| Digital audio players are constantly improving. By | | | | hearing specialists disagree, applying OSHA's guidelines |
| playing computerized audio formats, they allow the | | | | for the workplace indicates a little bit more flexibility |
| listener to hear music with exceptional quality that far | | | | about how long you can safely listen to your digital |
| exceeds the analog radio of days gone by. Examples | | | | audio player before damaging your ability to hear. For |
| of digital audio players include MP3 players and | | | | every 5 dB increase in volume, the maximum |
| iPods.Many of the digital audio players are portable and | | | | exposure time is cut in half. For example:95 dB - 4 |
| come with headphones that pipe crystal clear sound | | | | hours |
| directly down the ear canal. While enjoyable, millions | | | | 100 dB - 2 hours |
| face potential hearing problems down the road from | | | | 110 dB - 30 minutes |
| using these devices.That is because without the | | | | 120 dB - 7.5 minutesUsing OSHA's standards and the |
| distortion created by analog audio devices, digital audio | | | | observable level of 115 dB listened to by many digital |
| player users may be exposed to unsafe sound levels | | | | audio player users, the maximum time you should be |
| without realizing it. The distortion from analog radio | | | | listening to your audio player is about 15 minutes a day. |
| naturally governs the volume a listener is willing to | | | | Remember, hearing specialists believe that you should |
| hear.According to testimony presented to Congress in | | | | not be topping 28 seconds a day of 115 dB exposure.If |
| 2005 regarding Medicare coverage of hearing aids | | | | you want to enjoy your digital audio player for more |
| and devices, preliminary observations about digital | | | | than 28 seconds to 15 minutes a day, turn down the |
| audio players revealed that the music reaching the | | | | volume ... no matter how stomping those tunes are! |
| eardrum topped 115 decibels. Hearing specialists say | | | | When you are in your teens, it's hard to imagine being |
| that exposure to noise that loud for more than 28 | | | | 40 years old, let alone being 40 years old and hard of |
| seconds per day, over time, can cause permanent | | | | hearing, but aging happens.It is estimated that over 50 |
| hearing damage.The Occupational Safety and Health | | | | million Americans may have hearing impairments by |
| Administration (OSHA) issued guidelines about what it | | | | the year 2030. In losing their ability to hear speech, hear |
| considers to be the maximum exposure time to certain | | | | alarms, or even enjoy the radio or television, this |
| decibel levels. According to OSHA, a maximum of 90 | | | | hearing loss can severely affect a person's |
| decibels (or dB) for 8 hours a day is safe. While many | | | | independence. |