Listen Carefully

  A new study by the European Union finds that “listening to personal music players at high volume over a sustained period can lead to permanent hearing damage.” In response, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a national organization of hearing specialists and scientists, and the Parents’ Choice Foundation formed the Safe Listening Coalition of Musicians, a national group of musicians popular with young children, to promote safe usage of personal audio technology. They advise listeners: keep the volume down (a good guide is half volume), limit listening time, and upgrade ear buds (which sit inside the ear and often come with portable music players) to “noise canceling” earphones. For more info: www.listentoyourbuds.com.