Cell Phone Use Causes High Frequency Hearing Loss

[John Formsma]

I didn't want to register for site access...could you tell us:

If it's related to radio waves? And if so, what frequencies are worse?
Is there a daily amount of use which causes little to no damage?
Does using earphones eliminate the risk of hearing loss?

Thanks,

JF


On 11/1/07, Diane Hofstetter <dianepianotuner at msn.com> wrote:
>
>
>  Everyone who uses a cell probably uses earphones too, but to be on the safe
> side...
>
>  (Found this on Audiologyonline, an audiological website.  Audiologists
> consider high frequencies to be 1000Hz. and above)
>
>
>  11/1/2007
>
> Cell Phone Use Causes High Frequency Hearing Loss
>
>
> Newswise — Hold the phone – long-term use of a cell phone may cause inner
> ear damage and can lead to high frequency hearing loss, according to a new
> study.
>
> According to research presented at the American Academy of
> Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation's Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO
> in Washington, DC, 100 people who had used mobile phones for over a year
> suffered increases in the degree of hearing loss over the span of 12 months.
> Furthermore, the study also discovered that people who used their phones for
> more than 60 minutes a day had a worse hearing threshold than those with
> less use.
>
> High frequency hearing loss is characterized by the loss of ability to hear
> consonants such as s, f, t, and z, even though vowels can be heard normally.
> Consequently, people hear sounds but cannot make out what is being said.
>
> The authors warn users of cell phones to look out for ear symptoms such as
> ear warmth, ear fullness, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) as early
> warning signs that you may have an auditory abnormality. They also suggest
> the use of earphones, which they found to be safer than holding a mobile
> phone up to the ears.
>
> Taken from www.newswise.com/articles/view/533259/
>
>
> Diane Hofstetter
>