Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow

Over the course of several spring mornings, Ray Hull, a professor of audiology at Wichita State University in Kansas, walked around a university campus looking for students who were listening to music through headphones. As he found them, he tapped them on the shoulder and asked for their headsets in the name of science.

Using an artificial ear, Hull measured the volume of the tunes streaming into the students' ears. Many readings were around 110 decibels. Some were 120. Those are notable numbers. Prolonged exposure to any noise 90 decibels and above can cause gradual hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The louder -- and longer, and closer -- a sound gets, the more immediate the impact. It's no wonder, then, that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that roughly 5.2 million children under the age of 19 have suffered at least some hearing loss as a result of exposure to loud noise. "As a clinical audiologist for 28 years, I've seen an increasing number of young people with complaints of ringing in the ears and muffled sounds," said Pam Mason, director of audiology professional practices for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. "Many reported going to loud concerts, night clubs, or listening to music through earphones. Hearing loss from excessive noise is permanent, but it's preventable if you protect your hearing."

Hearing loss from noise exposure first affects the ability to hear high frequencies. Some companies now are making headsets that block out more ambient noise so kids don’t have to hike the volume to hear the music. They're also putting labels on products warning against listening at unsafe levels. "You don’t get your hearing back," says Ted Madison, an audiologist and past president of the National Hearing Conservation Association. "The only option is a pair of hearing aids."

Safer Sound Here are some products to help play music at safer levels:
• Bose QuietComfort 2 - First made for pilots to reduce the roar of airplane engines, the flat-folding QuietComfort 2 noise-canceling headphones provide a quiet environment to deliver sound. The headphones are about $299. Visit Bose.com.
• The Plug by Koss - The Plug is made of a soft foam cushion that fits almost any ear comfortably and blocks out almost all ambient noise. At $14.99, the Plug is available at retail stores as well as Koss.com.
• Sony MDR-NC6 - This noise-canceling headphone has a fashionable and functional slim swivel folding design. The cost is about $50 online at SonyStyle.com or most electronics stores.