The World Health Organisation has suggested people listen to no more than one hour of music per day, in order to preserve their ears from serious hearing damage. In a report released by the WHO, they say “1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of developing hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices and exposure to damaging levels of sound in noisy entertainment venues“.
Aside from the more obvious ways to prevent hearing damage, such as wearing ear plugs in loud music venues, reducing volume and seeking check-ups from medical professionals, the WHO suggests limiting the time that we spend engaging in noisy activities. This involves “taking short listening breaks when going to bars, nightclubs and gigs”, “not venturing too close to speakers in music venues” and “limiting the use of personal audio devices to less than one hour per day”. More specifically they advise that the volume on personal audio devices should be 60% of the maximum.
Dr Etienne Krug, director of WHO, told the BBC: “What we’re trying to do is raise awareness of an issue that is not talked about enough, but has the potential to do a lot of damage that can be easily prevented“. The WHO has also called for nightclubs to provide ‘chill-out rooms’ and free ear plugs, if they already don’t, and for audio manufacturers to set stricter volume limits on their devices. They also advise the public to purchase noise cancelling headphones over standard earphones due to their ability to provide higher sound quality at a lower, less dangerous volume.
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