Washington, Aug 25: Bagpipe players, beware! A survey has found that having a passion for the pipes can contribute to marriage breakdowns. According to a report in The Telegraph, acoustic experts claimed that, besides inducing ear-ache, the instrument could be linked to hearing loss, repetitive strain injury and alcoholism.


Once used as instruments of war, the bagpipes are dangerous and should come with a health warning, says the report by Piper and Drummer magazine.


James Bousquet, a bagpiper and acoustics expert, measured the noise from a single instrument and found that - it reached 122 decibels - louder than a chainsaw or a plane landing.


"Regular annual hearing tests are a good idea. Sounds don't have to be uncomfortably loud to be damaging. It has also been shown that, during exercise, susceptibility to hearing damage increases. This is significant to pipers because our instrument is strenuous to play to begin with and is often played while marching", said Bousquet.

About 10 per cent of players said their hobby had ended their marriages while 84 per cent knew pipers who were alcoholics, says the report.


"Piping can take over your life. Your social life tends to revolve around hard drinking with other members. It can really take its toll", said Mike McNeill, a former World Pipe Band Championship contestant.



Dr Robert Sataloff, an American lung disease expert, said pipers often developed large stomachs because the bag acted as a breeding ground for spores. He said: "Pipers are more likely to have an hour-glass belly in which they develop distended stomachs filled with the air from playing the instrument." Bureau Report