You must have heard it said often that earphones can damage your ears but do you know how, and if it is true why people still use it; well you know what it says on a pack of cigarettes but people still smoke!

A recent study by scientists says that even one hour of listening through earphones can cause permanent deafness in five years. If you think five years is a long time but consider this; if you listen for more hours a day that five may very well change to one. It is common among people to avoid and completely ignore dangers that are not immediate. However listening with minimal volume can lessen the risks, so how loud is too loud?

The highest volume on your device is definitely dangerous. Those people who have a habit of listening to music in trains and crowded public places normally tend to listen to high volumes at the risk of getting deaf.

There are people jogging and exercising with earphones plugged in without realizing that while exercise has health benefits the device in their ears is a health hazard! Do not put your ears at risk to avoid the noise and chatter of normal human beings; a few minutes of patience will allow you a lifelong pleasure of listening to music. The accepted volume is below 85 decibels so while buying an Mp3 player just check what the maximum volume is of the device.

The most damaging earphones are those that are of the "ear bud" design since they direct the sound towards the eardrum so that the people next to you have no disturbance but it can do tremendous harm to you.

Teenagers have highly sensitive hearing and they are the group using earphones most bringing hearing problems at an early age. In UK at least two out of three people listen to music at high volume; some above 85 decibels and the USA has seen an increase in hearing problems among children from 13 million in 1970 to astounding figures of over 30 million. This phenomenon is fast catching up in all developing countries of the world also.

It is the responsibility of all who have knowledge of this to educate others who do not have a clue to the kind of health hazard they are putting themselves into.