Arun 795 Report post Posted August 9, 2007 Press Trust of India August 09, 2007 16:48 IST People using mobile phones for more than four years and longer than 30 minutes a day are at risk of developing hearing loss particularly at higher speech frequencies, a study conducted by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research at Chandigarh has said. "This hearing loss was more in the dominant ear (ear of use). Presence of fullness in the ears, ear warmth, strange noises in the ear are warning signals which should not be ignored," Dr Naresh Panda, head of the department of Otolaryngology at PGIMER, who along with his team conducted the 18-month long study, said. He said the aim of the study, which is a preliminary one, done on 100 long term mobile phone users from Chandigarh, was to assess if long term mobile phone use had any adverse effect on hearing and central auditory pathways. Panda said the study was conducted on people between the age group of 18-45 years and those who were using GSM handsets. The study group was divided into three categories -- those using mobile phones for 1-2 years, 2-3 years and 3-4 years and above. Asked if PGIMER was suggesting that people should stop using mobile phones, Panda said it was just a preliminary study and our aim is not to spread panic among the public. All we are saying that people should limit or curtail their usage and take measures like using ear phones. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted August 9, 2007 ^^^ Oh my God. That means nearly 80% of Indian mobile users are going to have a problem with hearing. I think nearly 80% mobile users use their handsets more than 30 minutes a day. We all must use handsfree kits / earphones to prevent ourselves from this. Regards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
supernova 47 Report post Posted August 9, 2007 oh DR. Naresh Panda . I have met this person twice .MY friend did M.D. under him . HE is very good doctor . He has a big hold in PGIMER. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
srk006 21 Report post Posted August 10, 2007 This is scary..Are the frequency of mobile and ear phones different. How can they say that using ear phones does not damage ears? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ani_meher 42 Report post Posted August 10, 2007 yep, ear phones all day! i m on phone for 1.5/2 hrs a day, and i never use the headset directlly. always use the wired headphone. a small hessle to carry around, but if u r in office, then it's a great help, as it keeps ur hands free, and also keep the radiation from the headset away. a headset is strongly recommended, guys, get yourself one, if your use exceeds 20-30 mins a day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KumaarShah 143 Report post Posted August 10, 2007 ^^^ what about BT headsets, do they also emit harmful radiation and cause hearing loss? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amtrag 20 Report post Posted August 10, 2007 I think if the cause of hearing loss is "speech frequencies", then all those who use iPods or similar devices for long periods are also at risk...but still, hands-free atleast saves us from the harmful RF radiations in case of mobiles. And BT does not emit RF as strong as the mobile phone itself (BT has a range of only a few meters compared to mobile's range of a few kms) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ramchi 0 Report post Posted August 12, 2007 Anything which directly plugged into your ears can cause damage to your hearing capabilities on the long run. Ear phones or BT headsets are not natural phenominon. If you are going to talk for few minutes using the phone, it may be fine; but if you are going to use headphones (BT or wired) for more than 10-15 minutes continuously and consistently on the long run, then chances of eardrums getting affected are more. It must be noted that Mobile phones or any phones must be used as a medium to convey message than as a platform for communication! We can test this by talking to some experienced young IT/BPO/Call Center folks; more than anything else mobile phones have become disease instead of helping people connected. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amtrag 20 Report post Posted August 13, 2007 Very true Ramchi Offtopic: hearing from you Ramchi after such a long time? ...or did I miss reading any of your recent posts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ramchi 0 Report post Posted August 13, 2007 Hi Amtrag, Hope you are doing fine. I do visit this site if not as frequently as I used before mainly due to the reason I have left Reliance services long back. I am hoping one day Reliance comes up with great looking devices such as HTC Jasjam with affordable EV-DO services; may be that time we can see lots of activities here. But the way Anil Ambani moves, it looks like he is happy making billions with his old trash. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
