RNID calls for MP3 warnings

The Royal National Institute for the Deaf has called on the manufacturers of MP3 players to include warnings on the dangers of listening to music too loudly on their products.

The announcement follows the publication of research which showed that 58% of 16 to 30-year-olds are unaware that there is any risk to their hearing from using MP3 players and other audio products that attach directly to the ears.

The RNID also found that 79% of respondents from the same age group said that they had never seen warnings on the outside of the packaging of MP3 players.

The charity said that it believed that manufacturers of MP3 players had a responsibility to their customers to alert them to the potential dangers of listening to their products at hight volumes.

They have launched a campaign, the 'Don't Lose The Music Week', to highlight the problem.

Dr John Low, RNID Chief Executive said: "We know that young people are at risk from losing their hearing prematurely by listening to loud music for too long on MP3 players. MP3 player manufacturers have a responsibility to make their customers aware of the risks and the need to listen at sensible levels and we urge them to incorporate prominent warnings into the packaging of their products.

"New technology and ever-increasing storage capacity enables people to listen non-stop for hours - and at louder volumes than ever before. If you are regularly plugged in, it is only too easy to clock up noise doses that could damage their hearing forever.

"It's clear that young people are not only shockingly unaware of any risk to their hearing, but also that manufacturers aren't yet doing enough to warn people."

The RNID has advised music fans to take simple steps to protect their hearing whenever they listen to music. These include:

• Turning it down slightly - even a small damage in volume could massively lessen the damage to the ears
• If you can hear sound from your headphones from two or three feet away, they are probably too loud
• Take a five minute rest period for every hour of listening to allow ears to recover
• Stand away from loud speakers when in pubs and clubs or at gigs and concerts
• Take regular breaks from the dance floor in pubs and clubs and use chillout areas to give ears a rest from loud music
• Wear earplugs specially designed for use in clubs and gigs, especially those people who are regularly exposed to loud music, such as frequent clubbers or gig-goers, DJs and musicians

Over 6.3 million MP3 players were sold in the UK in 2005 alone. RNID figures showed that 51.4% of 16-24-year-olds listened to their stereos for at least an hours a day, with 19.7% listening for more than 21 hours a week.

(KMcA/SP)