Turn Down the iPod to Save Your Hearing

Summary: One in four. That is the number of teens who is in severe danger of early hearing loss due to continuous exposure to loud music from their personal listening devices. Those who are misusing their music players today might find that their hearing will begin to deteriorate as early as their 30's and 40's. European standards limit the output of personal listening devices to 100 decibels. Currently the maximum decibel levels vary among different models, but some can go as high as 129 decibels. It is recommended that teens choose headphones over the usual ear buds.

Critique: One in four is 25%! I listen to music a lot, so this is a wake-up call. I already use headphones because the ear buds hurt my ears.

Impact: Hopefully this will encourage people to turn down their music and not listen to it for long periods of time.

Reference: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/12/29/turn_down_the_ipod_to_save_your_hearing.html