Transcript iPods & Hearing Loss

The Science Behind the iPod
YEAR 2000.
MP3 players are few and far between- only ones available
are large and clunky or small and not user friendly.
OCTOBER 23, 2001
Steve Jobs unveils his creation- the
first generation Apple iPod.
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
TODAY:
Apple has sold well over 220
million units since launching in 2001.
* mini, shuffle & nano are not included
Legend
Vinyl: Black
Cassettes: Maroon
CD’S: Yellow
iPod Sales: Purple
How many times have you heard “Turn that down! By the time you’re 40 you’re not
going to be able to hear a thing!”
The truth is, they’re right. The iPod isn’t the problem though, it is the ear buds which
you’re listening to music with. The size of ear buds relates to hearing loss directly, the
smaller they are, the higher the output level.
The best headphones you can wear are the large ones that cover the whole ear. They
don’t sit directly in the lower eardrum, and they block out background noise. Compared
to a pair of large headphones, Apple headphones increase sound levels by 9 decibels.
That can be the difference between an alarm clock and a lawnmower.
Sound Level Maximum Duration per Day
90 db 8.0 hours
92 db 6.0 hours
95 db 4.0 hours
97 db 3.0 hours
100 db 2.0 hours
102 db 1.5 hours
105 db 1.0 hours
110 db 30 mins
115 db 15 mins
OSHA’s Permissible Noise Exposure chart
Hair cells inside the inner ear
After being exposed to loud noise for a long period of time, “sensitive structures in
our inner ear can be damaged, causing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). These
sensitive structures, called hair cells, are small sensory cells that convert sound
energy into electrical signals that travel to the brain. Once damaged, our hair cells
cannot grow back.”
Taken from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/noise.asp
How to prevent Noise Induced Hearing Loss
Noise Induced Hearing Loss is 100% preventable, but it is not cureable. Take
proper precautions and protect your hearing!
-Any noises above 85% decibels can be damaging to your hearing
-Wear earplugs, proper headphones, and guard yourself from loud volumes.
-Use COMMON SENSE.