Is the iPod craze causing our nation to lose its hearing? A recent survey suggests that may be the case.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has released findings that portable listening devices can impact hearing, especially for teenagers.

The popularity of devices with earbuds or earphones has concerned health experts for some time. And once hearing is gone, it's gone for good.

"The time when they start to have ringing in their ears or complain of hearing loss, it's way too late. There is nothing that can be done about it at that point, so it has to be prevention," said Dr. Daniel Hartman of California Pacific Medical Center.

Hartman said that listening to music on portable devices is fine, but turning down the volume is what's important. He said below 90 decibels is ideal, which would be about 1/2 to 2/3 of an iPod's maximum volume.

Apple, manufacturer of the iPod, includes a warning with every iPod which says permanent hearing loss may occur if earphones or headphones are used at a high volume.

On Capitol Hill this week, members of the hearing association are asking lawmakers to address the need for warning labels on all portable listening devices.

Alex Johnson, president of the ASHA, said more than half of high school students in the study reported hearing damage.

El Paso resident Cindy Horan said the results don't surprise her. She said her teenage daughter has an iPod and listens to it at a high volume.

"If I can hear it, I know it's too loud," Horan said.

But the group also found that some adults aren't concerned about the problem for themselves, even though they may listen to music louder and longer than young people.

"If you are listening to an iPod at its maximum setting, there's no doubt that will cause hearing loss over time," Hartman said.

James Neblett, of West El Paso, said he often listens to loud music, even though he knows the danger.

"You up the volume of the music and, naturally, (over) a long period of time it causes hearing loss. I am guilty of it myself," Neblett said.