Earbud Headphones May Cause Hearing Loss

According to an AP report, the earbud headphones that are so popular for ipods and other portable devices may lead to hearing loss. From the article: "We're seeing the kind of hearing loss in younger people that's typically found in aging adults,'' said Dean Garstecki, an audiologist and professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. The big culprits aren't the devices themselves, but the tiny "ear bud'' style headphones that the music players use. "Unfortunately, the earbuds are even more likely to cause hearing loss than the muff-type earphones that were used on Walkman and portable CD players"