WSJ.com – YOUR HEALTH
Is Your Music Too Loud? Experts Say It May Be If It Is Louder Than a Microwave’s Beep
To lessen hearing-loss risk, some experts say listen to loud music with earbuds for less than an hour a day
By SUMATHI REDDY – Updated March 9, 2015 5:37 p.m. ET
RJ Jaczko
Experts say listening to music at high volumes using earbuds or headphones for more than an hour—and in some cases, as little as a few minutes—could put you at risk for noise-related hearing loss.
Dr. [Brian] Fligor – [a Boston audiologist and chief audiology officer at Lantos Technology, Inc., an audiology device company, who has published numerous studies on personal listening devices] – recommends over-the-counter earplugs for people who regularly attend loud concerts and sporting events. He recommends custom-fitted earplugs or custom in-ear monitors for patients in the music industry.
RJ Jaczko, a 15-year-old.., is one of Dr. Fligor’s patients. A drummer, DJ and concertgoer, RJ hasn’t experienced hearing loss, but began seeing an audiologist because his father, Rob Jaczko, a recording engineer and record producer, and chairman of the music production and engineering department at Berklee College of Music, began suffering from tinnitus, or ringing ears.
Now, RJ says he wears earplugs to concerts, and whenever he drums or DJs. “They’re very helpful,” he says.
Scott K Fish 