Experts warn of increased hearing loss from AirPods
By: Gene Myers
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Headphones and earbuds have become ubiquitous since Apple's AirPods hit the selves in 2016. they're nearly as essential as smartphones.
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But there's been a growing buzz about that impact on ears. Cranking them up may be doing more harm than people realize, experts say.
..... "The World Health Organization right now estimates there's 1.5 billion people who live with hearing loss and 430 billion of those have a disabling loss. It is expected that by 2030, 2.5 billion people will have hearing loss - that's six years," said Yonah Orlofsky, director of audiology at the New Jersey Eye and Ear medical practice "By 2050, 700 million people will have disabling hearing loss.
..... "It's understood that at least partly, that number is going up is because of noise exposure via headphone use,' said Orlofsky, whose audiology group has offices in Clifton and Englewood [NJ] that see 70 patients a day.
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AirPods can pump out 100 decibels, at their maximum setting. that's loud enough to rival the noise of a motorcycle, and it won't be music to your ears in the long run, medical experts say.
..... Studies show that 24% of people between the ages of 12 and 35 are listening to their tunes at unsafe levels, putting them at a higher risk of hearing damage, the Mayo Clinic says. For reference, the place at 60 decibels, and a washing machine operates at 70 or more.
..... Just 50 minutes of a motorcycle's rumble at 95 decibels can damage someone's hearing. Hearing loss is also possible after just 15 minutes of exposure to an approaching subway train or a car horn at 100 decibels, and standing next to a siren at 120 decibels can cause immediate pain or injury.
..... So regularly exposing your ears to such volumes should raise alarm bells.
Use the safety features
..... Did you know that AirPods and Apple Watches come equipped with safety features? The iPhone's Health app and the Apple Watch's Noise app alert suers when they're entering the danger zone.
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The Health app on iOS devices allows users to monitor their headphone levies in real time. It sends notifications if the volume might affect hearing, based on the World Heath Organization's recommendation to keep the volume below 60% of a device's maximum.
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The Noise app on Apple watch measures environmental sound and alerts users when that exceeds safe thresholds, Apple says. Users of iOS devices also can set a maximum headphone volume limit.
..... Android devices can include safety features similar to Apple's, such as volume limiters and notifications that alert users who are listening too high a volume, says the electronics company Samsung. But they will vary by manufacturer.
..... "Most audiologist recommend noise-canceling headphones, which block out external noise, allowing you to listen at lower volumes," said Robert Lahita, a professor of medicine at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and director of the Institute for autoimmune & Rheumatic Diseases at St. Joseph's Health in Passaic county. [NJ]
..... Lahita, who is writing a book that looks at environmental influences on genes, including those that affect hearing, recommended the 60/60 rule, which advises listeners not to exceed 60% of the device's volume and not to listen for more than 60 minutes a day.
..... Orlofsky agrees and adds that although there's not a lot of data to prove it, using over-the-ear headphone instead of earbuds may be better.
..... "Over-the-ear headphones may be a little bit safer than in the ear," he said. Since AirPods and similarly designed products sit inside the ear canal, 'sound is actually closer to the eardrum, which is closer to the inner ear, and that may be more untactful that just listening to it over the ear."
..... Also, use both speakers of your audio device, rather than just putting one in an ear.
..... "If you use one and you're getting other environmental noises, you may be turning up your volume on the one that you're using super loud again to compensate," Orlofsky said.