Nanny continent
Did you know we have a European Commissioner for consumers? Well we do; her name is Meglena Kuneva and she's worried about our eardrums.
Kuneva is going to give a keynote speech addressing the supposed health risks posed by MP3 players. Apparently: "5-10% of personal music player listeners risk permanent hearing loss if they listen to a personal music player at high volume settings for more than one hour per day over a period of at least 5 years," according to the press release.
"In the light of the recent scientific advice, we need to act quickly, to look again at the controls in place, to make sure they are fully effective and keep pace with new technology so that consumers benefit from the highest safety standards," said Kuneva.
The keynote will be given at a one day conference in Brussels, to which Nokia and Apple have been invited as well as the French Ministry of Health, the UK Royal National Institute for Deaf People and the Spanish Confederation of Consumer and Users.
My personal opinion is that MP3 players I've used aren't loud enough, but what do you think? Also, do you think organisations like the European Commission should be able to dictate maximum volume levels on MP3 players even if they do damage our health? Let us know in the HEXUS.community, but you might have to speak up.
