Submit your question for Dr. Mary Mason

Dr. Mary Mason wants to hear from you. She's answers your health questions every Wednesday on News 4 at Noon. This week, she's answering questions on MP3 players and hearing damage.

Q: How dangerous are Ipods and MP3 players when it comes to hearing loss?

A: While doctors have not seen a dramatic increase in hearing loss linked to these popular devices, permanent hearing loss can results when loud sounds are listened to for long periods of time. One survey suggested that ½ of high school students experienced at least one symptom of hearing loss from listening to these devices. Unlike older devices such as the Walkman which require the person to change the CD and give the ears a musical break, iPods and MP3 players can play continuous music for hours and hours. The higher quality of the sound from these musical players also allow listeners to turn up the volume to higher more dangerous levels.

Q: How does noise induced hearing loss develop?

A: To be heard, sound energy has to be strong enough to bend tiny hair cells in the cochlea, a part of the inner ear. The force of loud noise or music and damage these hair cells. A small amount of damage may not affect hearing, but repeated exposure to loud music can lead to hearing loss. First symptoms of damage- ringing in the ears

Q: Are some headphones more dangerous than others?

A: Some earphones go further into the ear canal than others. For example iPods come with earbud headphones, but many people upgrade to in-ear headphones for better sound quality. Studies are currently look at whether in-ear headphones that sit in the ear canal can potentially cause more damage than the earbud headphones that sit in the bowl of the ear. Traditional earmuff style headphones allow the sound to diffuse. While not fully studied it makes sense that the closer the sound is to the ear drum, the more dangerous it can be.

Q: How loud is too loud?

A: Permanent hearing loss can happen when sounds of greater than 85 decibels are listened to for more than 8 hours. Considering noise on a busy street can reach 90 decibels, if you turn up your ipod to drown out the noise of the Metrolink or a bus, you could be well over this safe range. So how do you know if your iPod is too loud? If you are wearing earphones and listening to your iPod and can’t hear the people around you talking, its too loud. Also if people around you can hear your music coming through the earphones- it is too loud. 

Q: What steps can you take to play it safe when listening to your iPod or MP3 player?

A: Experts say that iPod and MP3 player use should be limited to an hour at a time, followed by an extended break. This is especially important for children and teens who are more vunerable to noise-induced hearing loss. And use the muff style earphones vs. those that sit it the ear channels.

About Dr. Mary Mason:

Dr. Mason is board certified in Internal Medicine and is the Assistant Clinical Professor at Washington University School of Medicine. She went to medical school at Washington University, and did her Internal Medicine Residency and
was Chief Resident for Internal Medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.  Dr. Mason teaches in the internal medicine residency clinic.