Throw away earphones or go deaf, iPod users told

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iPod users have been warned they face going deaf

Apple was urged today to redesign its iPod headphones over fears that they could cause long-term hearing damage.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School in the US found the type of "bud" earphones that Apple supplies with every iPod caused consumers to turn up their players to dangerous levels.

Now experts are advising consumers to dump their supplied headphones.

"This evidence suggests that people should get better quality headphones if they want to safeguard their hearing," said Andrew Reid from the British Society of Audiology.

Researchers at Harvard found that the headphones, which fail to block out background noise, can encourage users to crank up the volume significantly.

Scientists recorded volume settings used by 100 students with normal hearing using an iPod and either earbud-style headphones, oldstyle foam headphones or canalphones, which block out background noise by sticking further into the ear.

In quiet surroundings, the average volume was similar for all four headphone types.

But this changed when the test subjects listened with background noise present, at a similar level to that found on the tube.

On average, users of earbuds and older headphones turned the volume up, and that could cause lasting damage if regularly used for more than 72 minutes daily, according to current government guidelines.

But the average volume used with canalphones is safe for 14 hours' use daily.

A second study examined the volume produced by the different designs of headphone. It found that, on average, both earbud and canalphone earphones were 5.5 decibels louder than older headphones.

 

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