Vicdeaf message on Ipods
The Queen has one!
Vicdeaf has urged people with Ipods or MP3 players to turn the volume down, or risk permanent deafness. According to Vicdeaf, one in four Australians using portable music devices are likely to develop permanent hearing loss caused by “excessive and damaging” audio levels.
Chief executive officer of Vicdeaf, John Paton, says the huge popularity of MP3 players means a whole generation of young people are at risk of permanent hearing damage. Portable MP3 player annual sales in Australia reached 1.93 million in 2005 and are expected to reach 3.52 million sales in 2010.
Mr Paton called on manufacturers to limit the output of the devices to a level that does not cause hearing loss.
“Apple already faces a class action lawsuit in the US by a group of iPod users seeking compensation for hearing damage they claim was caused by the devices. The suit alleges, among other things, that Apple has not limited the device’s sound output to a safe decibel level, despite complying with the French Government’s 100-decibel cap.”
(For comparison, a chainsaw, a snowmobile and a motorcycle each produce about 100 decibels of noise).
