Cell Phone and MP3 Players Causes Hearing Loss

Researchers at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, revealed that people who talk on a cell phone for more than an hour a day were found to have suffered losses of high-frequency hearing. While that may not sound so bad, such hearing loss actually results in an inability to hear consonants like F and T, giving a whole new spin to the phrase "Can you hear me now?"

The team of researchers caution that "[their] intention is not to scare the public" and "there is as yet no cause for alarm." They also don't give any explanation of why a cell phone is any more dangerous for hearing than a traditional headset. But, if you're a heavy cell phone user and value your (or your children's) hearing, you might want to think about laying off the babbling a bit.

The UKers at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People tested 110 random people and found that 72 of them were listening above an unsafe level: 85 decibels, the level at which prolonged listening can cause damage to your hearing. The study also found that "almost half of young people who use MP3 players listen for more than an hour a day, with a quarter listening for more than 21 hours a week."

Noise levels
A quiet room at night - 20 decibels
An ordinary spoken conversation - 60 decibels
A busy street - 70 decibels
A loud alarm clock at close range - 85 decibels
A pneumatic drill - 100 decibels
Some personal music players (at high volume) - 105 decibels
Aircraft taking off - 110 decibels

Listening to earphones at 85 decibels or more for over an hour at a time can damage hearing


Source :
- MP3 users 'risking hearing loss'
- MP3 Players Still Making Us Deaf
- Cell Phone Use Causes Hearing Loss, Study Finds