Potential health risks of exposure to noise from personal music ...

Health risks from exposure to noise from personal music playershalving of time of exposure with every doubling in level (+3dB). Using the equal energybasis it may be deduced that the exposure to 80 dB(A) for 40 hours would be equivalentto the exposure to 83 dB(A) for 20 hours and 89 dB(A) for 5 hours per week. However,because the model was built on the basis of tens of years of exposure, such calculationfor exposures of short length should be interpreted with caution.Although all the above regulations and limits apply to the workplace, the fact that theyrely on the exposure level and duration means that they can equally be applied to othersituations where sound has a detrimental effect such as that from personal music players(PMPs); whether use in workplace, or under leisure situations.The free-field equivalent sound pressure levels measured at maximum volume controlsetting of PMPs range around 80-115 dB(A), across different devices. Differencesbetween different types of ear-phones may modify the level by up to 7-9 dB. In theworst case scenario, it is possible to estimate maximum levels of about 120 dB(A). Thehazard to hearing from listening to the music at such levels might be extremely high, asit is considered that levels exceeding 80 dB(A) may pose a risk.Question 1:SCENIHR is asked whether the exposure to noise from devices like personal musicplayers and mobile phones with this function, at levels corresponding to currentpermissible noise emissions may cause quantifiable health risks, in particular hearing lossand/or hearing impairment to the user, and to specify the relevant outcome.Answer:It is estimated that the number of young people with social noise exposure has tripled (toaround 19%) since the early 1980s, whilst occupational noise has decreased. It shouldbe recognised that exposure to different types of noise and sounds can have cumulativeeffects in hearing impairment.There is evidence in the scientific literature that the levels of exposure to sounds fromusing PMP on regular basis range widely from 60 dB(A) to 120 dB(A) among PMP users,but a vast majority of listeners use it at a level below 80-85 dB(A). The type of musicand environment may influence exposure levels. The mean weekly exposure time spenton listening to music ranges from below 1 to 14 hours, and is typically longer for menthan for women. It has been estimated that the average, A-weighted, eight hourequivalent sound exposures levels (referred to “Noise at Work Regulations”) from PMPsrange from 75 to 85 dB(A), producing minimal risk of hearing impairment for themajority of PMP users.However, a certain proportion of users are at a higher risk due to the levels, patterns andduration of their listening preferences. Considering the daily (or weekly) time spent onlistening to music through personal music players and the typical volume controlsettings, approximately 5% to 10% of the listeners are at risk of developing permanenthearing loss after 5 or more years of exposure – the best estimate available on thelimited data (which may be an underestimate based on unpublished information)suggests that this may be between 2.5 and 10 million people in EU. Those are theindividuals listening to music over 1 hour a day at high volume control setting.Literature data indicate that the consequences of prolonged exposure to loud soundsfrom the PMPs may possibly result in:• TTS: Temporary (hearing) threshold shift• PTS: Permanent (hearing) threshold shift• Tinnitus: Ringing in the Ears• Poor Speech Communication in Noisy Conditions60