Your iPhone/iPod is making you deaf. I will repeat that
By Gareth Powell
Loud music blasted into your lugholes makes you deaf. Loud music from something stuck in you ear makes you deafer. This has been known certainly for 15 years. The Danish navy found they could not get sonar operators — they need good hearing — because loud music had done its dirty work.
A new study published by the Colorado Daily Teens merely confirms that view.
A University of Colorado study of 29 metro-area Denver teens participated in a survey about their iPod use and attitudes toward music.
It showed listening to iPods on maximum volume for more than 5 minutes a day increases one’s risk of hearing loss. It also showed:
- Many teenagers feel like they wouldn’t enjoy their music as much on low volume.
- Teens turn up their iPods to drown out the soundtrack of the surrounding environment
- Teens who indicated the most concern about hearing loss from iPods played their music louder than their peers.
While no one in the study preferred the highest volume, the evidence showed between 7 percent and 24 percent of the teens listened to their iPods and MP3 players at risky levels, and boys listened slightly louder than girls across the board.
Nearly two years ago Apple was urged today to redesign its iPod headphones over fears that they could cause long-term hearing damage.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School in the US found the type of ‘bud’ earphones that Apple supplies with every iPod caused consumers to turn up their players to dangerous levels.
Now experts are advising consumers to dump their supplied headphones.
‘This evidence suggests that people should get better quality headphones if they want to safeguard their hearing,’ said Andrew Reid from the British Society of Audiology.
Researchers at Harvard found that the headphones, which fail to block out background noise, can encourage users to crank up the volume significantly. This was in Information Week and I immediately got a superior paid of earphones that fit over my head and keep my ears warm when running. They also have a small switch that can cut ambient noise if I am on a flight.
To test the theory scientists recorded volume settings used by 100 students with normal hearing using an iPod and either earbud-style headphones, old-style foam headphones or canalphones, which block out background noise by sticking further into the ear.
In quiet surroundings, the average volume was similar for all four headphone types.
But this changed when the test subjects listened with background noise present, at a similar level to that found on the tube.
On average, users of earbuds and older headphones turned the volume up, and that could cause lasting damage if regularly used for more than 72 minutes daily, according to current government guidelines.
Get yourself a pair of regular earphones that clamp over your head. They save your hearing and, as well, they look trendy. Especially on me.
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February 23rd, 2009
Drinking hot coffee leaves our lips seared. If we spill it, it gets all over our clothes and potentialy leaves other body parts vulnerable to harm.
If I drive my car irresponsibly, I leave myself and others open to potential harm.
I use a chain saw, but never hurt myself or anyone else with it.
This is about personal responsibility.
This is not about the products I use; it’s about the way I use them.
We all need to grow up and take responsibility for how we us the products we own.
February 23rd, 2009
And parents need to teach their children and not leave it to the media and gov.
March 1st, 2009
All of which are valid points. But the instant reaction from most dangerous use like a chain saw is an immediate and salutary warning.Ear damage is much, much subtler. It takes years for it to take effect and to be recognized. It was only through the training of sonar operators that it was seen to be a problem. Of all the physical defects that subtly and adversely affect you life deafness is one of them. You can no longer hold conversations in crowded bars and restaurants. Yes, normally it is a fair rule we should grow up and take responsibility for how we use the product we own. But what if it is an insidious poison that takes years to take effect? That is true of this sort of deafness.
March 24th, 2009
Apple should be liable for this and be obliged to produce a set or earphone that doesn’t cause such problem.
March 24th, 2009
Apple should be the one liable for this and be obliged to produce a set or earphone that won’t cause the same problem.