Newsflash: Loud Music May Cause Hearing Loss, Need for More Study Clearly Indicated

[Chris Gohlke]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyid=2006-03-14T190934Z_01_N14349405_RTRUKOC_0_US-HEARINGLOSS.xml' target='_blank'>http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyid=2006-03-14T190934Z_01_N14349405_RTRUKOC_0_US-HEARINGLOSS.xml</a><br /><br /></div><i>"More research is needed to determine whether popular portable music players like Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod increase the risk of hearing loss, the National Institutes of Health said in response to a U.S. lawmaker's request for a review of the issue. The proximity of the source of the sound to the ears can contribute to hearing loss, but "more research is required to determine if a particular type (of earphone) increases the risk," said James Battey, director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, in the NIH letter."</i><br /><br />Way to state the obvious. Thank goodness the government is there to protect us from these types of unforeseeable hazards. :roll: I figure there will be a government funded study that will definitively prove that loud music does in fact cause hearing loss. In the end, we will end up with a requirement that all headphones have a warning sticker that if they are used improperly, they may cause hearing damage.

[Vincent Ferrari]

In Europe, the EU has restricted the volume level allowed in portable devices, so don't think it's so far off.

I love how they're acting like the iPod is the first ever portable device and this is some kind of new and unique problem.

Those whippersnappers always hurtin' themselves... :roll:

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

:roll:

I think we all knew about this ever since we were kids, I'm sure. Prolonged exposure to loud noises is not good for one's hearing!

Next up!

Warning: Walls in this home are made of hard bricks that could injure. Please do not bang head against walls.

[adderx99]

im sorry.... what?!? speak up! i cant hear you!

it is about time someone addressed this issue.
with my g5 ipod, i rarely ajust the volume above 10% in a quiet room with the stock earbuds. anytime you increase the volume to cover up background noise, you risk hearing loss. i also have a pair of etyomic 6i's, and i find my ears hurting after use because they kinda jackhammer the sound into your skull, unlike speakers or regular headphones.

just for the record, i think people should be smart enough to supervise themselfs, and we dont need legistators deciding our every action. but do i really need a device that can cause ireversable damage because of a sudden spike in volume all because i bumped my ipod? i use the vol. ajustment under the song info box in itunes to limit my playback vol, but its anoying to have to do that. i dont use my ipod to 'drive' an external source, so the lack of output doesnt effect me. just use an amp, like your soposed to.

[Phoenix]

...I figure there will be a government funded study that will definitively prove that loud music does in fact cause hearing loss. In the end, we will end up with a requirement that all headphones have a warning sticker that if they are used improperly, they may cause hearing damage.

And the taxpayers will fit the bill.

[BugDude10]

Next on the NIH radar: knife wounds hurt!

[Jason Dunn]

Next on the NIH radar: knife wounds hurt!

And remember: guns don't kill people, bullets shot out of them do.

[Vincent Ferrari]

Not to get too far off the beaten path here, but this reminds me of the warnings I saw on a bag of cashews from Trader Joes:

"This product was packaged or processed in a plant that processes treenuts and other nuts. This product may contain nuts."

I sure as hell hope it does.

I know it's not exactly the same thing, but I think all told this is representative of the kind of society we've become. When you have to warn people that a bag of nuts might contain nuts that were processed in a plant with other nuts, I'm sorry, but that's just ridiculous.

[Jason Dunn]

When you have to warn people that a bag of nuts might contain nuts that were processed in a plant with other nuts, I'm sorry, but that's just ridiculous.

Indeed, it's incredibly lame and sad at the same time. But the thing is, I don't blame the company for printing that on the package - they have to print it because they probably got sued by some idiot who was allergic to nuts and ate a bag of cashews, then sued the company for not warning him that cashews WERE nuts. :roll: It's the "I'm a victim" society we all live in now, with the lecherous personal injury lawyers smelling blood everywhere. It's so sad and it's not getting any better. :?

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Well, peanut allergy can be quite fatal, and probably the guy didn't make the connection about cashew nuts and peanuts being processed in the same factory...