iPods leading to a new generation of deaf young adults

[delon]

Melbourne, June 10: You might love listening to your favourite music on your iPods, but a new survey has revealed that more than 70 pct of young adults are loosing their hearing power, thanks to the increasing use of headphones.
The survey led by Australian Hearing showed that more than 70 per cent of the youngsters are suffering from the first sign of hearing loss with tinnitus or ringing in the ear.
This may be due to listening to music played at dangerously loud levels through headphones.
"That was a real surprise because that was actually more common than the older respondents," News.com.au quoted Professor Harvey Dillon, director of the National Acoustics Laboratory at Australian Hearing, as telling Fairfax radio.
"Mostly for the younger people it didn't happen very often, and it didn't last for very long when it did happen. But it did happen.
"And we think that that's probably a warning sign for them," he added.
The survey also revealed that two thirds of people listened to music through headphones and of those, 60 per cent played music at dangerous loud levels.
Professor Dillon said it could take just weeks for hearing loss to begin.
"That's part of the problem. Although it's happening, definitely, it's happening gradually and slowly and people just don't notice it," he said.
Some 25 per cent of younger people thought that if they damaged their hearing it would get better, he added.
The risk of damage occurred in two stages when people go to concerts or noisy venues.
"Both occurred inside the inner ear and while one was temporary the other was permanent," he said.
"We tend to notice the temporary loss of hearing and we notice it come back over the next day or two.
"What we don't notice is that at the same time, in the same place but through a different mechanism, there's also a permanent loss going on.
"A few hair cells dying here, a few hair cells dying there and they add up from time to time," he added.
Prof Dillon said that safe headphone audio levels were 85 decibels, averaged over an eight-hour day.
He also advised workers exposed to loud machinery or industrial noise to wear earmuffs or plugs to protect their hearing.

[VPmase]

I doubt its because of mp3 players or headphones. Its because people play their music way to loudly and mess up their ears.

[delon]

I doubt its because of mp3 players or headphones. Its because people play their music way to loudly and mess up their ears.

ya i agree with you. i think now mp3 players should be banned since its causing a lot of damage to the ears of the young generation especially.

[componentwarehouse]

ya i agree with you. i think now mp3 players should be banned since its causing a lot of damage to the ears of the young generation especially.

Not banned all together, but a limiter should be impossed on them, so the volume cannot go so loud. I think iPods did have one but you could override it, which was no use.

Alex

[Jarryd]

IPod's use to have them, but now they have the loudest music playing earphones in the world.

The thing is, i am only 17, i have listened to IPod's since i was so much younger, probably the last 7-8 years now, and i am not going deaf or loosing hearing, i can hear from extremely low frequencies to high end that shouldn't be able to be heard by the average human.

I think last time i tested it was around 70hz to 27KHz(27,000Hz)

Thats because i know to keep my volume to a minimum, its because teenagers think its cool to listen to music that deafens them, just like they love speeding in cars, but forget about the consequences.

So really, to be honest, who cares. If they want to damage their ears, let them.

[like2program]

I agree with Hellsheep, there is no reason to ban mp3 players or stop people from listening to music loudly. If they are that stupid, let them ruin their hearing. It's the same concept as hitting yourself in the head with a hammer.

[Smith6612]

It's their volume. I listen to my music at a quiet level, and I can hear just fine, probably better than a lot of people (including every single one of those cricket cell phone ringers!). Really, it's people cranking up their volume to 80% and loud enough so that you can be in a car and it almost sounds like it's the radio playing it.

[Spartan Erik]

I say if they're stupid, let them be stupid. If they want to become deaf, let them become deaf.

It's their own fault and they know of the cautions and warnings listed in user manuals. I hope that poll is inaccurate, as 70% is quite a staggering number

[DarkDragonLord]

Hmm.. As stated in previous posts, the problem is in the VOLUME that these people listen. If your mp3 have a volume with 30 points, a safe number is 1 to 18 (around 60%). So, mp3 dont need to be banned, the MANNERS of who use it that needs to be banned and re-made.


By the way, a curiosity:

You know why iPod have louder speakers?
Its because Steve Jobs is partially deaf, so he asked designers to make it louder so he could listen well his musics.

[delon]

You know why iPod have louder speakers?
Its because Steve Jobs is partially deaf, so he asked designers to make it louder so he could listen well his musics.

Steve jobs such an evil man, he deaf and making the world a more deafer place.