Lower volume on MP3s

The European Commission has promised new rules to regulate the maximum sound output of MP3 players or other music devices.

EU Consumers Commissioner Maglena Kuneva said scientific evidence showed people listening to music at high volumes, sometimes for hours each week, had no idea they could be putting their hearing at risk.

"The standards to be enacted by the Commission will introduce small technical changes to players so that, by default, normal use is safe. If consumers chose to override the default settings they can but there will be clear warnings so they know the risks they are taking," Ms Kuneva said.

Existing EU standards do not set any sound limit nor do they require any specific labelling on volume levels but demand that the instruction manual warns of the adverse effects of exposure to excessive sound level.

The proposed new rules will require manufacturers to set as a standard a default maximum volume of 80 decibels, considered to be within the safe zone for hearing. The sound levels of appliances on the market range between 80 and 115 decibels and using different earphones could raise those levels by up to nine decibels. Above 120 decibels is equivalent to the level of noise generated by an airplane taking off.

According to the Commission, between 2.5 and 10 million Europeans could suffer hearing loss from listening to MP3 players at unsafe volumes - over 89 decibels - for more an hour daily for at least five years.

"We need to make sure consumers, particularly young people, are aware of these risks," Ms Kuneva said.

Welcoming the move, manufacturers said they would have to study the best way on how to issue better health warnings.

In recent years sales of personal music players have soared, in particular those of MP3 players.

Overall, in the EU, it is estimated that roughly 50 to 100 million people may be listening to portable music players on a daily basis. In the last four years, estimated units sales ranged between 184 and 246 million for all portable audio devices and between 124 and 165 million in the case of MP3 players.