TY - JOUR
T1 - Hearing loss in humans drinking tube well water with high levels of iron in arsenic–polluted area
AU - He, Tingchao
AU - Ohgami, Nobutaka
AU - Li, Xiang
AU - Yajima, Ichiro
AU - Negishi-Oshino, Reina
AU - Kato, Yoko
AU - Ohgami, Kyoko
AU - Xu, Huadong
AU - Ahsan, Nazmul
AU - Akhand, Anwarul Azim
AU - Kato, Masashi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, The Author(s).
PY - 2019/12/1
Y1 - 2019/12/1
N2 - Well water for drinking with increased levels of iron in arsenic-polluted areas has been reported worldwide. Oral exposure to arsenic has been shown to be associated with hearing loss, while there is no evidence for an association between excessive exposure to iron and hearing loss in humans. In this study, we determined iron and arsenic levels in biological samples and hearing levels by pure tone audiometry (PTA) in subjects in a control area and an arsenic-polluted area in Bangladesh. The iron level in well water in the arsenic-polluted area was significantly higher than that in piped supply water in the control area. Subjects in the polluted area (n = 109), who had higher iron and arsenic levels in hair and toenails than those in subjects in the control area (n = 36), had an increased risk of hearing loss at 8 kHz and 12 kHz after adjustments for age, gender, smoking and BMI. Significant associations of the exposure group with hearing loss at 8 kHz and 12 kHz remained after further adjustment for arsenic levels in toenails and hair. Thus, this pilot study showed that excessive exposure to iron via drinking water is a potential risk for hearing loss in humans.
AB - Well water for drinking with increased levels of iron in arsenic-polluted areas has been reported worldwide. Oral exposure to arsenic has been shown to be associated with hearing loss, while there is no evidence for an association between excessive exposure to iron and hearing loss in humans. In this study, we determined iron and arsenic levels in biological samples and hearing levels by pure tone audiometry (PTA) in subjects in a control area and an arsenic-polluted area in Bangladesh. The iron level in well water in the arsenic-polluted area was significantly higher than that in piped supply water in the control area. Subjects in the polluted area (n = 109), who had higher iron and arsenic levels in hair and toenails than those in subjects in the control area (n = 36), had an increased risk of hearing loss at 8 kHz and 12 kHz after adjustments for age, gender, smoking and BMI. Significant associations of the exposure group with hearing loss at 8 kHz and 12 kHz remained after further adjustment for arsenic levels in toenails and hair. Thus, this pilot study showed that excessive exposure to iron via drinking water is a potential risk for hearing loss in humans.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41598-019-45524-1
DO - 10.1038/s41598-019-45524-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 31227759
AN - SCOPUS:85067800431
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 9
JO - Scientific reports
JF - Scientific reports
IS - 1
M1 - 9028
ER -