EARPHONES could be bad for your health.
Researchers say iPod andMP3 headphones like those worn by millions of Britons are a breeding ground for bacteria and could lead to painful ear infections.
They have already warned against the potential damage from high volume levels on iPod earphones, but now they claim that the earpieces contain dirt and bacteria.
According to a study published in the Online Journal of Health and Allied Sciences, frequent and constant use of earphones significantly increases bacterial growth in the ear.
An earlier study, published in the medical journal Laryngoscope, also measured bacteria levels on audio headsets - the type that are handed out on airplanes - and found that, after an hour's use, the number of bacteria had increased from 60 micro-organisms to 650.
The idea of dirty earphones may be something most people would rather not think about, but the findings from both studies may also be bad news for anyone who is prone to ear infections.
Scientists in India carried out microbiological tests on earphones after the worldwide usage of earphones increased especially among school and college students who often share a set of earphones.
They said that like airline headsets, headphones and stethoscope ear-pieces, ear phones can easily carry potential pathogens, which can cause ear infections.
The team from Manipal University in Karnataka, India, compared the bacterial growth of the external ear in association with earphone and assessed the role of earphones as carriers of micro-organisms.
Fifty volunteer male students aged between 18 and 25 years were divided into two groups, according to whether they sheared their iPod earphones. Swabs were taken from their left ear and the left earpiece of the earphone and the samples tested for bacteria.
In the group which tended to share earphones less often, bacteria were found in eight per cent of ear swaps and on 56 per cent of earphones.
In the second group which often shared earphones with friends, potentially harmful bacteria were found in 92 per cent of ear swabs and 68 per cent of earphone samples.
The researchers concluded that frequent and constant use of earphones increases the bacterial growth in the ear and sharing of earphones might transfer bacteria from one person's ear to another's.
Dr Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay, who led the research, said: "Therefore it is always better not to share or else to clean the earphones thoroughly before sharing."