Thousands of years ago, our ears were attuned to the subtle sounds of our environment.
Today, our auditory world has changed drastically — and gotten much louder.
One of the most insidious sources of noise exposure is our technology, namely earbuds and headphones.
According to the World Health Organization, over 1 billion young adults ages 12 to 35, are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to “unsafe listening practices.”
“This can sound alarming,” said U-M exposure scientist Rick Neitzel in an interview with Manoush Zomorodi on NPR’s Body Electric. Neitzel said he has often been asked, “I don’t want to harm my hearing, is there anything I can do? The good news is, there is.”
Read or listen to the full story on NPR: Your earbuds and you: What all that listening is doing to us
Exposure Research Lab 