"When I started here at Cardinal Hill (Healthcare System) six years ago, it was very unusual to see people in their 20s and 30s experiencing hearing loss," said Hahn.

"Now I'm seeing a couple patients a week."

Hahn said research has shown that many young people are listening to devices such as MP3 players or iPods at 100 decibels or higher, which means they could be doing damage to their hearing in as little as eight minutes.

He said a normal conversation is about 60 decibels and an ambulance siren is 120 decibels.

According to the Children's Hearing Institute, 100 decibels is equal to noise from a chain saw or snowmobile.

Hahn said with more powerful headphones today and many of them inserted deeper into the ears, the intensity is very loud.

"iPods are a good thing, but they can be misused," Hahn said.

DECIBEL LEVELS

Dangerous levels:

150 dB = rock music peak

140 dB = firearms, jet engine

130 dB = jackhammer

120 dB = jet plane take-off, amplified rock music at 4-6 feet, car stereo, band practice, ambulance siren

Extremely loud:

105 dB = helicopter

100 dB = snowmobile, chain saw, pneumatic drill, night clubs

95 dB = motorcycle

90 dB = lawnmower, shop tools, truck traffic, subway

80-96 dB = restaurants

Very loud:

80 dB = alarm clock, city street traffic

70 dB = vacuum cleaner

Normal levels:

60 dB = normal conversation

35 dB = whispered voice

Results of high-level exposure:

110 decibels or louder: regular exposure of more than one minute risks permanent hearing loss.

100 decibels: No more than 15 minutes of unprotected exposure is recommended.

85 decibels: Prolonged exposure to any noise above 85 decibels can cause gradual hearing loss.

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