Is tinnitus more frequent among users of personal music players?
The SCENIHR opinion states: 3.8. Effects of sound from PMP on hearing Noise pollution remains the most frequent environmental hazard accounting for hearing loss. Over the last years an increasing exposure to noise has been noted outside workplace, during recreational/leisure activities. The latter affects not only adults, but also children and adolescents (Plontke et al. 2004). Personal music players were widely introduced to the market in 1980s first as cassette players, and in 1990s as CD players. In the 21st Century, MP3 and currently i-Pods have become very popular. Most PMP users are teenagers and children. Although the equivalent levels of exposure to noise from using these devices on regular basis seem to be substantially lower than e.g. from discos or rock concerts (Serra et al. 2005) they continue to be a concern in the mainstream media. The question is whether or not loud sounds from personal music players including mobile phones with a music playing function could raise a po
