Health and Safety Information 121Responsible ListeningCaution!: Avoid potential hearing loss.Damage to hearing occurs when a person is exposed to loud soundsover time. The risk of hearing loss increases as sound is playedlouder and for longer durations.Prolonged exposure to loud sounds (including music) is the mostcommon cause of preventable hearing loss. Some scientific researchsuggests that using portable audio devices, such as portable musicplayers and cellular telephones, at high volume settings for longdurations may lead to permanent noise-induced hearing loss. Thisincludes the use of headphones (including headsets, earbuds, andBluetooth or other wireless devices). Exposure to very loud sound hasalso been associated in some studies with tinnitus (a ringing in theear), hypersensitivity to sound and distorted hearing.Individual susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss and potentialhearing problem varies. Additionally, the amount of sound producedby a portable audio device varies depending on the nature of thesound, the device settings, and the headphones that are used. As aresult, there is no single volume setting that is appropriate foreveryone or for every combination of sound, settings and equipment.You should follow some commonsense recommendations when usingany portable audio device:
