Don't lose the music
Listening to your MP3 player too loudly or for too long can cause hearing loss.
...Hi friends..this is an article that i came across in The hindu. Wanted to share with you all....
Article starts hereDid you know that your MP3 player could cause hearing loss?
If you didn't, then you're not alone. The Royal National Institute of Deafness (
RNID) in the U.K. recently found that 58 per cent of 16 to 30 year-olds had no idea that using their MP3 player incautiously — too long or too loud or both — could cause Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL).
"In India, I would say that number is around 98 per cent," says Dr. Mohan Kameswaran, director, Madras ENT Research Foundation (MERF), and ENT surgeon. "This is a major issue, because it is so easy to damage your ear, and so very difficult to restore hearing."
Recent research in the U.S. has found that the volume on popular MP3 players can go as high as 120 db, and that listening at volumes between 100 and 120 db for more than a few minutes at a stretch could cause irreversible hearing damage. Add to this the fact that surveys conducted in Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. in the last year have shown that the majority of young listeners play music far above the safe level of 80-85 db, and it's easy to see why many are growing increasingly concerned.
The RNID has begun lobbying for prominent warning labels on MP3 players as part of their `Don't Lose the Music' campaign, the French government recently passed a legislation not allowing the sale of MP3 players with maximum volume levels above 100 db, and Apple was sued earlier this year by iPod users in the U.S. seeking compensation for hearing loss.
Not everyone minds. The CEO of leading hearing-aid company Phonak recently predicted that a `hearing loss bubble' due to youngsters with MP3 player-damaged hearing would send their profits soaring in the near future.
Indians at risk
Worryingly, experts consider MP3 users in Indian cities to be at high risk for NIHL. "A city like Chennai normally has ambient noise of about 70 to 80 db," says S. Manoharan, consultant audiologist at the Madras Audiology and Speech Therapy Centre. "That means that when you listen to music on your earphones, you're very likely to pump the volume up beyond advisable levels to mask the competing sounds."
"Noise is part of our culture, what with horns honking, loud-speakers blaring and firecrackers being burst during festivals," says Dr. Kameswaran. "As it is, NIHL is an issue for us. Add MP3 players to the mix, and it is a disaster waiting to happen."
NIHL occurs due to the death of the delicate hair cells of the inner ear when exposed to harmful noise. These cells once dead cannot be replaced, and this process is, quite literally, a silent one.
"Most often, you don't realise that your hearing has been affected right away, because you'll lose the ability to hear higher frequencies that are beyond speech frequencies first," says Manoharan.
Of course, loss of hearing due to loud electronics is not a new problem. "Those of us concerned with hearing loss have these discussions whenever new technology with bigger, better, louder sound is introduced and promoted by manufacturers," says Dr. C. Ranga Rao, ENT surgeon at Vijaya Hospital.
As with many of these innovations, the very features that make these MP3 players appealing also make them more dangerous than their predecessors. "If you turned up the volume on a Walkman, it would produce distortion and most people would instantly turn it down because it is jarring to the ear," says Dr. Kameswaran. "With today's MP3 players, you can listen at 120 db and it's still pleasant because the sound quality is so high and distortion, so low."
Compounding the problem is the huge storage potential of these devices. "You can have hundreds of hours of music stored on these players," he says. "That means you can listen continuously without even stopping to change the CD."
So how can you avoid being a casualty of NIHL? The answer is simple: moderation. "Always keep the volume of the MP3 player at less than 60 per cent of optimum volume, which is around 80 db," says Dr. Kameswaran.
"And never listen to more than one hour at a stretch — give your inner ear a chance to rest and recover."
Researchers have also found that the insert earphones pose a greater risk than external headphones since they raise the sound signal by six to nine decibels. This may not seem like much, but can be critical. "After 85 db, every increment of three decibels means the time required for NIHL to occur halves," says Dr. Kameswaran. "This means that while you can safely listen at 85 db for up to eight hours without damage occurring, you can only listen at 88 db safely for four hours, at 91 db for two hours, etc." Headphones with noise-cancellation technology built can also help reduce damage.
So be cautious — keep your eye on the volume bar and resist the urge to push up the volume of your favourite song, and remember to give your ears regular breaks the next time you turn on your MP3. It can make all the difference to your enjoyment of music for decades to come.
© Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu
Article ends here. Thank you for reading this long but useful article :)
WARNING SIGNS...
Tinnitus - ringing in ears.
A blocked feeling in ears.
Needing to
ask people to repeat what they said to you.
Needing to turn up the volume on the TV set when wathcing with others.
BE CAREFUL WHEN....
Those around you can hear the music.
You can't hear conversations happening around you.
When you respond to those around you, you're shouting.
