Spring Break
The Daily OrangeCan you hear me now?
Students love cranking their iPods despite risks to hearing
By Jaimie Dalessio
Posted: 1/29/08, 10:58 PM EST Section: Feature
Kaitlin Struble sits in a computer lab surrounded by iPod-clad students. Her classmates listen to music while walking through the quad, checking e-mail, running on the treadmill, waiting for the bus, waiting for class.
She's one of them, too. But for a moment she removes her headphones - to make an admission about her generation's iPod toting ways.
"It's probably bad," the senior advertising major said.
The Apple iPod and other MP3 players are ubiquitous on college campuses and a staple in the lives of their users worldwide. Despite evidence showing it is harmful to hearing, most college students don't care enough to kick their careless iPod habits and prevent subsequent hearing loss.
Joe Pellegrino, a professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has a no-nonsense solution to the problem.
"It's permanent," Pellegrino said. "Either turn the iPod down or deal with the hearing loss."
Too much exposure to sound from any source above 85 decibels can result in hearing loss, according the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Web site.
The maximum decibel level on an iPod has been found to measure between 100 and 115 decibels, equal to a football game in a loud stadium, which can cause hearing damage after just 15 minutes, according to a Washington Post article from Jan. 17, 2006.
In France, Apple, by law, cannot sell iPods that go louder than 100 decibels.
But iPod volume isn't measured in decibels. Instead, volume is represented by an inconsistent low-to-high scale. Consumers don't know what constitutes 'too loud.' And even those who do know often resist the warnings.
Temporary hearing loss can occur after attending a loud concert. In that case, hearing is usually restored within a day or two. But subjecting one's ears to hearing loss like that every day will inevitably lead to permanent damage.
"Frankly, even when you blow-dry your hair or use a blender, you're supposed to use earplugs, but no one does. Imagine that," Corinne Law, a junior audiology major, said.
She's one of them, too. But for a moment she removes her headphones - to make an admission about her generation's iPod toting ways.
"It's probably bad," the senior advertising major said.
The Apple iPod and other MP3 players are ubiquitous on college campuses and a staple in the lives of their users worldwide. Despite evidence showing it is harmful to hearing, most college students don't care enough to kick their careless iPod habits and prevent subsequent hearing loss.
Joe Pellegrino, a professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has a no-nonsense solution to the problem.
"It's permanent," Pellegrino said. "Either turn the iPod down or deal with the hearing loss."
Too much exposure to sound from any source above 85 decibels can result in hearing loss, according the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Web site.
The maximum decibel level on an iPod has been found to measure between 100 and 115 decibels, equal to a football game in a loud stadium, which can cause hearing damage after just 15 minutes, according to a Washington Post article from Jan. 17, 2006.
In France, Apple, by law, cannot sell iPods that go louder than 100 decibels.
But iPod volume isn't measured in decibels. Instead, volume is represented by an inconsistent low-to-high scale. Consumers don't know what constitutes 'too loud.' And even those who do know often resist the warnings.
Temporary hearing loss can occur after attending a loud concert. In that case, hearing is usually restored within a day or two. But subjecting one's ears to hearing loss like that every day will inevitably lead to permanent damage.
"Frankly, even when you blow-dry your hair or use a blender, you're supposed to use earplugs, but no one does. Imagine that," Corinne Law, a junior audiology major, said.
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