iPods and other music players can damage teens' ears if used at high volumes for extended periods of time

Written by IT News on 3:36 AM

The advent of iPods and other personal MP3 players in recent years have seen many teenagers in America, Europe and Asia to listen to their favorite music anytime, anywhere, that is exactly what these aircraft were built. But most of them are very powerful and can lead to intense sound. Teenagers have a habit of listening to their favorite music at maximum volume all the time, it is something they should avoid at all costs, health experts say. Prolonged exposure to high amounts may lead to progressive hearing loss and total deafness, informs LiveScience.

In a new scientific study, conducted 31 college-age students, experts discovered that more than half of teenagers listen to their music player on the volumes in five years (for example), leading to massive loss of hearing. The science team, based at the University of Southern Mississippi, says the new study was done on a small lot of people, institutions and the lab was not necessarily an expression of people's behavior would normally take when listening to their MP3 players.

Therefore, they argue, are more studies are needed before a clear conclusion can be drawn.

This is not the first study to illustrate this danger. In Europe, plans similar studies for a while, and the European Commission is currently forcing carmakers to improve safety and limited in their music player to add. Of course the Commission can not impose a total ban, so that users will be able to protect and listen to a maximum volume. But EU officials say it still counts as preventive measures against a growing phenomenon that millions of teenagers and children at risk of losing their hearing see.

According to the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), a 100 dB level should only be endured by the workers for less than two hours, while a 115-dB level in more than 15 minutes. On the decibel scale is a 10-db increase of ten times the sound becomes more intense, said the ministry. Some researchers add that in the case of children, it is very difficult for parents or teachers to talk about when listening to music at volumes that could be dangerous.

Lead researcher and audiologist Goshorn Edward explains: "Previously, it was in the past, so that [in] somebody who goes around with a boom box or radio, you hear how they create volume, and if you are an authority as a parent or a teacher or supervisor, you can tell them that too high. "More information about the study will be presented on 27 October in San Antonio, Texas, at the 158th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America