iPods Can MAKE YOU DEAF!

Following hot on the heels of Laurie's warning this morning about the dangerous warmth issues involved with iPods, This is London has posted an article from the Evening Standard entitled, 'iPods can make you deaf.'

Andrew Reid, head of audiology at the Royal United Hospital in Bristol, says "If you are on a Tube [British for the Subway], you have to turn the player up to dangerous levels just to hear it. Over time, this is going to lead to problems like tinnitus and severe damage to the inner ear." There have been doom and gloom news stories like this ever since the advent of the Walkman. I, myself, remember vaguely hearing my mum yell "You're going to blow your ears out with that thing!" when I was rocking out to Nirvana with headphones on as a rebellious youth. The article is clearly trying to cash in on the hotness of the iPod, as there is nothing new here specific to the iPod, except possibly the number of users.

But, nevertheless, listen to your Mum. Don't crank it up too high. Invest in some noise-cancelling / blocking headphones so you don't have to make it as loud to drown out the subway. Rock out responsibly.

[via fscklog]