THE EUROPEAN Commission wants to turn down the volume on MP3 and other personal music players with new laws limiting their sound output.
The new measures, prompted by concerns over the safety of music players, are likely to be popular with bus and rail passengers who have to “share” their fellow passengers’ musical tastes.
The commission has ordered the drawing up of new technical safety standards for MP3s and mobile phones that play music. In future, all such products will have to be set at a default level that allows for a safe exposure to music.
The changes stop short of physically preventing music players from going above accepted decibel levels, so long as they carry warnings of the risks involved and how to avoid them.
The commission’s move was prompted by research which showed the extent of hearing damage wreaked by listening to music players at high volumes for long periods.
EU scientists say that 5-10 per cent of listeners risk permanent hearing loss – so up to 10 million people in the European Union may be at risk.
EU consumer affairs commissioner Meglena Kuneva said the new regulations were “small technical changes” to make normal use of music players safe.
“It’s easy to push up the sound levels on your MP3 player to damagingly loud levels, especially on busy streets or public transport, and the evidence is that particularly young people – who are listening to music at high volumes sometimes for hours each week – have no idea they can be putting their hearing at risk.”
Across the EU, up to 100 million people use portable music players daily and this number is expected to grow as more and more mobile phones play music as well as receiving calls.
“It can take years for the hearing damage to show and then it is simply too late,” Ms Kuneva said.
The consumer electronics industry said it accepted the commission’s proposals and even welcomed its “science-driven” process for developing standards.
“It is important that users have accurate information in order to make informed choices about how they enjoy personal music,” said Bridget Cosgrave, director general of Digital Europe.
According to the commission advice, safe use depends on exposure time and volume levels. At 80 decibels, exposure should be limited to 40 hours a week, it says, while at 89 decibels, exposure should not exceed five hours a week. By way of contrast, 75 decibels is the accepted maximum for concerts held in Dublin; in 2008, one of Bruce Springsteen’s dates in the RDS reached more than 87 decibels.
Under existing standards, there is no maximum sound limit or product labelling about volume levels, although warnings have to be included in the instruction manual.
The new standards will be drawn up by Cenelec, a European standard setting body involving scientists, industry and consumer groups, and are expected to take two years to finalise.
EU standards are not compulsory but tend to become the industry norm. The safety standards will apply only to future products.