1 in 5 U.S. Teens Has Developed Hearing Loss

[mike r]

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/642211.html

1 in 5 U.S. Teens Has Developed Hearing Loss
Overuse of MP3 players is the likely cause, a leading expert suggests
By Steven Reinberg

TUESDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The number of U.S. teenagers experiencing hearing loss increased about 30 percent from 1988 to 2006, so that one in five teens now has lost some hearing, researchers report.

"This is a sobering" finding, said Paul R. Kileny, professor and director of audiology and electrophysiology at the University of Michigan Health System, who was not involved in the study.

The hearing loss among teens, Kileny said, is not due to increased exposure to loud noises or the prolonged use of some medications "because they are way too young to manifest the effects of this exposure or of age-related hearing loss."

Instead, he said, the loss can probably be "traced back to lifestyle and habits, and for the most part, it's very likely associated with the increased use of portable MP3 devices."...

[Monique1]

1. I can believe that

especially when I am at stop light and my car shakes from the loud music coming from the truck next to me. At the same time my ears are hurting.

[obxhead]

2. I had a bit of hearing loss in my late teens.

I attribute it to the 2400 watt 16 speaker stereo in my '79 RX-7. It was cool though, I could bounce a quarter a solid 14 inches off the sunroof when the subs hit. The stupid stuff we do as teens....

[MineralMan]

3. Huh?

[HuckleB]

4. Maybe they're just better at ignoring their parents and teachers.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Oh, it's not boombox trucks/cars?

I'd like to know how they eliminated that as a possibility.

[phylny]

6. The article states

that that the hearing losses are high frequency hearing losses. The loud noises/bass from cars and trucks are low frequency (which is why we can "feel" it when we're next to them).

Kids don't generally get high frequency hearing loss. That's seen as people age, or in certain work populations where proper hearing protection is not used.

[semillama]

7. I heard the story on NPR

and they demonstrated the loss by playing a high-frequency tone at three different volume levels, and noted that the teens with the specific type of hearing loss couldn't hear the lowest volume. I could, which made me very happy as a birder!