Prevent hearing damage; listen to your music carefully by Ashraf Ali
Look left. Look right. Someone’s probably playing music ridiculously loud through their headphones.With the increasing popularity of music on the go, proper headphone use is a necessity. Commuters, whether in the morning or evening, tend to increase the volume in their music players to reduce background noise which can damage hearing. “If I'm on a train and there's a lot of noise, I usually turn it all the way up,” says Angelique Williams, 22.Noises sustained over 90-95 decibels put people at risk for hearing loss. Loud and belligerent noise is nothing new to New Yorkers. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association explains that an average of 90dB is what commuters hear in the subway while 70dB is the sound of busy traffic or a vacuum cleaner.“People who listen to their favorite songs seek this complete serenity," says Ferhat Kleib, 20. "Some like it because it puts a soundtrack to their life. But mostly in a big city like NYC, people wear their headphones and blast music to avoid verbal contact with everyday people around us."Many people use earbuds (especially the ones that come with every portable iDevice) to listen to music. While they are extremely easy to take wherever, they are horrible at cancelling background noise, so you have to turn up the volume.The combination of volume and duration of exposure has a negative effect on hearing. Kristina Rigsby, a pediatric audiologist, notes that the 60/60 rule is a great way to minimize exposure to high volumes. Listen to an iPod or other music player for one hour at 60 percent of the maximum volume. Ears will have time to rest and the risk of hearing loss is lessened.Many students should follow the 60/60 rule as an average commute to City College is a little over one hour. For more tips on preventing hearing loss, please visit this site--or this one.