10 June 2008

Loud music risk mostly unheard: survey


Hearing specialists are urging Australians who listen to music through headphones to turn down the volume or risk causing irreparable hearing damage.

The warning follows the results of a federal government survey showing more than two-thirds of Australians listen to music through headphones, with 60 per cent of them playing it at an unsafe volume.

Australian Hearing, a federal government agency, surveyed 1,000 people from around the nation about hearing as part of a new report - Is Australia Listening? Attitudes To Hearing Loss.

The results have "worrying implications", Australian Hearing spokesman Professor Harvey Dillon said.

"The most significant single cause of hearing loss in Australia is exposure to loud noise," Prof Dillon said in a statement.

"People will suffer long-term hearing problems if they are exposed to loud noise for extended periods of time."

The report shows almost half of people aged between 18 and 34 go to noisy venues and listen to loud music through headphones at least once a week.

"We encourage people to consider their hearing when listening to music through headphones or at clubs and concerts," Prof Dillon said.

"Many young people may find they suffer from hearing loss later in life, and once their hearing is damaged, it cannot be restored."

The survey found that 70 per cent of young (18 to 24) people also suffer from tinnitus (ringing in the ears) at some time.

While wearing headphones the volume should be at a level which allows the listener to hear a person talk without shouting while at arm's length away, Australian Hearings ambassador John D'Arcy said.

"Consider wearing ear muffs or ear plugs if you are exposed to loud machinery or industrial noise and make sure you know how to fit the ear plugs properly," Dr D'Arcy said in the joint statement.

The same survey has uncovered widespread negative stigma about the use of hearing devices, with many associating them with terms such as "old", "deaf", "unsightly" and "ugly".

However hearing specialists are promoting new hearing device technology which boasts sleek designs which "look more like fashion accessories".

ninemsn 10 Jun 2008

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