Beyond the annoyance of hearing your neighbor’s playlist on the train, listening to music too loud can cause long term hearing loss. Katie Couric has more.

Gloria

The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, wants to introduce health warnings on mp3 players, in order to reduce excessive exposure to high sound levels. European Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva announced the measures at a press conference together with Digital Europe chief Bridget Cosgrave. From EbS: Consumers will benefit from new default settings on personal music players set at safe exposure levels, as well clear warnings on the adverse effects of excessive exposure to high sound levels, following a decision by the European Commission today. In October 2008, the EU Scientific Committee SCENIHR 1 , warned that listening to personal music players at a high volume over a sustained period can lead to permanent hearing damage. 5-10% of listeners risk permanent hearing loss. These are people typically listening to music for over 1 hour a day at high volume control settings. It is estimated that up to 10 million people in the EU may be at risk. The European Commission today sent a mandate to CENELEC (the EU standardisation body) requiring new technical safety standards to be drawn up.

Jessica