The European Commission is planning new safety standards to protect hearing when using personal music players such as MP3s, Ipods and mobile phones. Up to 10 million people in the EU could be at risk of hearing loss through using earphones. Whether you’re concerned about your own hearing or that of someone close to you, taking a hearing test could help to put your mind at rest. Listening to music for over an hour a day at high volume can put you at risk. There is no single safe sound level because the risk of hearing damage depends on two factors: the sound level and the length of time you spend listening. The European Commission has now asked for new safety standards that will take account of both factors. There could be default safe settings on personal music players, as well as clear warnings about the effects of too much exposure to high sound levels. Young people especially need to be aware of the risks, and products need to be designed to be safe. Many users of personal music players choose volume settings that are unlikely to cause hearing loss. But some people set the volume control very high and listen to music for several hours a day. They are putting themselves at risk of permanently damaging their hearing. A safe sound level is around 80 decibels, or the equivalent of traffic noise from a nearby road. But the maximum volume setting on some personal music players can be up to 120 decibels, which is about the same as a jet taking off nearby. To read the report on Personal Music Players & Hearing from the European Commission Scientific Committee, click on this link http://ec.europa.eu/health/opinions/en/hearing-loss-personal-music-player-mp3/#1 http://europa.eu