Hearing Loss and Portable Music Players

There are a lot of reasons for hearing loss. We know that hearing loss is most often caused by a combination of the aging process and the accumulation of a lifetime of damage from noise.

The volume level of iPods and PMPs can contribute to hearing loss.

Loud music affects hearing in a time- and level- dependent manner. Output levels delivered by headphones can be sufficient to result in over-exposure if used for a sufficient duration.

Should manufacturers or the government limit the max level?

If we limit the max level to 80 or 85 dBA, the headphones would be unusable in many situations, such as flying on an airplane, riding a subway, or walking down the street in downtown Boston or New York. France limits PMP headphone output to 100 dBA. By OSHA’s standards, a person shouldn’t listen for more than 15 minutes at that level. A fair percentage of people develop quite a hearing loss from continued 8-hour time-weighted average exposure to 90 dBA.

Between 5% and 15% of headphone users that listen at high levels and for long enough durations put themselves at risk for hearing loss.

It is perfectly appropriate for a person to crank up the volume for his favorite song, as long as it’s only for one song or not for long durations every day.

It isn’t the capacity of the headphone, but how people use it, that determines risk for noise-induced hearing loss. The louder the music the less time you should be listening.