Safe listening
While safe listening does not address exposure to unwanted sounds (which are termed noise) – for example, at work or from other noisy hobbies – it is an essential part of a comprehensive approach to total hearing health.
[3][10] Although specific regulations vary across the world, most workplace best practices consider 85 decibels (dB A-weighted) averaged over eight hours per day as the highest safe exposure level for a 40-year lifetime.
[13] In 1995, the World Health Organization (WHO) similarly concluded that 24-hour average exposures at or below 70 dBA pose a negligible risk for hearing loss over a lifetime.
[14] Following reports on hearing disorders from listening to music,[15][16][17][18][19] additional recommendations and interventions to prevent adverse effects from sound-related recreational activities appear necessary.
The U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) has guidelines for safely listening to personal music players geared toward the "tween" population (children aged 9–13 years).
[22] The Dangerous Decibels program promotes the use of "Jolene" mannequins to measure output of PLSs as an educational tool to raise awareness of overexposure to sound through personal listening.
[23] The National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), the research division of Hearing Australia, developed the Know Your Noise initiative,[24] funded by the Australian Government Department of Health.
[1] The initiative's main goal is to ensure that people of all ages can enjoy listening to music and other audio media in a manner that does not create a hearing risk.
Noise-induced hearing loss, hyperacusis, and tinnitus have been associated with the frequent use at high volume of devices such as headphones, headsets, earpieces, earbuds, and True Wireless Stereo technologies of any type.
In this context, the WHO partnered with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to develop suitable exposure limits for inclusion in the voluntary H.870 safety standards on "Guidelines for safe listening devices/systems.
[40] These feature the opt-in Apple Hearing Study, part of the Research app that is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
However, when users raise the volume to the maximum level, the standard specifies that an alert should pop up to warn the listener of the potential for hearing problems.
[43] A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2022 recorded an increased prevalence of risk of hearing loss compared to 2015 estimates among young people between 12 and 34 years of age who are exposed to high sound pressure levels (SPL) due to use of headphones and entertainment soundscapes.
The estimated global number of young people who may be at risk of hearing loss due to exposure to unsafe listening practices ranged from 0.67 to 1.35 billion.
[44] The authors concluded that unsafe listening practices are highly prevalent worldwide and may put over 1 billion young people at risk of hearing loss.
[55][56] Technical solutions, practices of monitoring and on-stage sound are presented, as well as the problems of enforcing environmental noise regulations in an urban environment, with country specific examples.
[56] Several different regulatory approaches have been implemented to manage sound levels and minimize the risk of hearing damage for those attending music venues.
[57] A report published in 2020 identified 18 regulations regarding sound levels in entertainment venues – 12 from Europe and the remainder from cities or states in North and South America.
[57] The effectiveness of these measures in reducing the risk of hearing damage has not been evaluated,[57] but the adaptation of the approaches described above is consistent with the general principles of the hierarchy of controls used to manage exposure to noise in workplaces.
In 2018, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published the results of a survey of U.S. adults related to the use of a hearing protection device during exposure to loud sounds at recreational events.
[66] The challenges in implementing measures to reduce risks to hearing in a wide range of entertainment venues – whether through mandatory or voluntary guidelines, with or without enforcement – are significant.
The standard can be used by Governments to implement legislation, by owners and managers of venues and events to protect their clientele, and by audio engineers, and by other staff.
Health care professionals have the opportunity to educate patients about relevant hearing risks and promote safe listening habits.
