Is Your IPod Damaging Your Hearing?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - 19:10
in Psychology & Sociology
Listening to your iPod or mp3 player for several hours at a time could put your hearing at risk, according to the least fun science article ever written. The editorial, published today in the British Medical Journal, points out that personal music devices such as MP3 players can generate levels of sound at the ear in excess of 120 decibels, similar in intensity to a jet engine, especially when used with earphones that insert into the ear canal. More than 90% of teenagers from Europe and the United States surveyed use the newfangled contraptions. Overall, their use "has grown faster than our ability to assess their potential health consequences," says Peter Rabinowitz from Yale University School of Medicine. read more