Students test out safe music volumes

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Teaming up with Portland State University and the Oregon Health and Science University, Oregon State University’s Peer Health Advocates have set up a table to educate students on hearing loss and noise exposure. \nStudents will be able to use a decibel reader to see what the level and length of time are that are safe for listening to music. \nStudents passing by the table may be surprised to see what listening to high volumes of music on MP3 players can do to their hearing. \n“I think a lot of students would be surprised, by taking the test, that their hearing has already been damaged,” said Paul Clem, a music student. \nListening to MP3 players with headphones that \nproduce harmful volumes can affect hearing. Student Health Services reported that hearing can be permanently damaged by playing music at high decibel levels. \nA recent article in the Boston Globe points out that children can damage their hearing in a single exposure to any deafening noise. Doctors are growing concerned as more children listen to music through headphones, bringing loud sounds closer to their ears. \n“This is the first generation where you see three out of five kids walking around campus with headphones on,” Clem said. \nBecause the noise is much closer to the ear, the hair cells of the inner ear have a greater chance of being injured. Damaged hair cells, which turn sound into electrochemical signals to the brain, cannot be regrown or restored with surgical treatment. \nSome students feel the effect of listening to their MP3 players for too long. \n“I listen to music every day, and sometimes if I’ve been listening to my headphones loud, I feel like it was a bad idea,” said Ryan Houghton, a political science student. \nMore than 22 million Americans own iPods, said the Boston Herald. Studies have shown that iPod users have experienced hearing loss. No more than an hour of listening is recommended per day, over-the-ear headphones should be used and turning down the volume will help keep listeners safe from harmful decibel levels. More than 28 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, and nearly half are younger than 65. \n“Being an avid music listener, I feel that this is probably going to affect our generation much more than any other because we use iPods more often than older people,” said Charlie Wente, a student studying health care administration. \nThe Houston Chronicle reported that young children can suffer the most damage due to their underdeveloped canals. \n“I’ve seen 10-year-olds walking around with their iPods blaring, and I don’t know how their parents could sit there and watch them do that,” Houghton said. “I think parents should step up before the loud music ruins their kids’ ears.”