Lifescript.com has a brief about a British health study that concluded that regularly listening to MP3 players can substantially increase a person's risk of deafness going into adulthood.
Approximately one-third of those surveyed reported early signs of hearing damage, such as ringing in the ears. Perhaps even more troubling, 40% of study subjects reported that they were not aware of the risks of portable music player use.
There have been several articles over the last few months on the damage earbuds can do to one's hearing.
A recent survey commissioned by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association finds that more than half of high school students polled have lost some hearing because of how they use the music players.
The survey found that high school students are more likely than adults to say they have experienced three of the four symptoms of hearing loss: turning up the volume on their TV or radio; saying "what" or "huh" during normal conversation and having tinnitus or ringing in the ears.
Given the number of teenagers who listen to MP3 players almost nonstop, this is a warning that needs to be heeded.
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