More than 70 percent of young Australians show early signs of hearing loss, with loud music played through headphones believed to be a major cause, a survey released Tuesday showed.
The Australian Hearing survey found that tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, was more prevalent among 18 to 34-year-olds than elderly people, even though it is seen as one of the first signs of hearing loss.
The figures, based on a survey of 1,000 people, showed Australians who reported using headphones to listen to loud music or going to loud bars at least once a week were risking hearing loss, Australian Hearing said.
"Listening to loud music through headphones is thought to be more detrimental to hearing than other sources of leisure noise," Australian Hearing said.
"Despite this, more than two thirds of respondents said they listen to music through headphones regularly and 60 percent of these people often have the volume above safe levels."
It found that while the elderly were the most likely to experience hearing loss, the next most vulnerable group was teenagers.
Australian Hearing spokesman John D'Arcy said there were responsible steps people could take to minimise the risk of going deaf from loud music.
"Set the volume of your MP3 player at a level that allows you to hear someone at arm's length without them having to shout," he said.
© 2008 AFP
Related stories:
Researchers Recommend Safe Listening Levels for Apple iPod
Hearing researchers will present the first-ever detailed guidelines on safe volume levels for listening to the Apple iPod portable music player with earphones. In a second study, researchers found that in-ear earphones, which broadcast sound directly into the ears, are no more dangerous than headphones that are placed over the ears.
Growing new ear hairs that can boost hearing: study
Scientists have used gene therapy on mouse embryos to grow hair cells with the potential to reduce hearing loss in adult animals, according to a study released Wednesday.
Study finds not all hearing aids are created equal
Consumers with hearing loss might think they are saving significantly more by purchasing over- the-counter hearing aids, but they most likely will be disappointed – or could be taking risks – when purchasing such aids, according to MSU research.
Inherited form of hearing loss stems from gene mutation
Pat Phalin learned she had hearing loss at 30, when she volunteered to give hearing tests at her local school. The pupils heard sounds she could not hear.
Sprinters closest to starter pistol have advantage over those further away, says study
Researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton studying the connection between loud sounds and reaction time are reporting findings that may have sprinters thinking twice about lane assignments at the upcoming Olympics.
Sprinters closest to starter pistol have advantage over those farther away, says study
On your marks, get set... go to lane 1? Researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton studying the connection between loud sounds and reaction time are reporting findings that may have sprinters thinking twice about lane assignments at the upcoming Olympics.
Zebrafish may help solve ringing in vets' ears
Ernest Moore, an audiologist and cell biologist at Northwestern University, developed tinnitus -- a chronic ringing and whooshing sound in his ears -- twenty years ago after serving in the U.S. Army reserves medical corps. His hearing was damaged by the crack of too many M16 rifles and artillery explosions. He suspects his hearing also suffered from hunting opossum with rifles as a kid on his grandmother's farm in Tennessee.
Roaring bats
Annemarie Surlykke from the Institute of Biology, SDU, Denmark, and her colleague, Elisabeth Kalko, from the University of Ulm, Germany, studied the echolocation behavior in 11 species of insect-eating tropical bats from Panamá, the findings of which are reported in this weeks’
PLoS ONE.