We hear a lot about how people are going deaf thanks to things like concerts that are too loud and headphones that are cranked way too high for way too long. And it's true: doctors see lots of people with hearing issues, but not as much as everyone might have expected.
Every five years, researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health tested the hearing of a group of people born between 1902 and 1962. Even though later generations were exposed to more loud music more often, their hearing didn't deteriorate as much or as soon as earlier generations.
Why? Probably because older folks were exposed to more noise PERIOD on a daily basis. So don't think this means you can just crank up the iPod and not get hurt.