Bulgaria EU Commissioner Unveils MP3 Sound Limits

Bulgaria in EU | September 28, 2009, Monday // 14:47|  views

Kuneva insisted that loud music fans will still be free to exceed the recommended safety level if they wish. Photo by BGNES

Bulgarian EU consumer affairs Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, has unveiled the EC demands for lower default sound levels on all MP3 players sold in Europe.

The new regulations are aimed at preventing damage to hearing are expected to prevent millions of users from hearing loss.

Kuneva however insisted that loud music fans will still be free to exceed the recommended safety level if they wish.

"We are not imposing noise limits," she said. "We are asking the industry and the EU's body for standardising to look at the best ways of tackling this issue".

She went on: "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 young people in particular - who listen to music at high volumes sometimes for hours each week, have no idea they can be putting their hearing at risk."

Kuneva concluded; "These standards make small technical changes to players so that by default, normal use is safe. If consumers choose to over-ride the default settings they can, but there will be clear warnings so they know the risk they are taking. The warnings can be either on the music player screens or on the packaging."

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

The scientific opinion shows that 5-10% of personal music player listeners risk permanent hearing loss, if they listen to a personal music player for more than one hour per day each week at high volume settings for at least five years.

Scientists confirmed that there is cause for concern and the EC will now examine with Member States and stakeholders, possible measures that could be taken to better protect children and adolescents from exposure to noise from personal music players and other similar devices.

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Tags: Kuneva, MP3

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