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Did you ear about the volume warning?




[caption id="attachment_55989" align="alignright" width="345" caption="Reporter Ellis Barker takes part in some of the tests on the stand"][/caption]


Expert audiologists from the Royal Berkshire Hearing Service set up a hub in the town centre on Thursday, allowing people to test the safety of the volume they listen to music.
Between 10am and 2pm, more than 20 passer-bys plugged their headphones into a “sound head” to see if they were listening below the recommended volume, with dozens of others stopping for general advice.
The group teamed up with national charity Action on Hearing Loss for the event, raising awareness of the damaging effects loud music can have on an individual’s hearing, proven to cause Tinnitus and hearing loss.
Senior clinical scientist for the Royal Berkshire Hearing Service, Catriona Wildgoose was pleased with the response they received. She said: “A lot of people didn’t realise the dangers with having the volume loud. It was definitely a good awareness raising exercise.”
Audiologist from Royal Berkshire Hospital, Barinder Samra, said: “It’s not just the amount of sound, but how long. The louder it is the shorter you have to be listening to it.”
He added that listening to music at 89 decibels five times a week is likely to damage an individual’s hearing, something that the sound head was testing on the day.
Gorki Duhra, of Action on Hearing Loss, added: “Older people have been saying ‘I have been doing it all my life, it’s not going to make a difference now.’ It’s never too late.”



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