iPod ear buds may expose listeners to hearing damage

• The earbuds used with many iPods and other MP3 players may be more damaging to the ears than normal headphones.
• "No one really knows for sure" the levels at which iPod users listen to music, but "what we do know is that young people like their music loud and seldom worry about any decline in hearing ability," says Dean Garstecki, chairman of Northwestern's communication sciences and disorders department, to Reuters Health.
• "The earbuds commonly used by iPod listeners are placed directly into the ear and can boost the audio signal by as many as nine decibels - comparable to the difference in sound intensity between an alarm clock and a lawn mower," says Garstecki.
• Audiologists caution that the potential risk of hearing loss associated with such devices has been around since the 1980s.
• The longer battery life and the greater music storage capacity of MP3 players, in comparison to Walkmans and compact discs, however, encourage longer periods of uninterrupted music listening.
• "It's the combination of high intensity and long duration that creates the unique problem with the iPod," Garstecki says.
• Garstecki recommends adherence to the 60 percent/30 minute rule.
• Listeners should set their iPods and other MP3 players to sound levels that are no more than 60 percent of the maximum volume - i.e. just over halfway between "off" and "maximum" volume - and use their earbuds for no more than 30 minutes a day, according to Reuters Health.