NationStates Jolt Archive

Yesterday I was listening to my MP3 player through a set of ear clips (ear buds with the wrap-around earpiece). When I got into my office and started to slip out of my jacket, the cord to the ear clips brushed against my jacket. This created a static electricity charge to arc into both of my ears. The ear phones also greatly amplified the sound of the charge directly into my ears. A co-worker rushed me to my doctor, fearing ear damage and possibley brain injury. My doc said that I was lucky that neither ear drum was ruptured (he's seen this before). Aside from the shock to my ear drums and inner ears, he said it basically had the effect of a flash/bang grenade.

I had never heard of anything like this before. Have you or has it happened to you?

jesus , that sounds like we need investigative journalism

Yesterday I was listening to my MP3 player through a set of ear clips (ear buds with the wrap-around earpiece). When I got into my office and started to slip out of my jacket, the cord to the ear clips brushed against my jacket. This created a static electricity charge to arc into both of my ears. The ear phones also greatly amplified the sound of the charge directly into my ears. A co-worker rushed me to my doctor, fearing ear damage and possibley brain injury. My doc said that I was lucky that neither ear drum was ruptured (he's seen this before). Aside from the shock to my ear drums and inner ears, he said it basically had the effect of a flash/bang grenade.

I had never heard of anything like this before. Have you or has it happened to you?
The RIAA probably put shit in something you downloaded. You should sue em.

Yesterday I was listening to my MP3 player through a set of ear clips (ear buds with the wrap-around earpiece). When I got into my office and started to slip out of my jacket, the cord to the ear clips brushed against my jacket. This created a static electricity charge to arc into both of my ears. The ear phones also greatly amplified the sound of the charge directly into my ears. A co-worker rushed me to my doctor, fearing ear damage and possibley brain injury. My doc said that I was lucky that neither ear drum was ruptured (he's seen this before). Aside from the shock to my ear drums and inner ears, he said it basically had the effect of a flash/bang grenade.

I had never heard of anything like this before. Have you or has it happened to you?

Dude, go to the Doc and get a hearing test and fake partial damage. You'd have a slam dunk law suit against the manufacturer. (they would settle).

The RIAA probably put shit in something you downloaded. You should sue em.

Nah, I listen to audio books downloaded from audible.com. This was just electroshock therapy the hard way.

Dude, go to the Doc and get a hearing test and fake partial damage. You'd have a slam dunk law suit against the manufacturer. (they would settle).

I'm a dudette. If the humming and pain doesn't let up by Monday I'll have further tests done. I'm not a lawsuit type person. I do expect the manufacturer to cover my medical expenses though.

Nah, I listen to audio books downloaded from audible.com. This was just electroshock therapy the hard way.


I'm a dudette. If the humming and pain doesn't let up by Monday I'll have further tests done. I'm not a lawsuit type person. I do expect the manufacturer to cover my medical expenses though.

And reasonable compensation for any permenant damage plus pain and suffering.

That's only fair.

And reasonable compensation for any permenant damage plus pain and suffering.

That's only fair.

God forbid permanent damage!! Doc didn't think there would be. Mostly I'm interested in seeing if anyone else has had this happen or knows of it happening to someone else. I would like to push this and make manufacturers provide proper sheilding on these things. Even if this is a rare occurrence, once is too often...and frankly I'm pissed.

I was thinking of getting an MP3 player. Note the use of past tense.

I was thinking of getting an MP3 player. Note the use of past tense.

My doc says that the problem is with ear buds and ear clips...anything you put into your ear. Ear phones can also amplify the sound of a static discharge, but not to the same extreme extent. Plus, you wouldn't have the risk of discharging directly into your ear. Logically, I would think this could happen with anything that uses ear phones...cell phone, stereo, etc.

My doc says that the problem is with ear buds and ear clips...anything you put into your ear. Ear phones can also amplify the sound of a static discharge, but not to the same extreme extent. Plus, you wouldn't have the risk of discharging directly into your ear. Logically, I would think this could happen with anything that uses ear phones...cell phone, stereo, etc.

Okay, now I'm really paranoid.

*insulates body from electricity*

so how could it be achieved on say, a random person i hate

No. You are lucky that nothing really bad happend. I had no idea that this was possible.

No. You are lucky that nothing really bad happend. I had no idea that this was possible.

I didn't either. I assumed that proper care had been taken to prevent a natural occurence from hurting someone. Proves the truth of ass-u-me.

I was thinking of getting an MP3 player. Note the use of past tense.

Doesn't sound like the mp3 player had anything to do with it. Could have been an old walkman or cd player from the sound of it.

The earphones where what carried the charge, and discharged it into her ears. Talk about being lucky though, I know it doesn't seem it, but it really could have popped the ear drums!

I'm not a lawsuit type person. I do expect the manufacturer to cover my medical expenses though.

I do know they can shield cables from electrical interference... and I'm pretty sure they can do it to headphones as well- I also think that would have prevented what happened... at least to some extent

I 100% agree that the company should cover medical expenses, and I have to say I'm impressed you won't fake partial damage to get cash out of the deal. I'm also not a sue happy person, even with the couple of times where I prob could have gotten something- I think getting them to at least put a warning on the earphones, or adding extra shielding would be a far more worthy goal.

However if *someone* (don't want to jinx you) were to get permanent damage from something like that- I do think they should sue the company, though if it's a major brand it would more than likely end up in court for years with appeals and such depending on the amount asked for. Or they might be willing to settle out of court- but then that wouldn't pressure them into warnings, or pulling the product.

I hope you have a speedy recovery!

I guess so. :confused:

Doesn't sound like the mp3 player had anything to do with it. Could have been an old walkman or cd player from the sound of it.

The earphones where what carried the charge, and discharged it into her ears. Talk about being lucky though, I know it doesn't seem it, but it really could have popped the ear drums!



I do know they can shield cables from electrical interference... and I'm pretty sure they can do it to headphones as well- I also think that would have prevented what happened... at least to some extent

I 100% agree that the company should cover medical expenses, and I have to say I'm impressed you won't fake partial damage to get cash out of the deal. I'm also not a sue happy person, even with the couple of times where I prob could have gotten something- I think getting them to at least put a warning on the earphones, or adding extra shielding would be a far more worthy goal.

However if *someone* (don't want to jinx you) were to get permanent damage from something like that- I do think they should sue the company, though if it's a major brand it would more than likely end up in court for years with appeals and such depending on the amount asked for. Or they might be willing to settle out of court- but then that wouldn't pressure them into warnings, or pulling the product.

I hope you have a speedy recovery!

Actually, it was an iPod...note the term "was". It's pretty well fried, too. I contacted their customer support online yesterday, but I haven't heard back yet. I have also contacted the retailer where I purchased them last weekend and the manager immediately pulled that model from their shelves.

Let me clarify something for the folks who I've made paranoid. These things have a metal sheath (for appearance sake) on the part that goes from the cord to the earpiece. I also have pierced ears and was wearing gold and pearl studs. I work in an office populated with engineers, so naturally they had to analyze the dyanmics involved. They figure that the metal on the ear clips and on the earrings and on the zipper of my jacket formed a loop and zap...that's all she wrote.

Thank you for your well wishes. I'm a tough old bird...and a scrappy one too.

*adds to list of why creative MP3 player is better than <snicker> Ipod <snicker>*

Edit:

Oh, I also hope taht your ears get better...

Please forgive me for dragging this thread out of the long ago, but I wanted to draw attention to this. I know that most of us spend a lot of time with earbuds and such stuck in our ears, and I hope that this will alert more people to take care. I still have muffled hearing in one ear and a constant whine, but we're hoping that will clear up with time. To date, 10 days after notifying the manufacturer, I have one email saying they have forwarded my problem to another department. Uh-huh. I think I can see where this is going...nowhere.

Anyway, here's a link to the earclips I was using. Please let me know if any of you have had problems with this same model.

http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelDetail?displayTab=O&storeId=11251&catalogId=11005&itemId=63256&catGroupId=11143&modelNo=RP-HS5&surfModel=RP-HS5

Again, please note and use caution with these and all earbuds.

Please forgive me for dragging this thread out of the long ago, but I wanted to draw attention to this. I know that most of us spend a lot of time with earbuds and such stuck in our ears, and I hope that this will alert more people to take care. I still have muffled hearing in one ear and a constant whine, but we're hoping that will clear up with time. To date, 10 days after notifying the manufacturer, I have one email saying they have forwarded my problem to another department. Uh-huh. I think I can see where this is going...nowhere.

Anyway, here's a link to the earclips I was using. Please let me know if any of you have had problems with this same model.

http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelDetail?displayTab=O&storeId=11251&catalogId=11005&itemId=63256&catGroupId=11143&modelNo=RP-HS5&surfModel=RP-HS5


Again, please note and use caution with these and all earbuds.

I hear you brother. Turns out lots of people have had similar problems: http://www.techno-junkie.com/problems/help&support/ask.html (http://www.coolbean.com)

I hear you brother. Turns out lots of people have had similar problems: http://www.techno-junkie.com/problems/help&support/ask.html (http://www.coolbean.com)

Thanks, but this seems to be a link to coolbean.com. The techno-junkie one is a no go.

I still have muffled hearing in one ear and a constant whine, but we're hoping that will clear up with time.
Shit. I hope your hearing does get better soon (I've had a constant whine in my ears for about 10-15 years) so I know how annoying it is.
Little bit concerned about the lack of info about this with the headphones though! You'd think they'd have a safety warning or something...don't use with pierced ears, or something like that.

Shit. I hope your hearing does get better soon (I've had a constant whine in my ears for about 10-15 years) so I know how annoying it is.
Little bit concerned about the lack of info about this with the headphones though! You'd think they'd have a safety warning or something...don't use with pierced ears, or something like that.

Pierced ears, metal zipper, the whole enchilada. I managed to unknowingly make myself the perfect electrical circuit. I've replaced the culprit earclips with another brand and I can't help but notice that their cord is a lot thicker and that I'm having no problem with static.

Does anyone have any idea what link Chartered Alliances was trying to point me to? I need some backup of similar incidents to put pressure on the manufacturer.

Yesterday I was listening to my MP3 player through a set of ear clips (ear buds with the wrap-around earpiece). When I got into my office and started to slip out of my jacket, the cord to the ear clips brushed against my jacket. This created a static electricity charge to arc into both of my ears. The ear phones also greatly amplified the sound of the charge directly into my ears. A co-worker rushed me to my doctor, fearing ear damage and possibley brain injury. My doc said that I was lucky that neither ear drum was ruptured (he's seen this before). Aside from the shock to my ear drums and inner ears, he said it basically had the effect of a flash/bang grenade.

I had never heard of anything like this before. Have you or has it happened to you?

Nope, never heard of it, however it goes a long way toward explaining some of the less ... um ... thoughtful posts on here! LOL! :D

Nope, never heard of it, however it goes a long way toward explaining some of the less ... um ... thoughtful posts on here! LOL! :D

Yeah...I see what you mean. Wonder whose puppet he is?

Could you send me those earphones. I'd like to see if I could create some sort of...weapon.

Could you send me those earphones. I'd like to see if I could create some sort of...weapon.

mmmmm....I think I'll hang on to them for evidence sake. You can pick up a set at Walmart though. Let me know if you have any luck.

I was thinking of getting an MP3 player. Note the use of past tense.
i have never had this happen and never heard of it before

I didn't know that could happen. Wow.