Using MP3 and MP3-enabled players safely

Research by Deafness Research UK indicates that too many people are putting their hearing at risk by listening to their MP3 player too loudly and for too long.

There are simple ways to reduce your risk. Our top tips include:

• Always use the noise limiter on your MP3 player
• Parents should look for a locking feature on the player and use it to set the maximum volume using a special code
• Check that your player is not one with a maximum volume that exceeds statutory and Health & Safety limits - see the Which? website for details
• Adopt the 60:60 rule - only use your MP3 player at 60% of its maximum volume for 60 minutes a day.  In other words, the higher the volume, the shorter time you should listen.
• Never have your MP3 player so loud that you can’t hear the noise around you
• Never have it so loud that those around you can hear your music! If they can, it’s loud enough to damage your ears.
• Ear bud headphones are less efficient at drowning out background noise so it’s tempting to turn up the volume. Use sound isolating earphones, muff-type over-the-ear headphones or noise cancelling headphones instead (see Which headphones should Iuse?)

Current European Union legislation on the power output of ‘portable audio equipment’ with headphone use means the maximum volume personal music players can reach is currently 100 dBA (decibels) – equivalent to a pneumatic drill heard from four metres away.   

However, the European Commission may recommend a reduction in the maximum legal volume of portable players after a report from the European Union’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks said that there was a danger from long-term exposure to music above 89 dBA.  They also found that hearing loss is negligible below 80 dBA which could be adopted as the new maximum limit.

Apple have a software patch that allows the listener to set the maximum volume on their iPods. It also comes with a code, so parents can stop their children from undoing it. For more information on the patch and installation help, visit Setting the maximum volume limit on iPod on the Apple website.

Repeated exposure to music from personal music players through headphones, at, or near to, maximum volume is sufficient to cause permanent damage to hearing in some people.  Susceptibility varies so it impossible to say how great an individual’s risk is. 

Also, don’t be tempted to increase the volume on your personal music player in order to drown out background noise such as a train or traffic.  

This is also important for those people who like listening to music while at the gym or heath club, as it can be easy to forget how long you have been listening to a personal music player while exercising.