Earlier this month, Louisiana resident John Patterson sued Apple Computer Inc., claiming iPods can cause hearing loss and calling for a redesign of the systems.

While there are many doubts Patterson could win, his case does echo what many doctors have been saying for years: the iPod generation could be going deaf.

The main problem with iPods and hearing loss is that students turn their music too loud and listen to it all day long. The "ear buds," included with iPods, go directly inside the ear, and because of their closer proximity to the ear canal the music is not filtered.

Christine Albertus, an audiologist at the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wis., said the risk of hearing loss increases as the music gets closer to the inner ear and suggests users limit their usage to two hours a day.

"In most young people, some damage is already there, but it doesn't directly affect their ability to communicate with friends or family," she said. "Fast-forward, and they may be hearing aid candidates by the time they're in their early 40s."

"The main problem is we turn up our music louder than we need to," said Beth Brittan-Powell, a university psychology professor who researches comparative hearing. "It's like being at a rock concert --if you can hear the music of the person sitting next to you, it's too loud."

The volume is shown by a bar, in contrast to many other electronic devices where a numerical scale is used. Some say this doesn't let users realize how high the volume actually is. Also, an iPod can produce sounds higher than 115 decibels, which can cause permanent hearing damage after exposure for more than 28 seconds a day, according to Patterson's complaint. Compare that to the sound of a baby crying at 110 decibels, football stadiums at 117 and ambulance sirens at 120.

Many students said they were content with the current system and didn't feel a change was necessary.

"As long as the units are consistent, the bar should accomplish the same thing as numbers," said Monika Tomczak, a junior animal and avian science major.

As part of the lawsuit, Patterson wants Apple to make this warning clearer by suggesting a safe volume level and alerting users if they begin to turn up their iPods to more dangerous decibels.

Due to the lawsuit, iPods in France were pulled from the shelves until Apple manufactures newer versions that comply with a 100 decibel limit.

Yet here in the United States, it does not appear as though anything will come out of this lawsuit, especially since Apple already places a clear warning in the iPod's instruction manual.

Many students said they never heard of the lawsuit, yet doubt Patterson could win. Even with medical researchers and doctors warning the iPod generation they could be deaf at the same time as their parents, it seems like students won't be losing those white ear buds anytime soon.

"If you blast it, I would assume it would cause hearing damage, but that's at a person's own discretion," said freshman government and politics major Blair Feldman. "Most people know their limits."

By Nadine Simpson
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/02/23/1403049.htm