In the following months, she suffered thyroid disorders, depression, low energy, nausea and headaches. She is still battling thyroid problems. She says that prior to her swim with the sonar, she had enjoyed ten years of near-perfect health without seeing a doctor. In court, the Navy admitted that Reid had been exposed to at least 120 decibels. Green notes that all the Navy's tests in Hawai'i were conducted at 140 decibels or less-100 decibels below the sonar's operating level.
Sound intensity increases exponentially as the number of decibels increase.
In response to such experiences, environmentalists and local members of the whale-watching industry mobilized against the tests. Ralph Blankato and Zodiac operator Mike Deville actually got into the water within the Navy's prescribed danger zone to disrupt the test. The NMFS didn't act. The tests ended before the case could go to trial. Based on the mootness ruling, the court never reached the merits of our evidence and arguments.