There are 42 million iPods users – and counting. Some experts paint the iPod as a health hazard, so lawsuits against the maker could become as popular as the iconic music player. Apple has taken ergonomic steps to lessen one of the risks – and avert legal troubles. A new feature allows users to lock out potential damage to their hearing.

To date there has been only one significant health-related claim filed against Apple, but it is likely to become a class action suit. The federal lawsuit filed in a California court in February by iPod owner John Kiel Patterson claims the device causes hearing loss and that the music player is "inherently defective in design and not sufficiently adorned with adequate warnings regarding the likelihood of hearing loss."

The suit says the iPod can produce sounds at more than 115 decibels, and claims that even as little as a half minute per day at this level leads to hearing loss. Apple does issue a decibel warning with the device, so the “adequacy” issue refers mainly to the iPod’s distinctive earphones. Called earbuds, they are partly inserted. The suit says the earbuds actually contribute to hearing loss because they are closer to the ear canal than other sound sources and don’t dilute the sound.

Reviewing the potential risks associated with the device in the October 11 article, “Attack of the iPods,” Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported studies that echo the hearing loss claim in the lawsuit. It also reported research findings about other potential iPod risks, which haven’t been picked up yet by litigation-minded users.

In 2005, according to the Australian newspaper, the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) warned that users who constantly use the scroll wheel or buttons on the devices to organize music collections, update playlists and adjust the volume risk a condition the BCA terms “iPod finger.” It describes musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) that result from overuse of the digits and small repetitive movements of the finger or thumb over long periods of time. According to the BCA, iPod finger can spread and afflict the user even when the digital music player is not in use. That pain can migrate up into the forearm, affecting the posture and causing headaches, neck and shoulder pain and hand or arm dysfunction.

And there are potential lawsuits over eyestrain. Media companies are offering an increasing array of videos for people to download and watch on their iPods, from old television shows to music videos. The Australian newspaper interviewed Professor Peter McCluskey, an opthamologist at the University of New South Wales and Liverpool Hospital, who regards focusing on a small screen for an extended length of time as a possible cause of the increasing number of shortsighted children and teenagers.

Apple’s ergonomic step was the recent release of software that allows users to set their own maximum volume limit, which can be locked with a combination code. It has also strengthened its warnings about the decibel risk in iPod manuals. To date, the only ergonomic answer to the other risks is moderation – moderate sound and moderate use of the device.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald