MEP turns up the volume on the dangers of hearing loss

5.24.00pm GMT Tue 14th Oct 2008

Liz Lynne MEP

West Midlands MEP Liz Lynne has warned that playing your I-pod too loudly could do serious damage to your ears. A report by the EU Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks has said that sustained exposure to loud music from headphones could mean seriously damaging your hearing, or even losing it completely.

The report suggests that up to 10 million I-pod and MP3 player users across Europe may be at serious risk of damage simply by listening to one hour of loud music a day on a frequent basis. This is despite EU regulations already restricting the maximum volume of headphones to below 100db.

Liz Lynne, who is a member of the European Parliaments All Party Intergroup on Disabilities, said:

"Hearing loss is a serious danger and not something that should be taken lightly. I am very pleased that the EU Scientific Committee was given the opportunity to examine this issue and to highlight the dangers before the problems gets out of hand. I urge people to take care of their hearing, clicking down the volume a few levels could mean the difference between being able to listen to the newest music in 2010 and learning to live without hearing anything at all. If people are worried, or want more advice on what headphones will best protect their hearing I urge them to go the Royal National Institute for the Deaf's 'Don't lose the Music' Campaign at www.dontlosethemusic.com."