American Medical Association Studies Apple iPod Ear-Bud Volume Warning

The American Medical Association (AMA) will consider recommendations to make to manufacturers, regulators and consumers on dealing with the threat of hearing loss from Apple iPods and other portable music players with in-the-ear headphones. The American Academy of Audiology (AAA) prompted the review following months of concern over the prospect of a generation of iPod users losing their hearing. Dr. Brent Edwards of the Starkey Hearing Research Center has published statistics indication that listening to an iPod with in-the-ear ear-buds with the volume turned up 90 percent of the way can harm your hearing within four minutes. The AMA will study recommendations on technical improvements that can warn users or automatically limit dangerous volume as well as expanded public health campaigns on the dangers of environmental noise and youth-education campaigns on safer use of ear buds.