Morning:
9°c
With a single dessert and just two glasses of wine our bill was kept in check - but the effort of doing so was not much fun
EXCLUSIVE: David Cameron reveals his faith in God, his fear of failure and his dread that another of his children could die
More...
Using your mobile over an hour a day 'can harm hearing'
Last updated at 08:07am on 21.09.07
Longterm use of mobile phones could cause hearing problems
Using a mobile phone for more than hour a day could damage hearing, experts have warned.
Research shows that those who regularly use their mobile for longer than an hour a day find it harder to hear - with words starting with the letters s, f, h, t and z proving particularly troublesome.
The study, presented to an ear, nose and throat conference in the U.S. this week, comes as mobile phone use in Britain soars to record levels.
There are 70 million handsets in use in the UK, which are used to make a third of all calls.
The latest research compared the hearing of 100 mobile phone users aged between 18 and 25 with that of 50 others who did not use mobiles.
This showed a link between longterm regular usage and hearing loss, with those who used their mobile for more than an hour a day for more than four years tending to find it harder to distinguish sounds.
The problem was particularly noticeable in the right ear, to which most people hold their phone.
High-frequency sounds, such as those made by the letters s, f, h, t and z, were most likely to pose a difficulty, making it hard to distinguish between words such as hill, fill and till.
Researcher Dr Naresh Panda said it is possible radiation from longterm mobile use damages the inner ear.
Early warning signs may include a warm feeling in the ear, ringing in the ear or a feeling it is clogged up, the American Academy of Otolaryngology's annual conference heard.
Dr Panda, a ear, nose and throat specialist from India, said the small number of people studied means more research is needed to confirm the link.
"Our intention is not to scare the public," he said. "We need to study a larger number of patients."
However, the researcher, who owns a mobile but uses it sparingly, urged caution.
"We should educate the public only to use them when necessary," he added.
The Mobile Operators Association, which represents Britain's mobile phone companies, said independent scientific reviews carried out in the UK and around the world had "consistently concluded that the weight of scientific evidence to date suggests that exposure to radiowaves from mobile phone handsets and base stations does not cause adverse health effects".
Last week, the results of Britain's biggest-ever study into mobile phone safety were published.
It found no short-term harm to the adult brain , but a "very slight hint" of a raised risk of some types of brain tumour among those who had used the devices for more than ten years.
Reader views (6)
I have had a mobile for over 15 years, using it regularly for business, so well over an hour per day. This April, I have had to have hearing aids because of problems with the high frequency sounds. The hearing specialist said that the drop in hearing was very marked for my age (56). I have a problem not only in my right ear (I am right handed) but also in my left ear. I tend to use the mobile on my left ear, so that I can write with my right hand. I was amazed when I read the article, as "research" had always shown that mobile don't have any effect on people. I now use my wired remote to speak through, rather than hold the phone to my ear. If you want further information, please don't hesitate to contact me.
- Bob Wilson, Deddington, Oxfordshire , England
I wonder if they compared this to people who spend extended amounts of time talking on a land-line phone, or to people that only use their cell phone in quiet places... I would imagine that because cell phones are often being used in noisier environments (around crowds, or near busy streets), they probably have their volume up louder than a phone being used only in a house or office. That may very well account for this apparent hearing loss.
- Ernie, Winnipeg, Canada
Turn the volume down and use a blue tooth. I don't think it is the amount of time used, but more the volume that can cause hearing damage.
- Chuck, St. Louis, Missouri
It's more likely that cell phones only emit a certain range of frequencies, so long-term use leaves your ear and/or brain less trained in hearing frequencies outside that range. I doubt that radiation has anything to do with it.
- Tjp, Missouri, US
I am going to start using my headset or earpiece-- and no bluetooth either!
- Peter, Palatine, IL
Could it be the constant volume level over a prolonged period? Could listening to an ipod or other music device through earbuds also have the same effect?
- Marcus, California, USA
