ITU-T .870 “The Standard” for Safe listening devices and systems

Simão Campos Counsellor, ITU-T Study Group 16 “Multimedia” Why we got here • WHO: over 1 billion young people (12-35 years) at risk of hearing loss due to recreational exposure to loud sounds – Silent and progressive, irreversible [Matt Brady testimonial] • Parallels with other “non-communicable pandemics”? – Healthy eating and the sugar crisis – Sound kick? How about healthy listening? • WHA Resolution in 2017 “Prevention of deafness and hearing loss”, [1 Urges MSs (5)] … (5) to develop, implement and monitor screening programmes for early identification of ear diseases, such as chronic suppurative otitis media and hearing loss in high-risk populations, including infants, young children, older adults and people exposed to noise in occupational and recreational settings; … How we got here • ITU edition published in Nov. 2018 • Ongoing translation into the six UN languages Work on Consultation umbrella ITU edition meeting specification launched •October 2015 •2Q 2016 •Nov. 2019 (P)

Gap analysis Drafting WHO edition •Early 2016 completed launched •July 2018 () •Feb. 2019 (P) Aug. 2018 (A) • Europe: Existing hard-threshold standard; Evolving sound-dose standard • Formal approval on 29 Aug.2018 • Big void elsewhere as an international standard: • No guidance on communication to device users Recommendation ITU-T H.870 What have we gotten?

• A WHO and ITU international standard – It has the same level as ISO and IEC de juris standards • ITU publication: “Recommendation ITU-T H.870 (2018-08), Guidelines for safe listening devices/systems” WHO publication: “Safe listening devices and systems” – Free publications • Why two publications? What’ the difference? What’s in WHO / ITU H.870? • Evidence-based guidance • Major tenet: exposure to occupational noise framework also holds for music • Builds upon sound dose management standards – IEC 62368-1:2018 and EN 50332-3:2017 • Overview of concepts (a bridge across medical and technology specialties) • Two operation modes – Mode 1 (adults): reference exposure is 1.6 Pa2h per 7 days – Mode 2: (sensitive users, .. children): reference exposure is 0.51 Pa2h per 7 days • NOTE 1 – Reference exposures are derived from 80 dBA SPL (Mode 1) and 75 dBA SPL (Mode 2) for 40 hours per week (which in turn is derived from 8 hours per day, 5 days/week) • Volume limiting whence dosage exceeded until user acknowledges cues • Guidance on how to communicate with users of personal audio devices – Keep record of usage information and provide personalized recommendations & cues – General information (how to listen safely, risk awareness, etc.) – General usage reporting (average levels, how much listening in a day & week) – Types of warnings when user reaches 100% of weekly allowance • Gives further guidance: ambient noise control (e.g. noise cancelling) & parental control What else? And where from now?

• WHO & ITU Toolkit (2019/02) – What can different stakeholders do (governments, industry, civil society)

• Advocacy, awareness • Standardization front: – Specification on how to check compliance to H.870 – Future improvements to H.870 – New standard on safe listening in public spaces Problem Spaces (1) Problem Spaces (1) Simão Campos Simão joined the secretariat of the ITU Standardization Sector in 2002, and is the Counsellor for ITU-T Study Group 16 (for standardization work on multimedia, including audio and video coding, accessibility/human factors, e- health, ITS, IPTV and digital signage). He has a long experience in standardization, having started with voice compression standards in 1989. Prior to joining ITU, Simão was a Scientist at COMSAT Labs in the USA and a

researcher at CPqD, a telecom research center in Brazil.

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6805 A Senior Member of the IEEE, Simão authored several academic papers and -

- position papers, served in the review committee of several IEEE-sponsored 730

730 conferences, and organized the first ITU Kaleidoscope Conference.

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simao.campos@itu. +41 (T) +41 () Nations des Place / ITU 20 Geneva CH1211 Switzerland