Youth Unaware of Loud Music Risks

While young people are often surrounded by loud music, many are unaware of the health risks it poses, according to a study by Harvard scientists published in this month’s issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers from the Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Harvard School of Public Health found that only eight percent of those surveyed thought hearing loss was “a very big problem.” A higher percentage of respondents said that sexually transmitted diseases, alcohol and drug use, depression, and even acne were major problems.

The survey, which was conducted on MTV’s website over a three-day period, garnered nearly 10,000 respondents with an average age of 19.2 years. About three out of five said they have felt ringing in their ears after coming out of a concert or club, but only 14 percent have ever worn earplugs.

Dr. Roland D. Eavey—a co-author of the study who is an associate professor of otology and laryngology at HMS and director of pediatric otolaryngology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary—said the fact that people are experiencing discomfort but not taking steps to prevent it is very unsettling.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Pearl Jam or a bomb going off—the results are the same,” Eavey said. “We live in a pretty noisy society and after years and years of exposure to intense sounds, people could develop very permanent problems.”

The most common symptoms that surface after exposure to high volume of music and noise include tinnitus (ringing of the ears), temporary hearing loss, and a stuffy sensation in the ears, Eavey said. He recommended wearing earplugs to concerts because they are a relatively easy and inexpensive way to protect hearing.

Some students said yesterday that they know about the possible health problems but still do not choose to take precautions because they are afraid of lowering the quality of their concert experience.

“Sometimes concerts are too loud, but I’ll suck it up because it comes with the territory. Plus, that’s what rock music is all about,” said D.A. Wallach ’07.

Irene S. Choi ’07 said she knows about hearing loss because her father suffers from it.

“But the concern goes away when I really want to enjoy someone’s music,” she said. “I want to feel the bass drums and bass guitars totally resonating in the live music environment, and filtering out the sound with earplugs just seems totally pointless.”

Although some may feel that the possibility of long-term hearing loss is not enough to convince them to change their lifestyle, Eavey found that for the most part, young people are not totally indifferent. According to the survey, almost two out of three would wear earplugs if they knew of possible health problems, especially if a medical professional advised them.

Eavey said he hopes that the publication of his study will focus attention on the problem of hearing loss.

“Twenty years ago, people only wore baby oil at the beach without knowing that sun exposure would lead to skin cancer, but since the health issue was exposed, everyone automatically brings sun block. Hopefully this will be the same,” said Eavey. “Plus, after people realized sunglasses protected their eyes, it became a very profitable fashion statement. Maybe earplugs will be the same way.”