Loud rock music contributed to hearing loss among baby boomers, but MP3 players are poised to make the problem much worse for the next generation. These devices, which pump music through headphones directly into the ear canal, enable the user to overcome the rumble of the subway or the drone of an airplane engine without drawing angry shouts of "turn it down!" As a result, they easily desensitize the user to dangerously high sound levels. A CD player and a Walkman do too, but MP3 players such as the iPod pose an additional danger. Because they hold thousands of songs and can play for hours without recharging, users tend to listen continuously for hours at a time. They don't even have to stop to change a CD or a tape. Longer Listening, More Damage Since damage to hearing caused by high volume is determined by its duration, continuous listening to an MP3 player, even at a seemingly reasonable level, can damage the delicate hair cells in the inner ear that transmit sound impulses to the brain... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/25/health/webmd/main796088.shtml
I can see their point with the ipod headphones. They're directly in the ears. I don't care for those types anyway. I use regular outside headphones myself with my CD player.
As far as hearing problems in general,there is some good news as far as research. Gene therapy is first deafness 'cure' 10:35 14 February 2005 NewScientist.com news service A pioneering form of gene therapy has apparently cured deafness in guinea pigs, raising hopes that the same procedure might work in people. "It's the first time anyone has biologically repaired the hearing of animals," says Yehoash Raphael at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and head of the US-Japanese team that developed the technique. The therapy promotes the regrowth of crucial hair cells in the cochlea, the part of the inner ear which registers sound. After treatment, the researchers used sensory electrodes around the animals' heads to show that the auditory nerves of treated - but not untreated - animals were now registering sound. Deafness is a major problem in people: millions of people worldwide become deaf or hearing impaired every year. This can occur if a person's inner-ear hair cells are destroyed by exposure to loud noise, to some antibiotic drugs, or simply through old age. The hair cells act like miniature microphones, capturing sound vibrations from fluid in the ear and translating the movement into nerve signals... http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7003
