Safe listening

Safe listening

The concept of safe listening involves exposures to sound that happen by choice (by the individual deciding to listen to something) and three factors associated with the sound per se: its intensity (loudness), duration (length of time) and how often one listens to.[1] These three factors are interrelated and contribute to the overall sound energy level that reaches a person’s ears. Recommended maximum levels of daily exposure to noise have been identified by taking into account the total user’s sound ‘dose’. These recommendations were developed for occupational settings, where exposure to loud sounds can be stressful, frequent and last for decades. This happen because most data on hearing and noise exposure that exist come from workplace records, so it was the source used in the and  the data has been extrapolated to recreational settings. Eighty-five decibels is considered the highest safe exposure level up to a maximum of eight hours per day. The permissible time for safe listening decreases as sound levels increase. For example, a sound as high as 100 dB – the level produced by a subway train – can be safely listened to for only 15 minutes each day. The output of personal audio devices may range from 75 dB to as high as 136 dB. The maximum output levels vary depending upon regulations and legislation in different countries. Typically, users of personal audio devices choose to set the volume between 75 to 105 dB.  An approach recommended by the ITU and WHO  is for personal audio systems  to be equipped with a monitoring function that sets the above exposure as a one-week sound dose allowance. It is recommended that the display method be designed in an easy-to-understand manner. The device should be able to provide the user with a method for limiting volume. This refers to a feature where an alert would be given before or when the user reaches 100% of their weekly sound allowance. The user will have the option to “continue listening” if they do not wish the device's volume to be reduced. If the message is not acknowledged, a default setting will reduce the volume output to below the predetermined level (based on the mode selected, i.e. 80 dBA or 75 dBA). This approach was incorporated by the health app on Iphones in 2019.[2]

No established acceptable risk of hearing loss in children has been widely recognized. One attempt to identify safe levels assumed that the most appropriate exposure limit for recreational noise exposure in children would aim to protect 99% of children from hearing loss exceeding 5 dB at the 4 kHz audiometric test frequency after 18 years of noise exposure.  An estimate of  4.2 decibels or less of hearing loss in 99% of children after 18 years of noise exposure equivalent to an 8-h average exposure (LEX) of 82 dBA, by using estimates from the  ISO 1999:2013 model for predicting hearing thresholds.  By reducing the 8-h LEX to 80 dB to include a 2 dB margin of safety,  it resulted in a 2.1 dB or less of hearing loss in 99% of children after 18 years of exposure. This is equivalent to 75 dBA as a 24-h equivalent continuous average sound level.

History

Possibly, the first known regulation on the risk of hearing loss from noise dates back to the 6th century BC, when the Greek colony of Sybaris Italy decreed that tinsmiths and potters had to live outside the city because of the noise they made[3] The first record on hearing loss caused by industrial noise and was made by Fostbroke in 1830, when he discussed the hearing loss noted among black smiths.  In the  1950 monograph “The Effects of Noise on Man” (later published as a book in 1970) Karl D. Kryter of the Stanford Research Institute, concluded that “continued repeated exposures of extended periods (years) to intense noise from machinery, may result in partial but permanent deafness". From 1971 on, many standards were published on noise exposure in industry for the assessment of its effects. Only decades later standards started being developed to ensure safe listening when using personal audio systems with headphones, as well as for entertainment venues.

Starting in 2019, most efforts towards promoting safe listening are taking place under the coordination of Making Listening Safe, an initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of the celebration of World Hearing Day on 3 March 2015. Its main goal is to ensure that people of all ages can enjoy listening in a manner that does not pose a risk of hearing disorders, such as tinnitus. Different hearing disorders have been associated with the frequent use at high volume of devices such as headphones, headsets, earpieces, earbuds and True Wireless Stereo of any type,  for several hours,[4] to their hearing. Make Listening Safe aims to foster the development and implementation of standards applicable to personal audio devices to cover safe listening features, to become a depository of open access resources and information on safe listening practices in six languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) so to raise awareness about safe listening practices, and highlight the need for safe listening to policy-makers, health professionals, manufacturers, parents and others.[5]

File:MLSlogoWHO.png

Logo, Make Listening Safe, an initiative by the World Health Organization

One of the approaches taken by Make Listening Safe is to promote the development of features in portable media players and wireless headphones to raise the users' awareness of risk and safe listening practices. In this context, WHO in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is working with experts in the field of audiology, otology, public health, epidemiology, acoustics, sound engineering, representatives of professional organizations, standardization organizations, manufacturers and users to determine suitable exposure limits to be included in the H.870 safety standards for personal audio devices and headphones. Entertainment venues are also covered by this initiative. Average sound levels in nightclubs, discotheques, bars and live sports venues can range from 104 to 112 dB; noise levels at pop concerts may be even higher.  Listening to 15 minutes of electronic dance music in a club at 100 dB would expose patrons to the same sound dose (calculation based on how long you listen, how loud you listen and the energy content of what you are listening to) recommended for people not to exceed in a 8-hour working day. Noise levels at sporting venues have been found to range from 80 dB to 117 dB.   Even a short duration of exposure to high-decibel levels such as these can be harmful. Habitual exposure can lead to hearing loss, tinnitus or perhaps both over time.

An approach recommended by the ITU and WHO  is for personal audio systems  to be equipped with a monitoring function that sets the above exposure as a one-week sound dose allowance. It is recommended that the display method be designed in an easy-to-understand manner. The device should be able to provide the user with a method for limiting volume. This refers to a feature where an alert would be given before or when the user reaches 100% of their weekly sound allowance. The user will have the option to “continue listening” if they do not wish the device's volume to be reduced. If the message is not acknowledged, a default setting will reduce the volume output to below the predetermined level (based on the mode selected, i.e. 80 dBA or 75 dBA). This approach was incorporated by the health app on Iphones in 2019.[6]

Safe listening standards applicable to personal audio systems

The International Technical Commission (ITC) published the first standard IEC 62368-1 on Audio/video in 2010. It identified the recommended output levels for personal music players to be under or equal to 85 decibels, allowing users to increase the volume to a maximum of 100 decibels. When users raise the volume to maximum level, an alert should pop up to warn the listener of the potential for hearing problems.

A 2018 new ITU and WHO standard H.870 “Guidelines for safe listening devices/systems”, was published focused on evaluating weekly sound-dose exposure. It was based on the EN 50332-3 standard “Sound system equipment: headphones and earphones associated with personal music players - maximum sound pressure level measurement methodology - Part 3: measurement method for sound dose management. It identifies a weekly sound dose equivalent to 80 dBA for 80 hours/week.  A higher safety level is recommended for children and/or sensitive users, of a weekly sound dose limited to the equivalent of 75 dBA for 80 hours/week.

Safe listening standards applicable to personal sound amplifiers

The European Federation of Hard of Hearing People and the European Association of Hearing Aid Professionals) analyzed the output levels of 27 personal sound amplifiers (PSA) that were  commercially available in Europe in 2014.[7] All devices had a maximum output level of more than 120 decibels; 23 had an output level that exceeded 125  decibels while 8 exceeded 130 decibels. None of the products had a level limiting option.  The report triggered the development of a few standards for these devices.  The Consumer Technology Association and the American National Standards Institute published the ANSI/CTA standard 2051  on “Personal Sound Amplification Performance Criteria” in 2017. It identifies a maximum output sound pressure level of 120 decibels. in 2019, the ITU published ITU-T H.871. For personal sound amplifiers with the capacity to measure weekly dose the criteria requires that weekly maximum sound dose be less than 80 decibels for 40 hours. When PSAs do not have the capacity to measure weekly sound dose, the maximum output of the device needs to be permanently limited to 95 dBA.  It also recommends that PSAs provide adequate alerts in advertisements, user guides and packaging detailing the risks of damaging the user's hearing as a result of using the device and provide information to users on how to avoid these risks.

Safe listening standards applicable to entertainment venues

In 2019, the WHO published a report summarizing regulations for control of sound exposure in entertainment venues in Belgium, France and Switzerland.[8] The case studies were published as an initial step towards the development of a WHO regulatory framework for control of sound exposure in entertainment venues. A review published in 2020 indicated that several different regulatory approaches have been implemented to manage sound levels and minimize the risk of hearing damage for those attending music venues. Of the 18 countries that have schemes to regulate sound levels in entertainment venues, 12 are from Europe and the remainder were from cities or states in North and South America. The approaches identified include:  sound level limitations, real-time sound exposure monitoring, mandatory supply of protective devices, requirements for signage and warnings, loudspeaker placement restrictions and ensuring patrons can access quiet zones or rest areas.  In 2020, the effectiveness of these measures in reducing the risk associated with sound exposure at music venues have not been reported, but the adaptation of the approaches described above which are used to reduce sound exposure and protect employees in other industries using the hierarchy of controls have been discussed.  The challenges in implementing measures to reduce risks to hearing in a wide range of entertainment venues, which involves many different professional groups, be it through either mandatory or voluntary guidelines, with or without enforcement are significant. These challenges as well cost implications and examples of educational and awareness campaigns are being addressed by representatives of the music industry, researchers and the hearing health care community,  many of which are coordinated by the Make Listening Safe Initiative. [9]

See Also

• Sound

• Sound power level

• Noise-induced hearing loss

• Noise regulation

• Loud music

• Health problems of musicians

• Electronic Music Foundation

• Tinnitus

• Diplacusis

• Hyperacusis

External Links

• American Academy of Audiology, Audiological Services for Musicians and Music Industry Personnel Archived 2020-10-22 at the Wayback Machine, 2020.

• World Health Organization (WHO) Childhood hearing loss:act now, here's how infographic.

• Introduction to the World Health Organization program on hearing and its initiative to Make Listening Safe, Dr. Shelly Chadha, March, 2015.

• World Health Organization (WHO) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Consultation on Make Listening Safe initiative, March 2015.

• World Health Organization (WHO), 2019. Toolkit for safe listening devices and systems.

• Safe listening devices and systems: a WHO-ITU standard. 2019.

• World Health Organization, Hearing loss due to recreational exposure to loud sounds:A review.

• World Health Organization, Regulation for control of sound exposure in entertainment venues. Case studies from Belgium, France and Switzerland. December 2019.

• World Health Organization, Make Listening Safe, Activities.

• European Association of Hearing Aid Professionals (AEA). Make Listening Safe resources.

• Standards for Safe Listening – how they align and how some differ, ENT News, May 2020.

• National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Statistics about the Public Health Burden of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.

• National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Loud noise can cause hearing loss.  Resources.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vital Signs: hearing loss.

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Noise and hearing loss prevention.

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reducing the Risk of Hearing Disorders among Musicians.

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIOSH Sound Level Meter app.

References

Category:Audio engineering Category:Consumer electronics Category:Loudspeakers Category:Acoustics Category:Audiology Category:World Health Organization Category:Health campaigns Category:Transducers

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