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SILICON
CHIP
www.siliconchip.com.au
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD
Production Manager
Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Technical Editor
Peter Smith
Technical Staff
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Ross Tester
Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc, VK2ZLO
Reader Services
Ann Jenkinson
Advertising Enquiries
Lawrence Smith
Benedictus Smith Pty Ltd
Phone (02) 9211 8035
Fax: (02) 9211 0068
lawrence<at>benedictus-smith.com
Regular Contributors
Brendan Akhurst
Rodney Champness, VK3UG
Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed,
Grad.Dip.Jnl
Mike Sheriff, B.Sc, VK2YFK
Stan Swan
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Publisher’s Letter
iPOD hearing risk is
nothing new
Recent reports about a legal suit in the state
of California concerning the risk of hearing loss
should not be regarded as anything really new.
Allegedly, the iPOD can produce sound levels up
to 115dB and if you are exposed to those levels
for anything but a short time, you will certainly
experience temporary hearing loss. If you do it
repeatedly, you will go deaf.
Partly, the American legal suit is based on the
fact that Apple has limited the output of iPODs sold in France to 100dB –
still very loud but not as dangerous as 115dB. My response to this that all
iPODs, MP3 players, Discmans, etc do come with a volume control. The
iPOD’s volume control is particularly intriguing but it works very well – you
can turn the level up and down at will. Turn it up really high and yes, your
hearing could be damaged. Do iPOD users care? Probably not.
Should they come with a hearing warning? No. Warnings don’t work for
cigarettes or alcohol so why would they work for iPODs.
Are you worried about your son’s or daughter’s hearing? If you can hear
the music while they are wearing the earphones, it is probably quite loud, so
yes, be concerned. I wish you good luck in trying to change their behaviour.
There is nothing new here. People have been abusing their hearing ever
since personal music players have been around – for the last 25 years at
least. Probably a majority of the population have inflicted significant hearing loss on themselves by the time they are 40. And because hearing loss is
so insidious, they probably don’t even know it. A huge number of people
these days listen to their car radios or TVs with the sound levels very high
– a sure sign that they are at least partially deaf.
In fact, I find it ironic that people willingly and regularly subject themselves
to sound levels that would cause a punitive action against their employers
by Workcover, if it happened while they were working.
Of more concern to me is the number of people who now wear (use?)
iPODs while walking or jogging along the road. More usually than not, they
jog while facing away from the traffic so they are completely oblivious to
any hazard from passing traffic. In effect, they are lacking road sense as well
as any concern for their own hearing. It seems to me that any pedestrian
killed or injured while using an iPOD or other player must be regarded as
having contributed to their own misfortune.
If you are a driver and you see someone jogging along the road, assume
they are wearing an iPOD and be especially wary – they probably don’t
know you are right behind them!
Leo Simpson
ISSN 1030-2662
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