NEW YORK—Mayor Michael Bloomberg is planning to strike at another public health issue, and this one may be hard on the ears.
The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is planning a public-education campaign to inform New Yorkers about the danger of listening to loud music through ear-bud headsets on personal music devices like the iPhone and iPod, the New York Post reported.
“With public and private support, a public-education campaign is being developed to raise awareness about safe use of personal music players … and risks of loud and long listening,” Nancy Clark, assistant commissioner of the Bureau of Environmental Disease Prevention at the DOHMH, told the Post.
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The mayor has been addressing noise issues since as early as 2005, when he announced Operation Silent Night, a cross-agency effort aimed “to effectively fight and control the loud, excessive noise that plagues too many neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs,” according to the 2002 initiative announcement.
This campaign adds to a list of public health initiatives driven by Bloomberg, which includes campaigns and legislation to curb smoking as well as consumption of high-sugar drinks, trans fats, and salt.
