They are everywhere around us. And I mean everywhere. I believe they're even addictive. The MP3 mania has some devastating drawbacks. How come? Well, for starters, there are some really freighting rumors that explain the damage that they can actually do.

This ain't no joke, since according to the Royal Institute for the Deaf all the mp3 players on the market are slowly but surely damaging the hearing of young people in the UK, and not only, I believe. The main reason for that is the acute lack of safety warnings from the manufactures.

The RNID's research clearly shows that young people who regularly plug in MP3 players are prone to suffer from premature hearing damage. It also shows two thirds of 18 to 30 year olds listen to their devices at dangerously high volumes.

According to RNID, the researchers used decibel meters to test the volume of 110 young people's MP3 devices in Manchester, Birmingham and Brighton. The result was shocking: 72 out of those tested were listening at over 85 decibels. Even worse is the fact that almost half of young people who use MP3 players, listen for more than an hour, while a quarter is listening for more than 21 hours a week.

Now, RNID is not the only one getting involved in the research, as the World Health Organization says that listening to earphones at 85 decibels for more than an hour can seriously damage the hearing. And, if we think that there were 8 million MP3 players sold last year, only in the UK, RNID might actually mean that there is a whole generation of MP3 addicts out there who could face severe hearing damage in the near future.

As a precocious measure, RNID is calling on manufacturers to include clear on-pack warnings and to link volume levels to decibels, to let anyone know when they've reached a damaging volume, so that they can take action to protect their hearing.

According to the same RNID, which represents the UK's 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people, "music fans should turn their players down a notch and take a five minute rest from their headphones for every hour they listen". RNID is also urging MP3 player fans "to invest in in-ear filters for headphones, which cancel out background noise and reduce the need to increase volume levels".

Brian Lamb, Acting Chief Executive of RNID, said: "MP3 player manufacturers have a responsibility to make their customers aware of the dangers by printing clear warnings on packaging and linking volume controls to decibel levels. It's easy to crank up the sound levels on your MP3 player to damagingly loud levels, especially on busy streets or public transport. But if people can hear the music from your headphones from just a meter away, you're putting your hearing at risk."

You like it loud? How about now?