MP3 use causing hearing loss

HAMILTON—Some young adults are damaging their ears by listening to digital music players too loud and for extended periods of time, a Hearing Foundation of Canada survey has found.
By the time they hit age 40, teens who listen to music too loud will have significant hearing loss, said foundation advocate Gael Hannan.

Part the problem is due to what a McMaster University associate professor calls an audio level creep. People start out their day listening to music at a low level, but to drown out background noise, they continue to turn up the music, said Alex Sevigny.
By the end of the day, they have already gotten used to music at a higher decibel, Sevigny explained.
“It’s going to be a strange society where some people have hearing problems in their late 20s and early 30s,” he warned.
The Hearing Foundation released the survey of more than 145 young people ahead of their Youth Listening Summit, which began today in the Toronto area.
It found 30 percent of the teens were listening to music on their MP3s at 90 decibels or higher, and for an average of 2.9 hours a day.
The level deemed safe for listening is 85 decibels or less.
Every decibel higher than that profoundly affects hearing, Hannan said.