Fears that music volume limits 'could be ignored'
Jeanwah
Posts: 6,363
I don't know if this goes for all headsets everywhere or just the UK. For the record, I have tinnitus for listening my music too loud.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21294537
Fears that music volume limits 'could be ignored
A safety limit on volume levels which comes into force on all new personal music players this month could be ignored by 40% of young people, says a hearing loss charity.
All personal music players and mobile phones sold in the EU must now have a sound limit of 85 decibels (dB), but users can increase it to 100dB.
Action on Hearing Loss says overexposure to loud music can trigger tinnitus.
Experts say the limit is "good news".
Tinnitus is a medical term used to describe a ringing or buzzing noise that people can hear permanently in one ear, both ears or in the head.
It is often caused by exposure to loud music and can be accompanied by hearing loss.
Paul Breckell, chief executive of Action on Hearing Loss, said the new EU standard is important because increasing numbers of young people listen to music through a personal music player.
Survey results
"I urge music lovers to consider the long-term risks of overriding the safe setting as overexposure to loud music can trigger tinnitus, and remember that a good pair of noise cancelling headphones can make all the difference."
A survey of more than 1,500 16 to 34-year-olds by Action on Hearing Loss suggests that 79% of young people are unaware of new standards coming into force this month.
Although 70% of survey respondents said they would take steps to protect themselves against tinnitus, nearly 40% said they would override the new default setting on their music devices.
In October 2008, the European Commission warned that listening to personal music players at a high volume over a sustained period could lead to permanent hearing damage.
As a result, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) amended its safety standard for personal music players.
Now all personal music players sold in the EU after February 2013 are expected to have a default sound limit of 85dB.
The user can choose to override the limit so that the sound level can be increased up to maximum 100dB. If the user overrides the limit, warnings about the risks must be repeated every 20 hours of listening time.
The European Commission's assessment said: "Listening to music at 80dB or less is considered safe, no matter for how long or how often personal music players are used. This sound level is roughly equivalent to someone shouting or traffic noise from a nearby road."
But turning the volume control to 120dB, which is equivalent to an aeroplane taking off nearby, is exceeding safe limits, it said.
The commission said an estimated 20% of young people are exposed to loud sounds during their leisure time - a figure which has tripled since the 1980s.
An estimated 5-10% of of people in the EU are thought to be at risk of permanent hearing loss if exposed to unsafe noise limits for five years or more.
Dr Michael Akeroyd, from the MRC Institute of Hearing Research in Glasgow, said of the new EU standard: "This is good news for the volumes of personal music players. The volumes they can give has been of concern for many years, going back to at least the advent of portable cassette players."
He added that headphones can vary in quality and design.
"Few designs of headphones remove background sounds, and indeed some designs remove none. But ear-defenders or ear-plugs can remove a substantial amount of noise. Earplug design has advanced greatly in recent years."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21294537
Fears that music volume limits 'could be ignored
A safety limit on volume levels which comes into force on all new personal music players this month could be ignored by 40% of young people, says a hearing loss charity.
All personal music players and mobile phones sold in the EU must now have a sound limit of 85 decibels (dB), but users can increase it to 100dB.
Action on Hearing Loss says overexposure to loud music can trigger tinnitus.
Experts say the limit is "good news".
Tinnitus is a medical term used to describe a ringing or buzzing noise that people can hear permanently in one ear, both ears or in the head.
It is often caused by exposure to loud music and can be accompanied by hearing loss.
Paul Breckell, chief executive of Action on Hearing Loss, said the new EU standard is important because increasing numbers of young people listen to music through a personal music player.
Survey results
"I urge music lovers to consider the long-term risks of overriding the safe setting as overexposure to loud music can trigger tinnitus, and remember that a good pair of noise cancelling headphones can make all the difference."
A survey of more than 1,500 16 to 34-year-olds by Action on Hearing Loss suggests that 79% of young people are unaware of new standards coming into force this month.
Although 70% of survey respondents said they would take steps to protect themselves against tinnitus, nearly 40% said they would override the new default setting on their music devices.
In October 2008, the European Commission warned that listening to personal music players at a high volume over a sustained period could lead to permanent hearing damage.
As a result, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) amended its safety standard for personal music players.
Now all personal music players sold in the EU after February 2013 are expected to have a default sound limit of 85dB.
The user can choose to override the limit so that the sound level can be increased up to maximum 100dB. If the user overrides the limit, warnings about the risks must be repeated every 20 hours of listening time.
The European Commission's assessment said: "Listening to music at 80dB or less is considered safe, no matter for how long or how often personal music players are used. This sound level is roughly equivalent to someone shouting or traffic noise from a nearby road."
But turning the volume control to 120dB, which is equivalent to an aeroplane taking off nearby, is exceeding safe limits, it said.
The commission said an estimated 20% of young people are exposed to loud sounds during their leisure time - a figure which has tripled since the 1980s.
An estimated 5-10% of of people in the EU are thought to be at risk of permanent hearing loss if exposed to unsafe noise limits for five years or more.
Dr Michael Akeroyd, from the MRC Institute of Hearing Research in Glasgow, said of the new EU standard: "This is good news for the volumes of personal music players. The volumes they can give has been of concern for many years, going back to at least the advent of portable cassette players."
He added that headphones can vary in quality and design.
"Few designs of headphones remove background sounds, and indeed some designs remove none. But ear-defenders or ear-plugs can remove a substantial amount of noise. Earplug design has advanced greatly in recent years."
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Comments
In his book, Waging Heavy Peace, Neil Young talks about getting tinnitus and hyperacusis from mixing an album too loudly. He said the ringing never goes away but the pain does. With all due respect, that is not completely true for everybody. After many years, I and others like me still deal with pain associated with loud sound. If you saw me a the Missoula PJ show you'll understand why I had to wear ear plugs and industrial strength headphones. That show may have increased my brain damage. I've been dealing with increased vertigo since October. No regrets though- it was the best show of my life. I just wish the bass hadn't been so loud. (Sorry, Jeff. Love you anyway!)
I try very hard to encourage people to protect their hearing. This may sound a bit exaggerated, but tinnitus can be fatal. I almost killed myself twice because for about five years I could not be around any sound louder than a whisper, could not stand the constant loud ringing in my ears, and had severe depression related to drastic changes in my life as a result of my hearing condition. The actor William Shatner tells how he almost killed himself after an explosion on a Star Trek set gave him severe tinnitus. He survived and went on to become a board member for The American Tinnitus Association.
Take care of your ears my PJ friends!
Thanks, MotoDC. To tell you the truth, I feel very fortunate to be alive. That was more about luck than anything. Since then, I've learned to live with my hearing conditions, be productive again and have a good life.
My understanding is that even though tinnitus is most often caused by excessive or loud sound, it can also be caused by other things such as certain medications, Menier's disease, and head trauma and can be exacerbated by NSAIDS (like aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.) and excessive amounts of sodium.
Oh yeah- thank goodness for having a fan to run at night! I do the same and it's very helpful. Actually I use an IQAir purifier that has a pleasant sound and keeps our indoor air clean. Dual purpose.
With the amount of MP3 players out there, the risk of hearing loss has probably skyrocketed. I think setting standards makes sense.
At least the weight of a ghetto blaster limited the amount of damage that could happen back in the day.
Reminds me of this dude from "Do the Right Thing":
I've used ear-buds a handful of times, and haven't been to THAT many concerts compared to some (though I do love blasting music when I listen to it via a regular sound system).
While I'm typically not a proponent of certain limits being governed - inform people and then leave the choice to them, for better or worse - this could be really helpful in preserving such a precious sense.
(PS - when Danny moved out here, he got me hooked on having a fan run at night...now I can't sleep without it!)
At an Iron Maiden concert I swore there was blood coming out of my right ear. I felt my face and asked my buddy if there was anything on my face, but it was just a sensation I had. I went to the bathroom and rolled up tissue paper to put in my ears, but there was no escape. That concert lit me up.
I just can't appreciate really really loud music anymore. At least not sustained for 2 hours or so.