After successfully crusading against large sugary beverages, trans-fat, and smoking, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is now focusing his attention on the perils of hearing loss from loud earbuds.
The New York Post reports the mayor is launching a new public health campaign to raise awareness of a well-known, but widely ignored fact that loud music can cause permanent hearing damage.
"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," said Nancy Clark, assistant commissioner of environmental-disease prevention for the city's Health Department.
The program, which will cost roughly $250,000 and be paid for by a grant from the Fund for Public Health, will be social media based and target young adults using Facebook and Twitter.
Studies have shown music listeners are at serious risk for hearing loss after prolonged listening at high volumes.
The Post, citing data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, reports hearing loss among teens rose 30 percent from 1988 to 2006.
This isn't Bloomberg's first battle with volume control. In 2005, he overhauled the city's noise ordinances for the first time in more than three decades.
The law enabled police officers to enforce limits on a wide range of noises, including music, car alarms, and jackhammers.
The new campaign shows Bloomberg, who some critics have taken to calling "Nanny Bloomberg," is determined to end his third and final term as mayor as a champion of broad and unprecedented public health initiatives.