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Loud Music, Headphones and Hearing Loss
Healthfacts, March, 1999 by Maryann Napoli
Several studies had already found only a slight loss of hearing to be associated with regular use of portable stereos with headphones, but a new study found significant deleterious effects in men who suffered ear infections in childhood. Over 1,200 young Frenchmen underwent the standard medical evaluation required by the army (The Lancet, 1/2/99).
The investigators, Agnes Job and colleagues, interviewed all the men about their hearing status and their exposure to harmful levels of noise. In those with a history of childhood ear infection (otitis media), regular use of portable stereos was associated with a greater degree of hearing loss than going to rock concerts or discos twice a month or more and working in a noisy environment. The loss amounted to about 11 decibels. Regular stereo use, defined as at least one hour a day, was also associated with an increased risk of acute acoustic trauma and frequent tinnitus. Men without a history of childhood ear infection showed no significant hearing loss as a result of regular use of portable stereos.
COPYRIGHT 1999 Center for Medical Consumers, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
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