iPods may be threat to teenagers' hearing, warns expert

Dublin- The hearing of teenagers could be jeopardised by the surging popularity of iPods and other earphone devices, an expert warned today. Ireland’s health problems are greater than the European average, with a generation at risk because of exposure to prolonged noise, audiologist Keith Ross added.
At least one in 10 of the general population experience difficulties, with victims left to guess words and struggling to cope in background noise. “Some of the figures are quite frightening, the proportion of people wearing earphones through their normal jobs or through listening to Walkmans and iPods,” Mr Ross said. This is hearing awareness week and new research showed 41% of adults aged over 15 were wearing earphones regularly, with 82% of 15-24 -year-olds frequent users.