At what volume do you prefer to listen to your music? Many adolescents and young adults frequently expose themselves to loud music for enjoyment/entertainment. But, do they understand the risk they are taking? Several experts from a variety of scientific fields have come together to conduct research on how truly damaging this rising epidemic can be. With the recent advancement in portable personal listening devices technology, many believe damage to hearing has become a rising epidemic that is sweeping around the world. Adolescents and young adults who do not use some kind of hearing protection while exposed to hazardous volumes through headphones, home stereos, attending rock concerts, use of firearms, along with other sources of leisure noises, stand at risk of sustaining permanent hearing loss ranging from slight to severe.

According to Virginia Heffernan, a writer for The New York Times, 20% of teenagers cannot hear someone whispering to them. Although this is known as slight hearing loss, the victims often cannot make out the consonants T or K. In her article, “Against Headphones”, she elaborates on the rising epidemic sweeping across the world. “The number of teenagers with hearing loss – from slight to severe --  has jumped 33 percent since 1994,” (Heffernan) an absolutely staggering increasing that has caught the eyes of various people. Since the invention of the IPod nearly a decade ago, individuals have been blasting music at hazardous levels without any idea of how much damage they are causing themselves. Individuals who are exposed to this noise have no idea how truly big the magnitude of the problem is. 

A growing problem at hand is headphone manufacture. Headphones were invented more than a century ago with the intent to amplify sounds the user could not originally hear. “According to some accounts, modern headphones were the brainchild of Nathaniel Baldwin, a tinkerer from Utah who grew frustrated when he couldn’t hear Mormon sermons over the noise of the crowds at the vast Salt Lake Tabernacle.” (Heffernan) Shortly after this, the intent of headphones shifted from the purpose of amplifying noises to blocking out noises. Soldiers used headphones to drown out the noises produced from machinery and artillery. Also, soldiers were able to receive orders through the headphone from a person with a microphone. Over the years, the use of headphones shifted again, changing to primarily use for music. Users often use headphones to drown outside noises to enhance the music they are listening to. Because of this reason, headphones have become extremely hazardous to the ears of our youth. Over the years, headphone manufactures have been producing headphones that produce volumes higher than the insisted limits. “A new analysis by The Wirecutter, a product recommendations website owned by The New York Times Company, has found that half of 30 sets of children’s headphones tested did not restrict volume to the promised limit. The worst headphones produced sound so loud that it could be hazardous to ears in minutes.” (Saint Louis) Manufacturers are producing products that can cause damage to an individual’s hearing in a matter of minutes. This has been tested and proven, which is amazing. The fact headphone manufacturers couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the safety of their users contributes to an epidemic that is becoming larger by the minute. 

The short and long term effects of this epidemic are frightening for individuals. Temporary hearing loss is often referred to as a temporary threshold shift. Most often, a temporary threshold shifts ends between 16-48 hours after exposure to hazardous volumes. One short term effect of noise-induced hearing loss would be tinnitus. Tinnitus is a ringing, buzzing, or roaring located in the head or ears. Tinnitus may subside over a short period of time, but it also could not. The absurd factor about Tinnitus is that it can be experienced in one ear. One ear could be perfectly fine, while the other is ringing church bells. Tinnitus is the result of the destruction of the hair cell structure located in the ear. Potentially, an entire generation could suffer some sort of hearing impairment because of the inability to monitor hazardous volumes. Questions are often raised by this up and coming epidemic. Questions such as, are hearing aids going to be the next big thing for our generation? 

Yet, headphones are not the only source of this rising epidemic. Exposure to firearms and motorcycles, among other sources of hazardous leisure noises, have been brought to the attention of experts. In one article, researchers have stated hazardous leisure noises are more harmful than exposure to noise through headphones. So, which leisure noise is the most harmful? Researches have insisted that long and chronic exposure to any leisure noise is very harmful to the hair cells. Protection is a very important factor to remember in the fight against noise-induced hearing loss. Lawn mowing is one particular activity most individuals do not expect to be dangerous to hearing, but it is. Researchers elaborated on how crucial it is to take breaks every once and a while in order to prevent sustaining severe damage to the structure of hair cells located in the ear. 

There are various objectives of the studies that were conducted by respected experts in their fields. To begin, a study conducted by Sam P. Mosasaur MD, had the objective of examining the magnitude of noise associated with personal listening devices and other sources of leisure noises in causing noise-induced hearing loss in adolescents and young adults. The study was designed to test the prospective auditory ability of college student volunteers. The volunteers had all had a retrospective history of exposure to leisure noises such as home stereos, personal listening devices, firearms, and other sources of recreational noise. The subjects had used personal stereo devices at least one hour or more per day. Coming from the University of Washington, the subjects had a few exclusion criteria rules to follow before being tested. The subjects were not allowed to be exposed to loud noises within a 24-hour period before the examination. Subjects could not have a history of chronic ear disease, nor be diagnosed with a prior hearing impairment. Current upper respiratory infection and evidence of middle ear dysfunction after tympanometry were also among the exclusion rules the subjects had to follow. Before conducting an audiological examination, the subjects were required to take a questionnaire regarding exposure to sources that produce noise volumes ranging from high to low. The subjects were asked if they had ever used any sort of protection when exposed to loud noises. The audiological examination was conducted at the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences by qualified graduate students at the University of Washington. A tympanogram screening was conducted on all of the subjects. A tympanogram screening determines the mobility of the eardrum. “Pure-tone air audiometry with TDH-59P earphones using a GSI-10 and GSI-16 audiometer (Grason-Stadler Instruments, Milford, NH) was performed on each subject at the following frequencies: 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 6000, and 8000 Hz.” (Mostafapour) By changing the frequencies, the experimenters were able to see exactly how the eardrum reacted in each subject. After studying the research, the researchers were able to conclude that these subjects were able to self-regulate exposure to loud noise well enough to escape any permanent hearing loss. They insisted that chronic exposure to loud volumes would certainly result in permanent hearing loss. The subjects had not been exposed to hazardous volumes long enough to develop such noise-induced hearing loss, because the process does take some time. The researchers also insisted that education about the specific topic is very crucial. Researchers elaborated that regulating may be quite effective, but educating will prevent more cases of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. The other study was conducted by Elizabeth Henderson and her team. The objective of the study was to compare males and females with respect to how prone each sex is to noise-induced threshold shifts. The experiment also compares high-frequency hearing loss and low-frequency hearing loss between the two sexes. High- frequency hearing loss can be described as the inability to understand speech in loud volume environments. Low- frequency hearing loss is the same, but in low volume environments. The methods of the study were to conduct audiometric testing during National Health and Nutrition Examination surveys throughout different time periods. The two time periods were 1988-1994 and 2005-2006. 

“NITS criteria were audiometric patterns of decreased 3- to 6-kHz thresholds but preserved 0.5- to 1-kHz and 8-kHz thresholds; HFHL and LFHL criteria were high and low pure-tone averages, respectively, of >15 dB HL.” (Henderson) Notable results were that there was not a large increase in Noise-Induced thresholds shifts between the two time periods 1988-1994 and 2005-2006, but there was a significant increase among women. The Noise-Induced threshold shift in females in the time period 1988-1994 was 11.6%, whereas in 2005-2006 it was 16.7%. That is a 5.1% increase. Both sexes had an increase of 15% in survey tester that has been exposed to loud noise through headphones 24 hours before the survey was conducted. The most interesting piece of information from this piece was that females are more prone to Noise-Induced threshold shifts due to the fact they are less likely to use protection when exposed to hazardous volumes. In the time period 2005-2006, 3.4% of female youth surveyed used protection, while 10.3% of male youth surveyed used protection, thus showing why women are more prone to these noise-induced threshold shifts. 

Will the results impact you? There are multiple comparisons to consider when examining the research. First, are males more prone to hearing loss induced by noise than females are, or vice versa? In the experiment conducted at the University of Washington by Sam P. Mostafapour MD, the researchers came together to decide that exposure to recreational noises such as lawn mowers, rock concerts, and motorcycles were in fact more harmful than personal listening devices. The researchers also elaborated on the use of wireless headphones compared to wired headphones can certainly make a difference in the battle against hazardous exposure. Most wireless headphones on the market are often not able to reach hazardous volumes. This research also shows women are more prone to noise-induced threshold shifts. Women are more prone to Noise-Induced hearing loss, because they are more likely to not use protection to prevent exposure to hazardous volumes.

Are there any solutions to the problem at hand? The results show if adolescent and young adults are not warned of the horrifying effects of blasting music into their ears, then they will sustain permanent noise-induced hearing loss. The process to sustain permanent noise-induced hearing loss takes time. If individuals are informed of what is going on, then the problem will cease to exist. The media needs to do a much better job of informing the public of this epidemic. Whether the advice be published on YouTube, Fox News, or Reddit, more individuals need to become aware of this epidemic. There is simply not enough information available to the public, includingthe parents of children and children, to learn about this hazard. Counseling could be offered at schools to teach children how to properly use headphones in order to reduce the risk of permanent hearing loss. Due to the fact adolescents and young adults are not wearing protection when exposed to hazardous leisure noises, a manufacturer could produce a product attractive to the eye of adolescents and young adults. This would encourage children to use proper protection. Children may be dumb at times, but if you inform them of the possibility of losing their hearing, they will understand what not to do. Audiologists have come out to say it is very crucial for parents to monitor their children’s exposure to hazardous volumes. The first tip audiologists have given would be keeping the volume near sixty percent of the maximum it can reach. “Dr. Jim Battey, the director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, offered this practical rule: If a parent is an arm’s length away, a child wearing headphones should still be able to hear when asked a question.” (Saint Louis) Battey also insisted headphone users should take a break every hour in order to prevent damaging hair cells in the inner ear. If the user does not, this listening can eventually become hazardous for the user. Whether you believe so or not, parental supervision is extremely important in this fight against noise-induced hearing loss. Parents should begin to monitor their children’s exposure to hazardous noise volumes. This could put a large dent in the rising epidemic. It is very alarming that near three dozen sets of children’s headphones available to the public do not restrict volumes to the limit promised on the box for the product. These headphone manufacturers are not interested in the safety of their users. A petition needs to be made for regulation to stop this problem, a regulation that requires headphone manufacturer’s products to be approved and tested before being available to the public. Parents rely on the honesty of these manufacturers for the safety of their children, and it has been proven that manufacturers have been lying to the public. Boycotting these products is simply not an option due to the fact not enough individuals are aware of the hazardous products available on the market. A regulation or law needs to be enacted in order to secure the safety of our youth. If we as a community come together to regulate manufacturers, then headphones that produce hazardous volumes will be eliminated from the equation. These solutions together have the ability to stop or severally lower the number of adolescent and young adults with noise-induced hearing loss. Another notable solution relates to the battle between wireless headphones and wired headphones. Researchers have proven that wireless headphones are often not able to reach hazardous volumes for the user, while we know numerous wired headphones do so.  If we do nothing, then we stand the risk of having an entire generation of individuals with slight to severe hearing loss. 

In order to stop this rising epidemic, serious measures need to be taken in order to preserve the hearing ability of our future generations. Adolescents and young adults simply are unaware of the enormous problem at hand. Schools need to come up with a way to teach children the proper way to use headphones, and more individuals need to be informed of hazards that leisure noises carry. If we want to stop this problem, we need to work together in order to stop Noise-Induced threshold shifts. Although the process in which permanent hearing loss takes places requires constant exposure to hazardous volumes over a long period of time, it is still happening. The media can inform individuals of the risk faster than word of mouth. A petition for regulation of the manufacture of headphones can also put a dent in this enormous problem. The scientific studies conducted have brought light to this problem, but simply not enough individuals are aware of it. Adolescents and young adults need to care about their health and safety in order to stop this rising epidemic before it is too late. 
