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Ed Yeates ReportingPiping sound down your ear channel from all those MP3 players may be damaging the very pipes that let you hear. Utah research audiologists say folks are turning the volume way too high, too often, in too many places.
Dr. Richard Harris, Audiologist: "We're 116 DBA. Anything above 115 DBA can cause permanent hearing impairment with just seconds of exposure."
We encounter lots of loud sounds every day. We usually rebound, but if it's consistent and accumulative, hearing diminishes and never comes back.
Personal music devices add to the problem only if we turn the volume up too high. Sometimes with MP3 players, not only can you hear the sound standing aside the person, the person listening to the device can't hear themselves talk.
Audiologist Dr. Richard Harris says hearing loss is becoming so common now, his team recently had difficulty finding student volunteers for a research project.
Dr. Richard Harris, BYU Dept. of Communication Disorders: "I needed 100 students. We had to go through 150, sometimes 200 individuals to find 100 who had truly normal hearing in both ears."
In fairness, it's not just the MP3's, but sub woofer car stereos as well.
