Citing latest scientific research results on the health risks personal music players can pose to listeners, Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva sees the need to formulate a “common understanding on the way forward” that should evolve into a “concrete action plan ensuring the safe listening of music”. Addressing a stakeholders’ conference on personal music players, on 27 January in Brussels, Kuneva said that “we need to act quickly and examine the rules in place to make sure that they keep pace with new technology and ensure that consumers benefit from the highest possible safety standards”. The event was attended by representatives of the member states, the European Parliament, the industry, consumer organisations, as well as scientific and testing laboratories.

In October 2008, the EU Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) said that listening to MP3 players at a high volume over a sustained period can lead to hearing damage and loss and that 5% to 10% of listeners risk permanent hearing loss if they listen to an MP3 player for more than one hour per day each week at high volume settings for a period of at least five years. In light of these findings, the European Commission is now looking for ways to better protect customers.

THREE QUESTIONS

Recalling that current European safety standards already restrict the noise level of personal music players to 100 decibels, Kuneva asked the participants whether they saw the need for “further regulation or revision of the existing safety standards [which] cover only some music players”. She said “there is increasing concern over hearing damage from excessive exposure to such sources”.

Turning to the representatives of digital personal music player producers, she asked them to specify “imaginative and innovative” technical solutions they could apply to prevent these players from causing hearing damage. “For example, how can we link decibels to volume control features and make sure that exposure patterns are factored in,” she asked.

As for the users themselves, Kuneva said that since the risk of hearing damage “depends on sound levels and exposure time,” they too could take “certain very practical precautions”. “For example, they could check their device to see if a maximum volume can be set to keep it lower and take care to not use the personal music player for prolonged periods.”

Warnings and information campaigns also have a key role to play, she said, although these “should not be used as an alternative to putting only safe music players in the hands of consumers”.

The commissioner’s speech is available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 242377