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More than 42 million young people have bought iPods since 2001.
They are cool and trendy,
but the new MP3 players can also
blow the listener’s hearing away. A growing number of
young people already suffer from tinnitus and noise induced hearing loss.
The music industry is aware of the problem and now Apple has introduced a volume limit setting for the iPod Nano and video players that makes it possible to encode a maximum noise level to be played on these personal stereos. The encoder is childproof, which makes it possible for parents to help their children avoid hearing impairment.
The industry wants to show that it cares about the customers, but it also wants to prevent further lawsuits brought by hearing impaired people claiming that the excessive noise-levels on the MP3 players damaged their hearing. | | Prevent hearing impairment | Even when the volume is set not to exceed 60 percent of the maximum level, listening to the music on personal stereo should be limited to no more than one hour a day.
A team of British researchers removed the headphones from a number of 18-24 year-olds who played their music on MP3 players and other personal stereos. Two in every three of these youngsters told the researchers that they regularly suffer from ringing or hissing noises in their ears. Such noises may be a first indication that the personal stereo is played too loudly, according to the researchers.
The new options for limiting the noise-level on MP3-players will hopefully prevent more young people from suffering hearing loss in the future.
Souces: www.politiken.dk 30.03.2006, www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/mar/29ipod.html, www.rnid.org.uk |
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