James Delahunty
9 Sep 2007 19:42
A new small study carried out by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People will ignite the debate over the audio volumes that MP3 players can output and what exactly manufacturers' obligations are. The charity warned that over two thirds of young people who use MP3 players are currently facing premature hearing damage as a direct result of the volume they listen to the players at.
The group has accused manufacturers of slacking when it comes to adequately warning customers about hearing damage. RNID urges MP3 player fans to invest in in-ear filters for headphones which cancel out background noise and reduce the need for higher volumes. Out of 110 MP3 users tested in Brighton, Manchester and Birmingham, 72 listened to music at a volume over 85 decibels.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that listening to music at that volume for more than an hour at time can damage hearing ability. The study found that half the young people questioned listened for more than an hour a day with a quarter listening for more than 21 hours per week. About 58% were completely unaware of the hearing loss risks and 79% had never seen warnings about noise levels on packaging of MP3 players.
Do manufacturers really care about this issue? An RNID spokeswoman said that last September the group contacted 55 manufacturers about adding warning labels to packaging and heard back from just two of them. "MP3 manufacturers have a responsibility to make their customers aware of the dangers by printing clear warnings on packaging and linking volume controls to decibel levels," Brian Lamb, acting chief executive of RNID, said.
"It's easy to crank up the sound levels on your MP3 player to damagingly loud levels, especially on busy streets or public transport. But if people can hear the music from your headphones from just a meter away, you're putting your hearing at risk."
Source:
BBC News