Say What?: Half of iPod owners risk deafness
More than half of UK iPod users listen to music at volumes which could cause permanent hearing loss, warn experts.
Boffins performed spot checks on people listening to MP3 players in eight cities finding that 54 percent were risking their hearing.
Two thirds were listening to music or podcasts at levels louder than 85 decibels - which the World Health Organisation warn can cause permanent damage.
A spokesperson for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People which conducted the research said: "People around the country are listening to their MP3 players at unbelievably high levels."
As someone who has heard this warning about my Walkman, CD player, Minidisc (yes I was the one person with one) and now my iPod all I can say is "What, can you speak up?"
The RNID say they found one in five people were blasting their ears with sound levels of 100 decibels or more – the equivalent of hearing a pneumatic drill 10 feet away!
"One MP3 user was listening at 118 decibels for one hour each day, a volume they shouldn’t be exposed to for more than 11 seconds per day," they added.
The RNID also compiled a list of tips for listening to music,
- Take a five-minute rest for every hour you listen to your MP3 player to allow ears to recover.
- If you crank up the volume on noisy trains or busy streets, invest in noise-cancelling or sound-isolating headphones that cut out background noise.
- Remember that even a small change in volume can have a big effect.
- Stand away from loud speakers in pubs, clubs, gigs and concerts.
- Take regular breaks from the dance floor and use chill out areas to give ears a rest from loud music.
- Wear earplugs designed for use in clubs and gigs, which reduce the volume not the quality of the sound – available for the price of a CD.
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