Originally published October 3 2005
Extended headphone use may accelerate hearing loss, scientists say
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Scientists fear that the popularity of new portable technologies like mp3 will speed up hearing loss in the young due to the longer hours of usage made possible by the convenience of miniaturization.
Researchers fear the growing popularity of portable music players and other items that attach directly to the ears --- including cell phones --- is contributing to hearing loss in younger people.
"It's a different level of use than we've seen in the past," says Robert Novak, director of clinical education in audiology at Purdue University in Indiana.
Noise-induced hearing loss happens any number of ways, from attending noisy concerts and clubs to using firearms or loud power tools and even recreational vehicles (snowmobiles and some motorcycles are among the offenders).
With long-lasting rechargeable batteries, people who use portable music players also are listening longer --- and not giving their ears a rest, says Deanna Meinke, an audiologist at the University of Northern Colorado who heads the National Hearing Conservation Association's task force on children and hearing.
A survey published this summer by Australia's National Acoustic Laboratories found, for instance, that about 25 percent of people using portable stereos had daily noise exposures high enough to cause hearing damage.
How much is too much?: Meinke says a good rule of thumb comes from a study published in December: Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital determined that listening to a portable music player with headphones at 60 percent of its potential volume for one hour a day is relatively safe.
Experts also recommend protecting hearing in other ways --- standing away from loud speakers, for instance, and using hearing protection when using machinery at work, home or for recreation.
Day, the DePaul student, concedes that she's never thought to carry ear plugs with her, as Driscoll at Mayo Clinic and others suggest.
"In the future," Meinke says, "I hope people will wear ear plugs the same as they wear their bike helmets or wear a seat belt."
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