Recently, some research has emerged that show how magnets inside of iPod-style headphones can interfere with implanted heart defibrillators and pacemakers.

If you wear an implanted heart device, you can still rock your MP3 player and ear buds - just keep the cords and devices at least an inch from your device. But what about the urban legend about MP3 players boosting your risk of being struck by lightning?

via Medbroadcast: One day a man jogged along while tunes from his iPod motivated him onward, even as a thunderstorm rumbled around him. A bolt of lightning to a nearby tree interrupted his workout, sending the man flying 8 feet from the tree.

Running in a thunderstorm seems to have been the first of this man’s bad decisions for the day. Besides receiving second degree burns to his chest and leg, the man also suffered burns that matched the outline of his iPod earphones and cord, a fractured jaw, and some hearing loss due to two blown eardrums.

The man’s wounds have healed, but the public’s worry lingers: could headphones and MP3 players, cell phones, or other small metallic or electronic devices increase the risk and severity of lightning strikes?

In this unlucky man’s case, the lightning hit the tree and side-flashed over to him, and the earphone cord and sweat conducted the current up toward his head. That would account for the muscle contractions that fractured his jaw. The lesson here? Take shelter indoors when a thunderstorm starts, no matter how inspiring your playlist is!

Background on the heart device connection + more MP3 player mythbusting here …

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You’re just as likely to spy a grandma on the train listening to Kanye West as a teen listening to Coltrane. Personal music players and downloads are making all kinds of music more accessible to more people. However, lots more people are also exposed to excess decibels and potential hearing loss. Ask yourself these 14 questions to figure out if you might be losing your hearing.