Originally published January 6 2006
Young people suffer from hearing loss because of earbud use
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
People who use the earbuds (most notably those who listen to iPods and MP3 players) are encouraged to lower the volume. The modern players have more intense sound signals and longer battery capacity, which encourages prolonged use.
In the 1980s, audiologists began cautioning lovers of loud music about hearing loss that could potentially result from use of their Walkman or portable compact disc (CD) players when those devices were on the cutting edge of music listening.
"We're seeing the kind of hearing loss in younger people typically found in aging adults.
Unfortunately, the earbuds preferred by music listeners are even more likely to cause hearing loss than the muff-type earphones that were associated with the older devices," Garstecki said.
"That's the difference in intensity between the sound made by a vacuum cleaner and the sound of a motorcycle engine," said Garstecki, professor and chair in the Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
That, too, increases the potential for hearing damage, according to Garstecki.
"I have an audiologist friend at Witchita State University who actually pulls off earphones of students he sees and, in the interest of science, asks if he can measure the output of the signal going into their heads," said Garstecki.
He and other hearing specialists recommend using the MP3 devices, including iPods, for no more than about an hour a day and at levels below 60 percent of maximum volume.
"If music listeners are willing to turn the volume down further still and use different headphones, they can increase the amount of time that they can safely listen," Garstecki added.
To avoid sustaining permanent hearing loss in the middle ranges --the range required to hear conversation in a noisy restaurant, for example -- Garstecki recommends the use of older style, larger headphones that rest over the ear opening.
"Unlike earbuds, noise-canceling headphones quiet or eliminate background noise.
That means listeners don't feel the need to crank up the volume so high as to damage their hearing," Garstecki said.
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