The present generation with its obsession of MP3 players that blare out music loudly is at a 30 percent increased risk of going deaf than the previous generation. Researchers from the Deafness Research, UK, found that 14 to 16 year olds use their MP3 players for a minimum of 28 hours per week.

Over a third of the 1,000 people polled said they had ringing in the ear, a sure sign of damage to hearing, after listening to loud music. 28 percent of those polled said hey went to noisy bars, pubs or nightclubs regularly. But the surprising finding was that almost 40 percent were unaware that listening to loud music on a personal music player could hurt their hearing.

Noise levels exceeding 105 decibels are thought to irreversibly damage hearing. the current research advised young people to follow the 60-60 rule, meaning not to listen to MP3 music at more than 60 percent of its volume and not listening for more than 60 minutes.