Pardon? Did you say something? Just my little joke there, I’ve actually got very good hearing. My eyesight is terrible, but that’s another story altogether. However, there are concerns over the health of young people’s hearing in later life due to iPods and mp3 players being listened to at high volumes on a regular basis. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we have another technology health scare.

Back in October, the EU Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks warned that listening to loud music on iPods and mp3 players could damage your hearing in later life. And now, in the run up to Christmas, when many people will undoubtedly receive new iPods (or possibly even personal CD players) as presents, the RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf) has also sounded its warning.

According to The Daily Mail, the RNID conducted research in a number of British cities, and 246 mp3 player users were questioned at random. The results quite clearly show that a high proportion of youngsters are risking loss of hearing in later life in order to listen to loud music now.

Fifty-four percent of the tested music lovers were playing songs too loudly and for too long at a time. Sixty-six percent were found to be listening to their music at above 85 decibels, the level cited by the World Health Organization as capable of causing hearing loss over time.

Emma Harrison, RNID’s director of external affairs, said:

Our research found people around the country are listening to their MP3 players at unbelievably high levels, with more than one in five blasting their ears with sound levels of 100 decibels or more – the equivalent of hearing a pneumatic drill 10 feet away.

One MP3 user was listening at 118 decibels for one hour each day, a volume they shouldn’t be exposed to for more than 14 seconds a day.

The RNID is running a campaign titled Don’t Lose The Music, supported by artists including Moby, Katie Melua, Bloc Party, K.T. Tunstall, Lemar, and Roger Daltrey. It’s urging music lovers to turn down their mp3 players to reasonable levels and also take five minute breaks every hour to give the ears time to recover.

This seems reasonable enough, and I do think I’ll pay heed to the advice, seeing as I’m not getting any younger and starting to notice the effects age is having on my health. I don’t agree with, and was quite vociferously against, the European Union’s campaign to force manufacturers to limit maximum volume levels to 90 decibels, but some helpful advice warning of the dangers is never a bad thing.

I must admit that after listening to my mp3 player on full volume for more than an hour at a time, I have a dull sensation in my ears. With hearing loss, tinnitus, and high blood pressure – some of the complications from listening to loud music – maybe I should start to heed the advice of the RNID. It’s a shame though because Megadeth just doesn’t sound the same at half-volume.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 at 6:11 pm under Music, Opinion, Technology.

Read more entries by Dave Parrack.
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