Published on Sep 20, 2004

Listening to music at too high a volume can endanger your life, Public Health Ministry spokeswoman Nittaya Chanruangmahaphol warned yesterday.

At least four American teenagers were rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties because loud music prevented their lungs from working normally, Nittaya said.

She said three of them became ill at concerts, while the fourth one's condition was blamed on his car's 1,000-watt sound system.

"Similar cases have also been reported in Belgium," she added.

Nittaya warned people against listening to music turned up too loud, a very popular pastime among teenagers from well-to-do families.

"Many teenagers modify their cars with sound systems that can blast out the music," she said.

She said high-decibel noise leads to impaired hearing, deafness, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Nittaya cited one study that showed foetuses in women seven months pregnant also suffer some effects if their mothers listen to loud music. "The foetuses had abnormal pulses," she said.

She cited one study that showed up to 77 per cent of discotheque employees surveyed in Bangkok and upcountry suffered hearing problems because they had to endure extremely loud music during work hours.