Output capabilities of personal music players and assessment of preferred listening levels of test subjects: Outlining recommendations for preventing music‐induced hearing loss

Abstract

Safe-use recommendations were outlined, whereas selecting the lowest volume setting comfortable remained the main suggestion. High background noise attenuating earphones may help in reducing comfortable listening levels and should be preferred. A risk table was elaborated, presenting time limits before reaching a risky exposure.

The Highs and Lows of Audiophiles.

“…The hair cells in the Organ of Corti situated in cochlea constantly use energy to convert sound waves to nerve impulses that are transmitted to brain and over exposure to loud sounds can lead to damage to these complex structures (5,7,11) . Excessive loud sound causes metabolic exhaustion, where glycogen reservoirs and oxygen used for energy and respiration by cells are depleted leading to production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species, which injure proteins in the cell (2,4,6) .…”

“…Headphones delivering sound at 110dB for over 30mins can lead to cognizant hearing loss while earplugs can cause similar damage due to its anatomical fitting in the ear canal. Noise induced hearing loss depends on duration and intensity of exposure (8,11,14) . Ear devices lead to noise induced hearing loss based on duration and intensity of exposure as shown in the chart below- The availability of high fidelity portable audio gizmos, earlier Walkman players ( Figure 10) and now at present mp3 players ( Figure 11) and ipod players (Figure 12), with very loud output have spurred the youth of this generation to preferentially listen to very loud music even when they are cell phones.…”

“…249 of them used for minimum 2 hours per day, 183 of them used for about 2-4 hours per day, 167 of them used for about 4-6 hours per day and the rest 51 of them used for > 6 hours per day. As duration of exposure is directly proportional to hearing loss, 26% of them used hearing devices for 4-6 hours of day and 8% for more than 6 hours of day (2,8,11,17) . There is a dictum that goes by saying, -MUSIC‖ as a means of precautionary measure…M-mp3 players can be too loud for your ears…so turn it down, U-use chill out zones in clubs and take regular breaks from loudest areas, S-stand back from speakers…as your ears will thank you, I-invest in some noise cancelling headphones, C-carry earplugs with you…they won't block music out, just make it safer (1,15,18) .…”

“…With the introduction of Walkman in 1979, ear devices got truly evolved into something that all music fans were thirsting for, as -music-on-the-go‖ became the standard. Then on, the next generation of hearing devices, ear plugs, ear buds and wireless headphones developed which eventually ushered in today's selection of high fidelity portable listening devices (3,8,11,15).…”

Hearing Status in Young People Using Portable Audio Players

“…It was also estimated that from 17% to 29% of teenagers and young adults (17% in the USA, 18% in Chile, 22.4% in Canada, 27.4% in Italy, and 28.6% in the Netherlands) are at risk of developing NIHL (Portnuff et al, 2011;Keith et al, 2011;Muchnik et al, 2012;Breinbauer et al, 2012;Figueiredo et al, 2011;Sulaiman et al, 2013).…”