After launching campaigns against soda, salt and fast food, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is at it again with a new target ear buds. But unlike some of his pervasive and ill-advised forays into dictating our health behaviors, this time the Mayor has promulgated a productive campaign to save our youngsters hearing.
The new initiative is aimed at the iPod generation the first to put buds directly into their ears. Bloomberg s administration is planning a social media campaign to warn young people about the risk of hearing loss from listening to music too loudly. An iPod can hit 115 decibels in volume, but health officials say anything above 85 can damage the sensitive hearing neural apparatus. The initiative might actually be a good one considering that the CDC has stated that excessive noise has caused permanent hearing damage in one out of eight children and teens. Experts have also stated that hearing loss increased 30 percent among teenagers and young adults between 1988 and 2006.
It s important to give credit where it is due, says ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, This time, Mayor Bloomberg is simply advising common sense.
