After a recent trip to the movies, a state legislator from Westchester County set her sights on reducing the volume of theaters’ commercials and previews because she believes they are too loud and could harm patrons’ hearing.

Assemblywoman Sandra Galef, D-Ossining, has introduced a bill “trying to create a standard here in our state that the trailers and advertisements are at the same levels that our movies are,” she said yesterday.

Galef said that while at a recent movie at the All Westchester Saw Mill Multiplex in Hawthorne, she noticed how much louder the commercials and previews for upcoming films were than the actual film itself.

“This is not good for the eardrums, and it doesn’t need to be this loud,” she said.

Galef views the volume as a public health concern. Unlike watching television, the viewer can’t turn the volume down in a theater when a commercial is too loud, she said.

There are acceptable decibel requirements for many products, like lawnmowers, and commercials in theaters should be no different, the assemblywoman said. She had no data on the actual volume levels at theaters but was working on compiling them, she said.

There is no state Senate sponsor for the bill at this time. The Legislature reconvenes Jan. 9.

Galef said that when she brings her grandson to the movies, he brings along his own earplugs.

“He kind of rebels to the noise,” she said.

National Amusements, which owns the Saw Mill Multiplex, is not aware of any complaints regarding sound levels at its theaters, spokeswoman Wanda Whitson said. National Amusements consistently monitors its theaters “for sound and other elements of presentation to ensure we provide the ultimate movie-going experience,” she said.

“Additionally, it is important to note that the movie exhibition industry has been working very closely with the film industry to maintain consistent sound levels in theatres and these efforts are proving to be successful,” Whitson said.

John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, said there is no need for sound-capping legislation because the theater industry is turning down the volume on its own.

“For several reasons we believe her bill is unnecessary and inappropriate,” he said. “We would strongly oppose it in the Legislature.”

The Theater Audio Standards Association has voluntary regulations to control the sound levels of trailers, and they are supported by the Motion Picture Association, Fithian said.

The association caps the volume for trailers at about 81 decibels, and the volume levels undergo strenuous testing, he said. The association has voluntarily lowered the allowable volume over the years, he said.

Eighty decibels is comparable to the sound of heavy traffic, according to the Mayo Clinic’s Web site on hearing loss. The clinic warns that the line between safe and risky exposure to noise is between 80 and 85 decibels, but hearing damage occurs with prolonged exposure to loud noises. The sound of a motorcycle can range from 85 to 90 decibels, the Web site states.

The Association of Theatre Owners also monitors moviegoers’ reactions to the noise level, Fithian said.

“The system is dynamic to patrons,” he said. “We have received very few complaints.”

A similar voluntary system has just been implemented by the Cinema Advertising Council, which deals with commercials in theaters besides previews for upcoming films, he said.

“We want our patrons to have the best experience in theaters,” he said. “We want them to come back.”