Research has found that music lovers who are addicted to their earphones / headphones run the risk of developing hearing problems within months of regular use.
Based on responses from 8,800 people from 11 countries, including the UK – and compiled by research experts GfK Eurisko in conjunction with the world’s leading hearing specialist Amplifon – the paper shows that the “longer the exposure to music through earphones, the greater the chance that hearing loss will occur.” The report defines unsafe levels of noise as exposure to sounds in excess of 80 decibels for eight hours or 100 decibels – that’s the equivalent of a petrol lawn mower – for 15 minutes.
Researchers found that young people are particularly at risk of damaging their hearing, with around 90% of 12-19 year olds using music devices – like MP3 players and smartphones. Half of these admit keeping the volume high, and one out of three say they use the devices very often. According to the paper there is a clear link “between the duration of use and the audiometric threshold, so the longer the exposure to music through earphones, the greater the likelihood of hearing loss.”
