The sound of music is nearly as pervasive as the air we breathe.

It’s on the television during shows and commercials. It plays in our vehicles while driving to work. It hovers overhead in most stores where we shop.

Today’s generation takes its music on the go while listening to it through earbuds or headphones, primarily on a smart phone or mp3 player.

But how much intensity of sound through earbuds or headphones is too much before health effects kick in?

Lori Pakulski, a professor in the Speech-Language Pathology Program at the University of Toledo and director of the Auditory and Language Enriched Program, said you should think about daily sound intake as if you were on a diet.

“You want to do things in moderation, and when you have an excess of one thing then you should cut back in something else,” Ms. Pakulski said.

Sound is measured in decibels (dB). Allan Rubin, ProMedica ear, nose, and throat physician, said noises heard above 85 dB can cause damage, even permanently. Common sounds at the 85 dB range include a snow blower, lawnmower, a food blender, and average city traffic.

Studies show that as technology has advanced, it may contribute to more people developing hearing loss or damage.

The physician said today’s teenagers are 30 percent more likely to have hearing loss than teens were in the 1980s and 1990s, one factor being that Millennials listen to music for long periods of time on smart phones with technologically advanced headphones and earbuds.

“They’re hooked up to them all day,” Dr. Rubin said, adding the long battery life and advanced earbuds and headphones are contributing to hearing damage. “The biggest group [in danger] is the Millennials, because they use iPods and smart phones for everything.”

He explained that tinnitus is a sign of hearing damage and is caused by the aging process or from hearing a loud sound. Among teens, it could result from attending a loud concert or listening to headphones on high volume for more than 60 minutes per day.

A 2016 study of more than 200 students from a private school in Brazil showed the students’ age and their noise-heavy environment contributed to hearing loss. Many of the students reported listening to music through earbuds.

While many people listen to music at a safe distance from speakers, an increasing number are embracing headphones and earbuds as their chosen methods of delivery. A report issued earlier this month by the Consumer Technology Association showed U.S. wholesale headphones and earbuds sales rose from $2.04 billion in 2015 to $2.24 billion last year.

While it might be a safer route to digest music through ear-encompassing headphones as opposed to earbuds, it doesn’t guarantee prevention of hearing loss or damage.

Ms. Pakulski said many people who wear headphones may refrain from turning the volume up because many devices have built-in functions to diminish or cancel background noise. Earbuds, by contrast, immediately increase sound level by 9 dB as the device is placed closer to the ear drum, and people may still increase the volume while in a loud environment to cancel out background noise.

She said damage directly stems from the intensity of the sound waves that over-stimulate the inner ear.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s more bass or a higher frequency,” Ms. Pakulski said. ”The damage will be the same.”

Dr. Rubin and Ms. Pakulski both said other factors contribute to hearing loss, including daily routines and a person’s age.

While earbuds and headphones act as one potential cause of hearing loss, damage can also result from reduced oxygen supply to the brain during cardiovascular problems, diabetes, and specific medications.

“When you compound that with noise that creates a bigger effect,” Ms. Pakulski said.

She also referred to hearing loss as “secondhand smoke” when considering a person’s daily atmosphere. Background noise people might not pay attention to throughout the day can contribute to hearing loss, such as the sound on a subway ride, a loud classroom, a sports game, or mowing the lawn.

“Because we have so much noise around us all the time we don’t realize how much we’re adding to it over time,” Ms. Pakulski said. “If someone wanted to be careful about their hearing they couldn’t just say, ‘Did I listen to my iPod for an hour at a high level?’ They have to say, ‘What did I do across the day?’ ”

While people can’t quantify whether they’re listening to sounds within the 85 dB to 95 dB range, there are strategies to help prevent hearing loss or damage over time. Dr. Rubin said one common tactic is to wear earplugs during concerts or while mowing the lawn, and wear headphones instead of earbuds.

Other strategies Ms. Pakulski mentioned included the “60/​60 rule,” meaning to only use 60 percent of the volume level for about 60 minutes per day.

“We allow ourselves to get used to a loud level instead of just getting ourselves to pay attention to a more moderate level,” she said. ”It’s not OK to have a lot of noise.”

Contact Geoff Burns at: gburns@theblade.com or at 419-724-6054.

First Published January 15, 2017, 5:00 a.m.