The boom in the Digital music players lead by Apple’s iPod may also lead to early onset deafness.



Rep. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat Senator, on Thursday asked the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to review research to determine if the digital music devices such as the popular iPod are contributing to premature hearing loss. He also wants the institute to recommend what people can do to prevent early deafness.



A recent Washington Post article reported that Apple had declined to reveal how loud its iPods can go. Generally, noise above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss depending on the length of exposure.



The point of the story: just plainly covering the earbuds with foam won’t do. Protect yourself. Or wait for a new law that will force all portable digital music players to come with decibel labels for each volume setting.