Concerns about hearing damage have prompted the Europe Commission to investigate noise levels from MP3 players and mobile phones. Scientists say the quality of music nowadays, means people can whack up the volume on their personal players and still receive great sounds. The EC believe people are unknowingly risking permanent hearing damage every time they use a music device.
So what does this mean for users? Well, Europe-wide limits could be introduced by fitting a maximum noise default to any music device. But don’t panic, the noise control will be optional, meaning loud music fans will still be free to exceed the recommended safety level but may at least acknowledge the risks involved.
Research suggests more young people are listening to music to and from work and often push up the volume to block out background noise, and drift away from the hustle and bustle. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People, which has been campaigning for six years about the risks of prolonged exposure to loud music, said “research has found that 66% of personal music player users listen to music louder than 85 decibels, with 20% listening at 100 decibels or more… We’re really worried that many people don’t understand how listening to personal music players, such as MP3s and mobile phones, at high sound levels over time can affect their hearing and lead to permanent damage or premature hearing loss.”
Let us know what you think, does our ‘music society’ need to quieten down?
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