I-PODS and Hearing

Many parents want to know if these devices are ruining their kids hearing. The Blues Brothers Peter Gun theme is a familiar tune... Audiologist Mike Brown pipes it in through this i-pod to test the decibel level. Brown says "That is reaching levels of 109 decibels at times in her ear." Now Brown plays it through the computer speakers and measures the loudness from the same place in Julie's ear. Brown says "That's hitting levels of 95. Still not as loud as she was hearing through the I-pod." Over time... Those levels could cause problems but the bottom line on listening to music... Dr. Brown says "Distance helps, if you can get away from a sound source, it really cuts down on the sound pressure." We also tested the levels of a hair dryer next to your ear and compared it to the quiet dry models. The quiet dry models measure at 91 decibels. The regular hair dryer measures at 96 decibels. Dr. Brown says "Any extra 5 decibels does make a difference. If you were exposed to it for 10-15 minutes each morning. it would not be at a dangerous level. If you were exposed to it all day long, in a work environment it is possible that could cause some hearing loss." Doctors say protect your hearing by limiting the volume and limiting the length of time you listen. Dr. Brown says "Hearing is precious, protect what you have."