14 DAY TRIAL // Policymakers in the European Union are at this point trying to come to an agreement about how to best limit the noise levels produced by modern mp3 players. The devices employ such advanced technologies, that they can easily produce sounds up to 100 decibels in intensity from very small headsets. Millions of teens on the Old Continent are at risk of going permanently deaf, or suffering from serious hearing damage, due to prolonged exposure to these loud noises. The limits are to be set in place to protect the young population from putting itself in harm's way.
One of the discussed propositions holds that the decibel limit should be lowered to 85, from the current 100dB. Regulators say that this volume is enough to allow for a faithful representation of the music being listened to, without the risk of hearing damage. But not everyone agrees with the idea. Representatives of the music industry say that, while they agree with the idea of making music devices safer for the ears, “The solution must lie in a balance between safety and enjoyment of the product by the consumer.”
“Eighty five decibels would not be appropriate because noise coming from traffic, engines and so on would obliterate the sound,” Tony Graziano, who is the spokesman for DigitalEurope, the body that represents the music industry at the EU, adds. The organization is based in Brussels. One of the main reasons why young people use the mp3 players is to drown out the surrounding noises, and detach themselves from the world around them. If that is taken away from their music players, it's doubtful that they will use them any further.
“Kids have always listened to their music loud and this is not going to stop them,” European Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee member Martin Callanan adds. “You have to educate them to the risks but ultimately you have to allow personal responsibility and personal choice,” he shares. On the other hand, doctors warn that more than ten million youths are at risk of suffering permanent hearing damage or complete hearing loss because they listen to too much loud music.
“More and more young people are referred to me by their GPs with tinnitus or hearing loss as a direct result to exposure to loud music. It's the sort of damage that in the old days would have come from industrial noise. The damage is permanent and will often play havoc with their employment opportunities and their personal lives,” Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust audiology consultant Dr. Robin Yeoh says, quoted by the BBC News. Ultimately, regulators say, the only solution is to build a safety limit into all devices, but offer users an option to bypass it if they so please.