Go to any mall or public place and you won't have to look around too long before you'll see someone listening to a personal stereo wearing ear buds. Often, you can be half way across the room and hear their playlist loud and clear. The popularity of personal stereos, such as iPods and other MP3 players, means more adults and young people are using ear buds to listen to music at high volumes for long periods of time. And it is starting to cause a serious problem in the form of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.

How loud is too loud? In a statement from the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, "a whisper is 30 decibels and a normal conversation is 60 decibels. The sound from an iPod Shuffle has been measured at 115 decibels." No question, that is loud.

Researchers fear Noise-Induced Hearing Loss will soon be an epidemic. After evaluating a survey of 5,742 people from 1999 to 2004 aged 20 to 69, researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, determined that from 2003 to 2004 an estimated 29 million American adults had speech frequency hearing loss in one or both ears, and estimated another 55 million adults had high-frequency hearing loss in one ear or both ears.

It's estimated that some hearing loss symptoms are being experienced by an estimated 8.5 % of young adults aged 20 to 29, and 17% of adults aged 30-39. Also, men were 5.5 times more likely than women to have hearing loss. The Hopkins researchers concluded that hearing loss can reduce health-related quality of life and even access to healthcare.

In an effort to educate youngsters about the dangers of listening to music at high volumes for a long period, ASHA started the program "Listen to Your Buds," and created the web site Listen To Your Buds. Visitors can create their own e-cards starring two cute cartoon earbuds.

The "Listen to Your Buds" website also includes information specifically for parents and educators. ASHA would like parents to know that they conducted a study in 2006 and found that over half of U.S. high school students reported having at least one symptom of hearing loss.

As a parent (and ear bud user), how do you know if the volume is too loud? According to ASHA, noise exposure is too loud if:

• you have to shout to be heard
• speech sounds muffled or dull afterward
• you later have pain, ringing, or buzzing in your ears
• you have difficulty understanding someone talking to you only who's an arm's length away

If you're looking for some help in keeping the volume down, here are some of ASHA's prevention tips:

• Avoid and limit exposure to noise.
• Don't buy noisy appliances, equipment, or toys.
• Wear hearing protectors such as ear plugs or ear muff — some protectors can cut noise levels by 15-30 decibels.

For more information visit, Listen To Your Buds,or check out the fact sheets available at the American Academy of Otolaryngology. Both sites also offer information in Spanish.