EU warns of permanent hearing damage from iPods

“Listening to personal music players at a high volume over a sustained period can lead to permanent hearing damage,” according to an opinion delivered by the EU Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR).

The SCENIHR warns that five to 10% of personal music player (PMP) listeners “are at risk of developing permanent hearing loss after five or more years of exposure” if they listen to a personal music player for more than an hour per day each week at high volume settings for at least five years.

The scientists estimate that the number of consumers at risk may be “between 2.5 and 10 million people in the EU”.

The risks include consumers experiencing a temporary or permanent “hearing threshold shift” or suffering from “tinnitus” (a ringing in the ears).

The SCENHIR believes that this is a cause for concern as it can “affect performance on listening sensitive tasks such as driving or communicating”.

“We need to raise consumer awareness and put this information in the public domain,” said EU Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva. 

The Commission recommendeds that users of personal music players take practical precautions, such as “checking their device to see it a maximum volume can be set so as to keep the volume lower” or “lowering the volume manually”. Consumers can also “take care not to use the personal music player for prolonged periods in the interest of their hearing”.

Pointing out that a Noise at Work Directive from 2003 requires employers to take minimal action to protect employees’ hearing above noise levels of dB(a), the SCENHIR says that the risk of hearing loss caused by personal music players could be higher. “Assuming that an average PMP user listens for seven hours per week, this would exceed the Noise at Work Regulations if the sound level for the personal music player exceeded 89 dB(A),” it stressed. 

The Commission will hold a conference in early 2009 to evaluate the committee’s findings and to discuss whether new regulations or revisions in existing consumer safety standards are needed. 

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