The relationship between chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water and hearing function in exposed population aged 10–49 years: A cross-sectional study

It has been documented that arsenic has a potential risk to human health and identified as a risk factor for hearing impairment. However, there are few studies that confirm the ototoxic effect of arsenic, especially on the human auditory system. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investig...

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Main Authors: Reza Shokoohi, Mohammad Khazaei, Manoochehr Karami, Abdolmotaleb Seidmohammadi, Nima Berijani, Hassan Khotanlou, Zahra Torkshavand
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-03-01
Series:Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651321000506
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spelling doaj-4480f4b184384103970a8fdeb802c22d2021-04-23T06:16:05ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132021-03-01211111939The relationship between chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water and hearing function in exposed population aged 10–49 years: A cross-sectional studyReza Shokoohi0Mohammad Khazaei1Manoochehr Karami2Abdolmotaleb Seidmohammadi3Nima Berijani4Hassan Khotanlou5Zahra Torkshavand6Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, IranDepartment of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, IranDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, IranDepartment of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, IranOccupational Medicine Specialist, Sepehr Occupational Medicine Center, Hamadan, IranDepartment of Computer Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan, IranDepartment of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; Corresponding author.It has been documented that arsenic has a potential risk to human health and identified as a risk factor for hearing impairment. However, there are few studies that confirm the ototoxic effect of arsenic, especially on the human auditory system. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate the correlation between auditory thresholds at different frequencies (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 kHz) and arsenic levels in drinking water samples. A total of 240 people, divided into two equal groups: exposed and reference, were selected for the auditory tests. It should be noted that, at frequencies from 0.25 to 1 kHz, no hearing loss was observed in the both groups. Based on the results, no significant correlations (p > 0.05) were found between hearing thresholds and confounding variables including gender and BMI. However, smoking and age are known to be the main variables for hearing loss in univariate regression analysis. In the case of age, the hearing loss risk in the older participants was increased compared with the younger participants (4 kHz (OR =1.09; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.13) and 8 kHz (OR =1.12; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.18)). Smoking habits had significant associations with hearing loss risk at 4 kHz (OR = 3.48; 95% CI: 1.47, 8.22) and 8 kHz (OR = 3.01; 95% CI: 1.14, 7.95). The multivariate regression analysis showed that age, smoking status, and exposure to arsenic were significantly associated with increased risk of hearing loss. Moreover, no statistically significant correlation (p˃0.05) was observed between arsenic exposure and hearing loss in the logistic regression model compared to the reference group. These outcomes suggest that further investigation and cohort studies with a larger number of participants should be conducted to find an association between arsenic exposure and hearing loss in general population.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651321000506Human auditory systemArsenic exposureDrinking waterOtoscopy and tympanometry tests
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Reza Shokoohi
Mohammad Khazaei
Manoochehr Karami
Abdolmotaleb Seidmohammadi
Nima Berijani
Hassan Khotanlou
Zahra Torkshavand
spellingShingle Reza Shokoohi
Mohammad Khazaei
Manoochehr Karami
Abdolmotaleb Seidmohammadi
Nima Berijani
Hassan Khotanlou
Zahra Torkshavand
The relationship between chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water and hearing function in exposed population aged 10–49 years: A cross-sectional study
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Human auditory system
Arsenic exposure
Drinking water
Otoscopy and tympanometry tests
author_facet Reza Shokoohi
Mohammad Khazaei
Manoochehr Karami
Abdolmotaleb Seidmohammadi
Nima Berijani
Hassan Khotanlou
Zahra Torkshavand
author_sort Reza Shokoohi
title The relationship between chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water and hearing function in exposed population aged 10–49 years: A cross-sectional study
title_short The relationship between chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water and hearing function in exposed population aged 10–49 years: A cross-sectional study
title_full The relationship between chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water and hearing function in exposed population aged 10–49 years: A cross-sectional study
title_fullStr The relationship between chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water and hearing function in exposed population aged 10–49 years: A cross-sectional study
title_full_unstemmed The relationship between chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water and hearing function in exposed population aged 10–49 years: A cross-sectional study
title_sort relationship between chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water and hearing function in exposed population aged 10–49 years: a cross-sectional study
publisher Elsevier
series Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
issn 0147-6513
publishDate 2021-03-01
description It has been documented that arsenic has a potential risk to human health and identified as a risk factor for hearing impairment. However, there are few studies that confirm the ototoxic effect of arsenic, especially on the human auditory system. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate the correlation between auditory thresholds at different frequencies (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 kHz) and arsenic levels in drinking water samples. A total of 240 people, divided into two equal groups: exposed and reference, were selected for the auditory tests. It should be noted that, at frequencies from 0.25 to 1 kHz, no hearing loss was observed in the both groups. Based on the results, no significant correlations (p > 0.05) were found between hearing thresholds and confounding variables including gender and BMI. However, smoking and age are known to be the main variables for hearing loss in univariate regression analysis. In the case of age, the hearing loss risk in the older participants was increased compared with the younger participants (4 kHz (OR =1.09; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.13) and 8 kHz (OR =1.12; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.18)). Smoking habits had significant associations with hearing loss risk at 4 kHz (OR = 3.48; 95% CI: 1.47, 8.22) and 8 kHz (OR = 3.01; 95% CI: 1.14, 7.95). The multivariate regression analysis showed that age, smoking status, and exposure to arsenic were significantly associated with increased risk of hearing loss. Moreover, no statistically significant correlation (p˃0.05) was observed between arsenic exposure and hearing loss in the logistic regression model compared to the reference group. These outcomes suggest that further investigation and cohort studies with a larger number of participants should be conducted to find an association between arsenic exposure and hearing loss in general population.
topic Human auditory system
Arsenic exposure
Drinking water
Otoscopy and tympanometry tests
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651321000506
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