The Los Angeles Metro’s latest scheme to keep the homeless from loitering in the subway tunnels is drawing backlash after a Los Angeles Times investigation showed that the classical music that officials are pumping into the subway is much louder than they claim.

The loud classical music is designed to repel homeless people from camping out in the tunnels. The music is supposed to be considered a non-issue to commuters who are only briefly on the subway platforms, but it can become unbearable to homeless people living in the tunnels.

The Times’s investigation found that the music was around 83 decibels on average, rising to 90 decibels at times. Officials claim that the music is being played at 72 decibels. While a difference of 11 decibels on average may not sound like much, decibels are measured logarithmically, meaning each 10-decibel increase is equal to a tenfold increase in the sound level.

In practical terms, a noise level of around 70 decibels is approximately as much noise as a washing machine or dishwasher makes, while a decibel level of 80 to 85 decibels is about equal to city traffic or a gas-powered lawn mower, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC said the sound levels experienced in Los Angeles Metro would be annoying but would only threaten hearing damage at the loudest moments, when the music rises above 85 decibels. At this level, the CDC warns prolonged exposure of two hours or more could cause damage.

The loud music has led to widespread criticism from supporters of the homeless and some commuters.

Streetsblog Los Angeles called the music “really headache inducing” in a tweet on Sunday. The Times likened the tactic to techniques used to torture Iraqi detainees during the war on terror, though they stoped short of calling the situation in the subway torturous.

One Los Angeles resident, Cody Johnson, told Los Angeles Daily News, “We want it off. It is driving us crazy,” adding, “Our blood pressure is going up. People are getting more irritable with this music. I don’t think that it is working.”

On Twitter, a civil rights lawyer, Scott Hechinger, called the practice “sonic torture of people without homes in LA.”

The city’s metro says that the loud music is supposed to be an effective way to keep people from loitering in the subway for hours, while maintaining a relatively comfortable environment for riders.

“The idea is to create an atmosphere that is comfortable for spending short amounts of time transiting through our station, but not conducive to hours-long loitering,” a Los Angeles Metro spokesman told Los Angeles Daily News.

From anecdotal evidence on social media, it doesn’t seem to be working. Users online for weeks have been circulating videos of the homeless sleeping despite the loud music.