Listening on your iPod every day? Experts say this could permanently damage your hearing.

As dichotomous as it sounds, the audible pleasure people get from blasting their ears with 100 decibels of iPod music can cause serious long-term hearing effects. Australian Hearing, a government-funded research organization, warns Australians who regularly use mp3 players to watch out for ear problems. They say around 60 percent of people, mainly 18 to 34 year olds, who use mp3 players can suffer from these debilitating hearing damages. Usual signs of imminent ear damage include ringing, or constantly hearing a loud ringing sound from the inside of the ear. The research also states 20 percent of the Australian population is admittedly using protection-free earphones for more than 5 hours per day.

These experts say the 'hearing damage' will be experienced on later years, so it's not uncommon for people to not feel anything now and then suddenly be surprised with an ear damage. This kind of hearing problem is overly-present in musicians, especially aged ones. Pete Townshend of the British classic rock band The Who is suffering from permanent hearing ailment called Tinnitus, an irreversible damage characterized by a painful ringing each time a sharp sound is released. Sting, Phil Collins, Neil Young and Mick Fleetwood all suffer from similar hearing problems after years and years of getting involved with various instruments, headphones and loud frequencies.

Contrary to popular belief, Decibels are not measured in lines, but in logarithms. When decibels are increased, the sound energy is doubled. Ear damage is not just preceded by short, intense sounds, but is affected by how long the exposure is. If a person is listening to his iPod on full blast (100db, with twice the sound energy) for more than 5 hours a day, then he is more likely to experience problems than a person exposed to vacuum cleaner once a week. The normal resonance is around 60 to 80db, the sound range of a normal conversation.

Next time you'll listen to your mp3 player, consider placing protective foam or rubber on your earphones to lessen the risk of developing ear disabilities.