Members of the European Union work together for Europe's common values [1] such as democracy and social justice. In addition to solving the world's financial mess [2], there's at least one other common challenge the international body wants to confront: iPods. Today, the EU executive asked Europeans, especially children and youth, to turn that music down! — or risk long-term hearing damage or loss [3].

A report from EU scientists found that 2.5-10 million Europeans could suffer hearing loss, as a result of listening to MP3 players at over 89 decibels for at least one hour a day, for a five year period. Perhaps because the governments anticipate rising medical care costs as a result of the damage, the EU might impose a volume limit lower than the current 100 decibel maximum.

Should a supranational body be responsible for keeping MP3 players safe, or is a warning in the user's manual enough?

Source [4]