrefutable evidence that noise is a health hazard,” he said. “It’s one that’s right in front of our faces and it’s not being talked about enough. I’m part of a network of a dozen people nationwide that are moving the needle in improving the quality of life for Americans in this society with this disability.”
Aside from members of the Selectboard, Donnenfeld said he has talked with state Rep. Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead) and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. He doesn’t have it out for motorcycles, he said, he just wants to make noise about noise pollution. An ordinance for motorcycle exhaust pipes, he insists, is the easiest place to start, given regulations already put in place by the EPA.
“This is really the low-hanging fruit,” said Les Blomberg, executive director of Noise Pollution Clearinghouse. “As a community that’s trying to address noise pollution issues and wants to create the greatest improvement with the least amount of effort, this is where you start.”
Neil is not asking for silence, he said. Instead, he’s asking to turn motorcycles back to what they were when they were purchased.
“This is an almost 40-year-old regulation,” Blomberg said. “Now we have the technology to make motorcycles much quieter than the regulations allow.”
Quieting down exhaust pipes will not be the end of Donnenfeld’s efforts, he said. The 26-year resident hopes to find other solutions for the hurtful loud noises in businesses, such as restaurants. He said public places must be aware and be sensitive to the difficulties of the hearing-challenged.
“Where is the space in our society for the enormously vast number of people who are noise challenged?” he asked.
He isn’t fighting for this cause for himself, he said. Donnenfeld is fighting it for the town’s elderly, residents with hearing and sensory sensitivity, such as autism, and for the future children of Swampscott who don’t want permanent ear damage from high-level decibels.
Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said he is well-aware of the issue of noise pollution. He met with Donnenfeld on several occasions and is happy to work with him on public outreach efforts to help everyone understand there are some noise levels that can be painful and upsetting to folks with certain conditions.
“Right now, it’s important for us to listen carefully to these concerns Neil brought forward, and we will continue to work with citizens like him and folks who are impacted by some of the noise,” he said. “We are a town of three square miles, so we have to be mindful of our noise impact.”
Swampscott Police Chief Ronald Madigan said he understands Donnenfeld’s concerns about noise and the department understands that it impacts the town’s quality of life. If a bylaw is created from Donnenfeld’s efforts, Madigan said, officers on patrol would have to be quick with their decibel meters. He supports the idea of keeping motorcyclists in compliance with the federal laws already in place, he added.
“I’m very grateful and optimistic,” Donnenfeld said. “Change doesn’t happen quickly but this does affect a broad group of people here. It’s assaultive noise and I’m asking our Selectboard to do something about it.”
