Mp3 players linked to loss of hearing.

Mp3 players cause irreversible hearing loss if listened to for more than one hour a day at high volume, an EU report has revealed.

Millions of people are putting themselves at risk through listening to their MP3 players louder than 80 decibels every day. According to the recent EU report, long-term hearing damage occurs after five years of this exposure.

The report said: “The maximum volume settings on some MP3s can be up to 120 decibels which is equivalent to an airplane taking off nearby.”

A decibel is a measurement of sound. Sound waves travel through the air in vibrations to our eardrums causing tiny hair cells to move and send signals to our brain registering sound.  Hearing loss occurs after louder sounds as their harder vibrations damage the hair cells and the brain receives no signal of sound.

The report describes a safe volume as under 80 dbls, yet average MP3 listeners hear 80 to 115 dbls which is often increased because of background noise.

First year Kingston student, Hassanah Ahalifah, 21, listens to her iPod on average four hours a day at maximum volume, she said: “I haven’t noticed any difference in my hearing, because the effects don’t happen straight away they don’t concern me so much.”

IPods are the most popular MP3 player, selling over 42 million since their launch in 2001. However, a lawsuit over hearing loss has forced Apple to create a volume limiting software to ensure a maximum volume cannot be exceeded and to put a warning note with every iPod over use of earphones at a high volume.

Despite these measures, Hassanah says she will continue listening at full volume: “It’s like smoking, there is a ‘no smoking’ sign but I still continue to smoke, most people won’t take notice of it.”

However, Sevin Butha, also a first year student, feels more should be done: “My dad tells me off for listening too loudly to my iPod as he is deaf in one ear because he listened to music too loudly when he was younger.  He is worried I will go deaf too, people need to be made more aware of it.”

The Royal National Institute for Deaf People has launched a ‘Don't Lose the Music’ campaign to raise awareness of these risks after research revealed that 58 per cent of 16 to 30-year-olds were unaware of any risk to their hearing from MP3 players.

The website gives guidelines about safe listening and advises that if you cannot hear external sounds with your headphones on it is probably too loud. Furthermore, if you have ringing in your ears or dull hearing after listening to your MP3, it was loud enough to damage your hearing.

For more guidelines on how to listen to music safely go to the RNID ‘Don’t lose the music campaign’

To put a volume limiter on your iPod, follow the guidelines to downloading the latest software update